UK-Canada international research collaboration continues
Despite the disruption to physical mobility and international collaboration opportunities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic maintaining partnerships between higher institutions internationally is important.
UUKi (Universities UK International enables UK universities to flourish internationally ) and Mitacs (Canadian organization supporting research and training programs) continue their work together by allowing UK students to take part in a UK-Canada mobility scheme via the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship programme.
The internship did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic, but this year 2021, 50 UK students are currently collaborating with Canadian professors on projects of various topics such as quantum materials or the impact of social distancing on health care provision via virtual internships. The plan is to continue in 2022 with student applications opening in August 2021.
The programme is funded by Mitacs and UK and enables UK undergraduate students before their final year, from all academic disciplines and backgrounds to take part in a 12-week research internship at one of the universities across Canada.
The benefits of the mobility for the participating students are numerous such as developing research expertise with top professors at one of the 70 Canadian institutions with outstanding research facilities, gaining professional skills, critical and creative thinking, cultural awareness as well as cooperating socially and educationally with other international students within the community.
One of the participating universities this year is the University of Exeter with 6 students taking part in a virtual internship. These students are from the College of Engineering, the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, the College of Medicine and Health and the College of Humanities.
A BA CH Classics and Theology student Tilly Chapman will be doing her online internship with Université de Montréal to work on a digital collaboratory edition of Greek Anthology. She said that she looked forward to it even though she is not able to travel to Montreal: “Although it’s a shame that I won’t be travelling to Montreal, I still think the internship is a great opportunity to experience new things and meet new people online.”
The funding for the project is provided by one third by the University of Exeter and the rest by Mitacs.
Due to the increased interest in the programme from UK higher education institutions and the Canadian Government, Mitacs will up the number of places available to UK students for the next year 2022. The interested students can apply via their university if their home university is participating in the scheme.
The universities interested in participating in the scheme can contact UUKi to find out more information (https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/universities-uk-international).
