Research Awards

The Application

• Students may only apply with one Schulich Medicine & Dentistry supervisor. Each eligible Schulich Medicine & Dentistry supervisor may submit one application. Please confirm that your supervisor is aware of this.
• To fill in the application, you require the name and email address of the Faculty member (referred to as "Supervisor" from this point onward) who is willing to work with you on a mutually agreed-upon project. Additionally, Supervisors must have membership within the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and be a Faculty member at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. In addition to supervisors in the basic medical sciences, clinical faculty members doing research in the London hospitals are eligible supervisors. 
  

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• Who completes the application?  The application will be completed by the student, on behalf of the Supervisor and themself.  Once you have submitted your application, a copy of the project description and infrastructure (two last questions) will be sent to the Supervisor. Students will receive a full copy of the application.
• The 2025 application will open November 25: Summer Research Awards Application - Bachelor of Medical Sciences - Western University (uwo.ca)
• Deadline: January 20, 2024 . No late applications will be accepted.
• NSERC USRA winners will need to complete their portal application by TBD (winners are notified in writing, one week prior to the deadline).
  

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• What information do I include?  
  • Student information (name, student number, email, year of study, program)
  • A maximum of 10 examples of roles or responsibilities you have held in academic, research-related activities, volunteer, extracurricular, and work experience that you feel would be relevant to support your application.  
  • A maximum of 6 achievements, or awards, that you feel would be relevant to your application.
  • Supervisor information (name, Department, email)
  • Project information: this portion of the application will be completed with your supervisor to outline the research project you are proposing to complete. This must be done with the supervisor as this is an important part of the application. Be sure to have your supervisor include information about their lab infrastructure and environment.
    

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• Academic Record:  The BMSUE Office will provide a copy of your academic record to the adjudication panel.

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• How are awardees determined?  The adjudication panel will review each application considering the following categories: cumulative average; research-related experience and achievements; and the project proposal and PI’s lab environment. Once our office is made aware of available awards, the awards will be distributed to the highest-ranking applicants. NSERC-USRA has a strict deadline, and will most likely be given out first.  

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• What award will my application be considered for?  It is in the student’s best interest to apply for all awards. However, you may need to opt-out of the NSERC-USRA summer award. See below for the eligibility for NSERC-USRA.
  Please note: to be eligible for an NSERC URSA award, the proposed research project must be related to a field in the natural sciences and/or engineering. If you are awarded an NSERC USRA, you will be required to submit an online application through the NSERC USRA portal in February/March 2025 to receive this award. This information will be included in your award letter. For frequently asked questions, please visit the NSERC USRA website.

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• Questions?  If you have any questions, please email Kathleen Romhanyi at Kathleen.romhanyi@schulich.uwo.ca 

Award Opportunities

• The Dean's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (DUROP)
• The Dean's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program provides outstanding science and basic medical science undergraduate students the opportunity to acquire research experience with a faculty member at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and to discover the value of a biomedical research career. All areas of research within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry are eligible for DUROP.
  The award stipend, provided by the Dean, is $6000 for a 16-week term, May-August (specific dates to be determined by the faculty member and student). In addition, students receive a minimum of $3632 matching stipend provided by their Supervisor (faculty member). The total award value is $9632).

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• NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA)  

  NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) enable undergraduate students to gain valuable research experience under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. 

  The award stipend provided by NSERC is $6,000 for a 16-week term, May-August (specific dates to be determined by the faculty member and student).  In addition, students receive a minimum of $3632 supplement, provided by their Supervisor (faculty member).

  Please note: to be eligible for an NSERC URSA award, the proposed research project must be related to a field in the natural sciences and/or engineering. If you are awarded an NSERC USRA, you will be required to submit an online application through the NSERC USRA portal in February/March 2025 to receive this award. This information will be included in your award letter.  For frequently asked questions, please visit the NSERC USRA website. 

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• The Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI)  

  The Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internships (USRIs) provide undergraduate students with an engaged research experience where students are given the opportunity to learn new research methods and techniques, along with gaining critical skills needed to excel within a dynamic and evolving career sector. This program also supports faculty members to further their research programs.

  Summer Internships are valued at a minimum of $9632 for a 16-week term, May-August (specific dates to be determined by the faculty member and student). Western will contribute $7414 toward each Summer Internship, with a required minimum match of $2218 from the Supervisor. 

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Am I Eligible?

• Western and the Schulich School of Medicine &Dentistry are committed to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization. As part of this commitment, we will consider diversity of the awardees to provide opportunities for black, indigenous, students of colour, students that identify as LGTBQ2S+, women, visible minorities, and students with disabilities.

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• For all award opportunities:  At the time of application, you must be currently registered in a Bachelor's degree program at a University, and have not begun graduate studies at the time of the award (Summer 2025). 

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• NSERC USRA:  NSERC USRA projects must be related to a field in the natural sciences and/or engineering.  For more information, please visit the NSERC USRA website.

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• Students may only apply with one Schulich Medicine & Dentistry supervisor. Each eligible Schulich Medicine & Dentistry supervisor may submit one application. Please confirm that your supervisor is aware of this.

Finding a Supervisor

• How to find a Supervisor? 
  • Prior to contacting a Faculty member from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, it is recommended that you first look into their background and research interests, by visiting their respective Department sites via the BMSc website.  This will help ensure that your research project proposal aligns well with their interests, and area of specialization.
  • Reach out to the potential Supervisor via email, providing a personalized email to them.

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Ready to Apply?

• Once you have successfully matched with an eligible Supervisor, and mutually agreed upon a project, you are ready to submit your application! The application must be submitted by 11:45 p.m. on January 20, 2024 (no late applications will be accepted)
  

When will I be notified?

NSERC

• Summer 2024: 128 applicants and 20 NSERC scholarships awarded
• Summer 2023: 119 applicants and 22 NSERC scholarships awarded
• Summer 2022:  99 applicants and 22 NSERC scholarships awarded
• Summer 2021:  80 applicants and 22 NSERC scholarships awarded
• Summer 2020:  59 applicants and 29 NSERC scholarships awarded

USRI

• Summer 2024: 128 applicants and 24 USRI scholarships awarded
• Summer 2023: 119 applicants and 25 USRI scholarships awarded
• Summer 2022:  99 applicants and 31 USRI scholarships awarded
• Summer 2021:  83 applicants and 29 USRI scholarships awarded
• Summer 2020:  92 applicants and 26 USRI scholarships awarded

DUROP

• Summer 2024: 128 applicants and 20 DUROP scholarships awarded
• Summer 2023: 119 applicants and 20 DUROP scholarships awarded
• Summer 2022:  99 applicants and 20 DUROP scholarships awarded
• Summer 2021:  83 applicants and 20 DUROP scholarships awarded
• Summer 2020:  83 applicants and 20 DUROP scholarships awarded

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