Mitacs Commitment Regarding Confidential Information from Program Participants - Policy on Protecting Confidential Information

Aug 31, 2026

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Mitacs commits to protecting and properly managing confidential information submitted by individuals applying to participate in its programs. The policy explains how applications are handled discreetly, including limits on staff sharing and controls for third-party peer reviewers, and clarifies that applicants and signatories retain access within the application. It defines confidential information, states exclusions from the definition, describes when Mitacs will accept or provide access (often contingent on an NDA), and outlines why non-disclosure agreements matter.

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CategoryLetters

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Mitacs Commitment Regarding Confidential Information from Program Participants

What is Confidential Information?

When will Mitacs accept Confidential Information?

Why is it important for us to have a non-disclosure agreement?

Mitacs Commitment Regarding Confidential Information from Program Participants Mitacs is committed to protecting and appropriately managing confidential information provided to us by those applying to participate in our programs. This Commitment Regarding Confidential Information lets you know how we ensure your confidential information is handled appropriately. NOTE THAT we treat every application to our programs with discretion, and staff may not share the information in proposals, except for information identified as being public in the proposal template, with few exceptions (such as providing information to our government funders). This is our normal course of business. In addition, we ensure that third-party peer reviewers agree to keep the information in any application confidential before they have access to the application. Of course, all applicants and signatories have access to the information within the application, and Mitacs cannot control what the applicants do with the information outside of submitting the application to Mitacs. Situations in which potential applicants are providing us with information that has a special value because of its confidential nature (often called proprietary or trade secret information) require special handling; under these circumstances, Mitacs must exercise a higher level of care and control of the information. This Commitment defines confidential information and describes how Mitacs manages such information. 1. What is Confidential Information? Confidential Information is generally information in any format or medium relating to the business and management of a company or organization, that includes proprietary and/or trade secret information and accounting records, such as products, processes, technology, software, business operations information, client lists, technical and engineering data, technical concepts, test data and test results, the status and details of research and development of products and services, and information regarding acquiring, protecting, enforcing and licensing proprietary rights (including patents and copyrights), that is identified to Mitacs as being confidential. Note that this is a general definition; a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which must be signed before Mitacs takes possession of confidential information, will contain a definition that takes precedence over the definition in this policy. Confidential Information will not include information that: is generally known in the industrial sector; is now or subsequently becomes generally available to the public through no wrongful act or omission by Mitacs; Mitacs rightfully had in its possession prior to receiving the Confidential Information; Mitacs rightfully obtains from a third party who has the right to transfer or disclose it. 2. When will Mitacs accept Confidential Information? Mitacs takes the protection of Confidential Information seriously, and therefore limits the situations in which we will accept or have access to Confidential Information. Currently, none of our systems are certified for security (such as being PCI or ISO27001 compliant), so we reduce the risk as much as possible through limiting the Confidential Information in our systems. Under the following circumstances, we can accept or be granted access to Confidential Information (contingent on certain requirements, including the signing of an appropriate NDA, discussed here and in the following sections): During discussions with organizations to determine the feasibility of a Mitacs project and to enable identifying potential project participants, we can be provided access to electronic versions of Confidential Information. The Confidential Information must be identified as such. Any hard copies of Confidential Information must be provided to Mitacs staff on site at your organization and collected before staff leave. NDAs must be signed before staff have any access to Confidential Information. We will not ge

FAQs

What counts as confidential information under this policy?

Confidential information includes business and management information that contains proprietary and/or trade secret information and accounting records, such as technology, software, client lists, technical data, and research and development status and details, if identified to Mitacs as confidential.

What types of information are excluded from the confidential information definition?

Excluded information includes what is generally known in the industrial sector, becomes publicly available without Mitacs wrongful acts, was rightfully in Mitacs possession before receiving it, or is obtained from a third party with the right to disclose or transfer it.

When will Mitacs accept or grant access to confidential information?

Mitacs limits access and may accept confidential information during feasibility discussions with proper identification and NDA signing. It generally avoids including sensitive information in program applications because they are reviewed by third-party peer reviewers and relevant university and participating parties, unless negotiated exceptions apply.

Aug 31, 2026

Upload by Jiven