KELOWNA – The province’s advanced education minister was at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna Monday to talk up B.C.’s strategy for the tech industry and announce $6-million in funding for research internships.
Minister Andrew Wilkinson said that B.C. plans to give the money to a non-profit called Mitacs, which coordinates research internships and fellowships. The internships pair students and postdoctoral researchers with businesses and not-for-profit organizations.
The injection of funds is expected to allow Mitacs to fund additional internships.
UBC Okanagan postdoctoral researcher Jonathan Smirl benefited from a Mitacs internship. He was on hand Monday to demonstrate the concussion research he is involved in. However, if it wasn’t for that opportunity, he might have left the Okanagan to seek out other opportunities.
The province believes the money spent on internships and fellowships now will create jobs in the future. However, this type of funding isn’t new – over the last 12 years the province has given more than $29-million to Mitacs alone.
“”This is actually a substantial enhancement of the Mitacs program.,” says Wilkinson. “We’ve been at it for 16 years. It’s proven to be effective.”
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