TICAN matches companies with top graduate talent from Canada’s leading universities, bringing the expertise required to deliver advanced R&D outcomes.

Participating firms see an immediate 1.5–2.3x return through talent cost savings alone. When R&D output and retained intellectual property are included, total returns conservatively reach 3–5x per placement.

With close to 90% of graduates hired after the program, TICAN enables companies to scale their R&D capacity efficiently.

TICAN is structured to facilitate the commercialization of advanced technologies.

When graduate students are employed by the company, the company may define the applicable IP policy.  TICAN does not claim any ownership, rights, or interest in intellectual property arising from TICAN-funded projects.

Graduate students receive:

• A $45,000 stipend from TICAN (paid through their academic institution); and
• A minimum $35,000 salary paid by the partnering company, either directly or through the academic institution.

To participate, your firm must be willing to:

• Co-develop a cutting-edge technology
• Contribute $45,000 to the project
• Mentor the graduate student alongside the academic supervisor
• Complete required reporting

Yes, provided they are registered graduate students at a Canadian university.

TICAN is delivered in partnership with the Government of Canada.

Applications are assessed by TICAN, with input from leading R&D experts across industry and academia, ensuring rigorous technical and commercial evaluation.

Companies interested in submitting multiple projects are encouraged to contact TICAN’s business development team at partners@ticanada.ca.

Applicants must declare any potential research security concerns in accordance with:

• The National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships; and
• The Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern

All applicants must comply with relevant university policies to mitigate identified risks.

Eligible participants include:

• Master’s and PhD students enrolled at a Canadian university; and
• Postdoctoral fellows holding a position at a Canadian university
• Recent PhDs who subsequently become postdocs at participating universities.

Yes.

TICAN balances speed with rigorous technical vetting. Most companies are matched with graduate students within 6–8 weeks.

TICAN matches companies with candidates whose skills align with specific R&D needs. The company may choose which graduate student they would like to work with.

For up-to-date application information, please visit: www.talentinnovationcanada.ca.

In some cases, additional funding may be available. Companies are encouraged to contact TICAN to discuss project-specific opportunities.

Graduate students are embedded within company R&D teams. In most cases, they are employed by the company for the duration of the project and operate under company policies.

TICAN requires participating companies to employ graduate students and provide a minimum salary of $35,000. Combined with TICAN funding, this ensures total annual compensation of at least $80,000.

You may still be eligible. Contact TICAN to discuss your project: partners@ticanada.ca.

Typically, projects are 8-months in length but can be stretched over 16-months if that works for the project.

The expectation is that the TICAN project work makes up a significant component of the graduate students degree.  For example, as their capstone project or portion of their thesis.

Only Canadian incorporations are eligible at this time.

Please contact partners@ticanada.ca to discuss how your students can participate.

Please contact partners@ticanada.ca to discuss how you can participate.