Funding boost supports research internships for post-secondary students in Sask.

Post-secondary students in Saskatchewan will have more internship opportunities going forward, thanks to funding from the provincial government.

In 2022-23, the Saskatchewan government is providing $1.15 million to Mitacs, a national non-profit that helps facilitate internships between industries and academic institutions.

The government said the increased funding — up by $600,000 this year — will support “up to 265 research and development internships for undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to work in Saskatchewan industries.”

Abdinoor Jelle, a postdoctoral researcher and Mitacs fellow at Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute, praised the program for opening up new opportunities for her.

“By providing connections to industry, it has made it possible for me to pursue my career in renewable clean energy, and I am grateful for that,” Jelle said in a statement.

Mitacs works with the University of Regina, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Parkland College to create the internships.

Since 2007, the provincial government has provided $4.3 million to support Mitacs programs in Saskatchewan which, along with funding from industry partners and the federal government, has led to a total of 2,054 internships around the province.