News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government has invested $297,500 into two Mitacs programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

The funding allows for 35 research and development internships and fellowships - 33 through Mitacs Accelerate and two through Mitacs Elevate. Both programs connect applied research with industry needs.

“Our government is committed to retaining and attracting highly-skilled individuals as outlined in our Labour Force and Skills Development Strategy,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Jody Carr. “This investment is providing graduate students and fellows increased employment opportunities in New Brunswick's knowledge economy. Our government is focused on growing the economy by investing in people, skills and jobs.”

The Mitacs Accelerate program provides interns with the opportunity to transfer their skills from theory to real-world application, while companies gain a competitive advantage by gaining access to high-quality research expertise.

The Mitacs Elevate program provides a foundation of research, business and scientific management skills to new PhD graduates while giving companies access to a source of highly-qualified individuals.

“Mitacs thanks the Government of New Brunswick for this investment and we look forward to working with our university partners to build joint projects with New Brunswick industry to foster the next generation of innovators and researchers,” said Arvind Gupta, PhD, chief executive officer and scientific director of Mitacs.

A large portion of the Accelerate internships have been filled as a result of a project between the BioMedical Engineering Institute of the University of New Brunswick and B-TEMIA, a company active in human augmentation systems. These systems restore, maintain and enhance human mobility with wearable dermoskeletons, thereby contributing to the reduction of musculoskeletal disorders.
 
Stéphane Bédard, president and chief executive officer of B-TEMIA announced the opening of the world's first Centre for Research in Dermoskeletics on the University of New Brunswick Fredericton campus.

“Thanks to the vision and support of B-TEMIA's valued partners: the Government of New Brunswick, specifically Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and the New Brunswick Innovation Fund, MITACS, and the University of New Brunswick, B-TEMIA will be performing research with top scientists in biomedical engineering and kinesiology and securing B-TEMIA's competitive edge and future as a world leader in this innovative field,” said Bédard.

“Thanks to the support of our federal and provincial governments and partners like the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, MITACS and B-TEMIA, our scientists and engineers are developing cutting-edge research at the forefront of the biomedical engineering and kinesiology fields,” said Eddy Campbell, president of the University of New Brunswick. “Faculty and graduate students in the Centre for Research in Dermoskeletics will be able to work with health-care professionals to prevent occupational injuries and to improve the mobility and quality of life for those living with neurological conditions.”