Editorial - 22-7

The amount of funding may be modest but the new Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) industrial internship program may prove to be the most effective use of public money among the suite of innovation programs this government has launched. With a budget of $8.5 million over two years, the Industrial Research and Development Internship program — now known as ACCELERATE Canada — will provide 1,200 graduate and post-doctoral students with the kind of real-world experience that's essential for instilling a true culture of commerce.

Perhaps as important, the task of managing the pilot program has been awarded to MITACS, the British Columbia-based NCE that pioneered the program in the first place.

It's no accident that two of Canada's most innovative provinces — Ontario and BC — are paying MITACS millions of dollars to establish additional R&D internships in their jurisdictions.

Too often students complete their post-secondary education with few skills that can be applied in the business world. Entrepreneurship, project management and communications skills are a key part of the internship experience, giving young people valuable skill sets that can't be measured in purely monetary terms.

Perhaps as important, 65% of MITACS' own interns are placed with smaller companies. For about $7,500, these firms can apply the research expertise of a university research professor and and the enthusiasm of a freshly educated professional to their own R&D challenges. It's a program that should be applauded, enlarged and made permanent.