NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award 2023

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, a student must be currently registered in a bachelor's program. To be eligible to hold the award, a student must have been registered in at least one of the two preceding terms. Students who have graduated may hold a USRA in one of the two terms immediately following their graduation. Students who have already graduated by the application deadline are not eligible to apply. (This is understood to mean that a student who has received their degree by the application deadline is not eligible to apply). 

To be eligible to apply for an award, a student must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications at the university;
• be registered, as of the deadline date for applications at the university, in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university;

have obtained, over the entire period of undergraduate studies, a minimum cumulative B average (3.0 gpa, 2nd class).

In addition:

• A student who holds a bachelor's degree and is studying toward a second bachelor's degree may still apply for this award.
• A student may hold only one university USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
• A student may hold a maximum of three university USRAs throughout his/her undergraduate university career.
• USRAs may be held during co-op placements.
• Students studying at a foreign institution who are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada may be eligible for USRA provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.

To hold an award, a student must:

• have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of the student's bachelor's degree;
• have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university;
• not have started a program of graduate studies at any time;

be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the tenure of the award

A student is NOT eligible if:

• he/she is currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g. MD, DDS, BScN);
• he/she holds higher degrees in the natural sciences or engineering (i.e. Master's or PhD).

*Exception: 

• The students’ application must indicate that they were registered full-time throughout their program, except for the final session during which they were only required to register part-time in order to complete their degree.  The award must be held in the session immediately following the students' final session.
• Students registered at an eligible university on a full-time basis in a bachelor’s degree program in fields other than the natural sciences or engineering are eligible to apply provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria and that they are engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during tenure of the award.

Summary

Student Application Form

Student Deadline: 11:59 pm MST Friday, February 3, 2023

Supervisor Deadline: 11:59 pm MST Friday, February 10, 2023

The NSERC USRA program provides support for research work experience in the natural sciences and engineering. Undergraduate students work full-time on a research project for 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis in a term (Fall, Winter or Summer) with a faculty member.

The NSERC USRA program is allocation based with limited number of awards available.

To be eligible, supervisors must be authorized to independently supervise students. The suitability of the supervision will be evaluated as part of the selection process.

Questions regarding selection of a supervisor should be directed to the departments. For Cumming School of Medicine, direct questions to the Bachelor of Health Sciences Office.

Subject matter for the USRA research project must fall in one or more natural sciences or engineering disciplines and cannot be health sciences related.

Applications will be assessed on the following three criteria:

• Academic record
• Research aptitude
• Expected quality of the training to be received

Students and supervisors apply for a USRA by completing Form 202 – USRA in the NSERC On-line System:

• Students fill out Part I - Student and attach official transcripts issued by the Registrar's Office to the Part I.
• Supervisors fill out Part II - Supervisor and submit both Parts I and II of Form 202 - USRA.

A student may submit one (1) application with one (1) supervisor only per competition.

Due to the limited number of awards, supervisors will be limited to two awards during the competition.

Students are required to upload an official transcripts issued by Student and Enrolment Services (Registrar's Office) to the USRA application (Form 202 - USRA):

• After the official transcripts have been received from the Registrar's Office, break the seal (disregard the watermark) and upload this version of the official transcripts to the USRA application.
• Students whose home institution is not the University of Calgary are also required to upload a copy of the grading scale (grading legend) from the official transcripts to the USRA application.

IMPORTANT:  NSERC will not accept unofficial transcripts (web/digital) printed off the student center.

Discontinuation of travel allowances:  NSERC no longer provides travel allowances. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Supervisor Deadline

Applicants to the Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship program will use the common application form for undergraduate research awards at the University of Calgary.

The common application form supports applications to the following programs:

• Alberta Cancer Foundation Summer Studentships (ACF)
• Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI)
• Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentships (SRS)
• Biomedical Engineering (BME)
• O’Brien Centre Summer Studentships (OCSS)
• Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE)
• NSERC USRA
• McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health
• BRAIN CREATE Summer Studentships
• Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta

Award eligibility will be automatically determined at application based on your qualifications. Applicants will be considered for all awards they meet eligibility criteria for, however only ONE (1) offer of award will be made to successful students.