Canada Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Program Launched in Ukraine

This year Ukraine joined the international program in course of the continued partnership with Canada under Free Trade Agreement. The Taras Shevchenko National Museum hosted the solemn opening ceremony of the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Program. It is the first Canadian-Ukrainian program of research internships for the Ukrainian students with a great scientific potential. In Ukraine, the Globalink Research Internship Program is supported by joint efforts of the Government of Canada, the Western NIS Enterprise Fund, the Canadian non-profit organization Mitacs, and the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko.

“For me, it is remarkable that this program is an example of cooperation and partnering between Canada and Ukraine. It will facilitate the industry development in both countries. Such projects will help us expand international cooperation and improve the scientific sphere in Ukraine and in Canada,” – said Roman Waschuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine.

Ukraine became the tenth partner country and in the summer of 2018 will for the first time send to Canada 35 students who will enjoy the guidance of Canadian university professors and will have 12 weeks to conduct researches in various scientific disciplines ranging from Engineering, Technology and Math to Humanities and Social Sciences. About 700 students from around the world participate in the program.

“We are grateful to the Canadian Government for supporting Mitacs Globalink and including Ukraine in Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Program as a partner country, which became a logical addition to the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement; and thus, we are pleased to unite efforts with Mitacs and the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko to support the program. We are convinced that this program will give the talented Ukrainian students an opportunity to work in the new environment and absorb all that Canadian culture and academic communities have to offer in course of this research collaboration. These students will return to Ukraine, and will spread their knowledge and skills within the Ukrainian scientific community, introducing new scientific directives, taking innovative decisions, and thereby developing Ukraine,” noted Jaroslawa Johnson, President and CEO of Western NIS Enterprise Fund.

“Through this program students will not only gain some practical experience but will also have a chance to find an interesting job afterward, create their own startup, continue their cooperation with a Professor and win a scholarship for a Canadian Master’s Degree course. Part of the program is also a professional development, building new relationships with Canadian organizations and companies in Canada. Such research projects are important both for Canada and for partner countries, as they help to develop both countries,” – said Oleksandr Romanko, Mitacs Globalink Internship Program Coordinator in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko.

This program is administered by Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs with a focus on STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The STEM education system is implemented in such countries as China, Canada, USA, Australia, and Turkey, where educated workers play a key role in the sustainable economic growth of these countries. STEM is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.