Eligibility

Mitacs Step workshops are open to Canadian graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, including past, present, and prospective participants in Mitacs programs. "Past" refers to any graduate student who has graduated in the past 2 years.

International students are eligible to attend the workshops. Students are eligible to attend Step workshops only in the province in which they are currently studying, except in the case of special circumstances as indicated by Mitacs. 

Mitacs Step workshops are currently offered in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland & Labrador. 

Workshop Fees

Mitacs Step workshops are free for participants. However, to guarantee attendance, you must enter a valid credit card number to complete your registration. We currently accept only VISA and MasterCard.

Our workshops can only be registered with a credit card – unfortunately we do not accept any other form of payment. If you are not comfortable with entering your credit card information online, please email step(at)mitacs.ca.

Your credit card will not be charged if you attend the workshop, or if you cancel your registration more than 5 days prior to the date of the workshop. However, your credit card will be charged a $50.00 fee if you do not cancel within the designated cancellation period, or if you register but do not attend the workshop.

Registration

Registration for Mitacs Step workshops is done online by the participant. The registration and cancellation system is self-managed, giving participants full and direct control over their accounts.                       

To secure a seat at the workshop, participants must register online. Unless you receive a confirmation from Mitacs that there is space available in a particular workshop, registrations are not accepted on-site.

Register and search for workshops here.

Travel Funding

Limited funding is available for travel and accommodation for participants attending a workshop outside of their university area. Students must be registered for a workshop before they can be considered for travel funding. These funds are not meant to cover all expenses, but rather help offset some of the costs incurred.  All original receipts must accompany the travel claim. It is your responsibility to find the most economic method of travel.

Permitted Expenses Include:

• Mileage for use of a personal vehicle – the current rate to expense is $0.20/km. This includes fuel as well as wear and tear on the vehicle.
• Accommodation fees; excluding incidentals.

Non-refundable expenses include, and are not limited to:

• Fuel for a personal vehicle – the cost of fuel is covered in the mileage expense, as well as wear and tear on the vehicle.
• Personal Navigation Systems (GPS). As there are many alternatives to access directions such as maps and the internet, we are not able to support purchases for items such as these.
• Parking ticket violations and traffic tickets
• Alcohol, including when purchased with meals

Funding is only available for travel within your province. If you are interested in applying for travel funding, please first register for the workshop then contact the Mitacs Step Program Specialist in your region:

• In British Columbia: step-bc(at)mitacs.ca
• In Ontario:  step-ontario(at)mitacs.ca 
• Rest of Canada: step(at)mitacs.ca

Travel funding award expires 90 days from the date of the workshop; travel claims must be submitted within 60 days of the workshop.