Ensuring our sons and daughters are able to stay, work and live here at home has always been a priority for the Province. That’s why today’s investment of $440,000 to help create internship opportunities for young Nova Scotians is so important – it encourages innovation through research and development, and it gives students the hands-on experience they need to start their careers.
Here.
In Nova Scotia.
The funding announced today will flow through the Mitacs Accelerate program, a national not-for-profit organization that works with universities, the private sector and governments to build partnerships that support innovation. Nova Scotia’s new investment is in addition to the original $265,000 and brings this year’s total provincial contribution to $705,000. It is funding more than 170 internships over the next three years.
The internship program connects small and medium-sized companies with graduate students or postdoctoral fellows to solve research challenges. The paid internships are four months long and can be extended up to two years.
Every dollar the province invests leads to four times that amount in private-sector and federal funding.
The Ivany Report made it clear – science, research and innovation are vital to our province’s economic future. For Liberals, this investment fits with our shared vision of how to grow our economy and supports our efforts to keep talented graduates in our province.
Nova Scotia is home to some of the brightest minds and best universities in the world – for too long, these young people were leaving our province upon graduation, taking their ideas, enthusiasm and potential with them.
We understand that our young people are our most precious resource – stopping the decades-long trend of youth outmigration is key to turning around our province’s economic fortunes. Smart, strategic investments like this one will help us do just that.