Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program

Results of the Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadline. All applicants will be informed by email of their application status.

The Alberta Innovates HYRS program will run from July 2, 2025 to August 13, 2025. 

You cannot save the application form, so you are encouraged to review the entire application before you begin. It is recommended that you type your written responses in a word processor offline, then copy the text into the form. The application requires that you:

• Write an essay demonstrating your interest in biomedical and health research.
• Upload a scanned copy of your most recent transcript, detailed academic report (DAR), or report card, stamped by the high school office.
  • NOTE: Please ensure your uploaded transcript includes all of the necessary grades to confirm you meet the minimum eligibility criteria for HYRS (i.e. Bio 20, Math 20-1 or 20-1 and Chemistry 20 or Physics 20). Achieving higher grades than 85% does not affect the application and they are not reviewed by the selection committee. Grades are solely used to determine eligibility.
  • If you are currently enrolled in a required course, be sure to include your current grade in the uploaded document. This must be signed by your teacher.
    • In the case that the in-progress grade is less that 85%, this is will not affect your application. If selected, we will ask for the final grade of the course to determine eligibility. It is only used to ensure that the student is in good academic standing.
• Obtain references from two science teachers (or one science and one math teacher) and one non-academic reference (an adult who is not a relative and is from outside your school).

Important information regarding references: 

The application form requires that you provide the names and email addresses of individuals who will provide references to support your application. When you submit your application, your references will be sent an email with the details of your application and a link to the appropriate reference form. However, we cannot guarantee that the email will be received –therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that the reference forms are submitted before the deadline. Both students and referees should receive a confirmation email after their application is submitted. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact hyrs@ucalgary.ca to ensure it was received. 

Before you submit your application, please ensure that the individuals you list as references have agreed to provide a reference. Please also ensure that your selected references identify you by the preferred name provided in your application; this helps to ensure the reference is appropriately matched to your application. References that cannot be matched to an application will not be considered, and incomplete applications will not be eligible for adjudication.  

The selection committee is composed of three high school teachers and three University of Calgary post-doctoral fellows. Each application is reviewed independently by the committee members. Based on these reviews, all of the applications are adjudicated and ranked in a committee selection meeting.

Applicant’s high school grades are not used for scoring purposes during the committee review. High school grades are only used to determine applicant eligibility.

Selection committee decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Results of the Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadline. All candidates will be informed by email regarding the outcome of their submission using the email address provided in their application. Successful applicants will be required to formally indicate their acceptance of the award.

Every effort will be made to match successful applicants with a mentor working within one of the areas of interest identified within the student application. However, please be aware that an exact match is not always possible due to mentor availability, lab safety protocols, and other considerations. Students are placed in a lab setting depending on the nature of the research their mentor is involved in; this could mean they will be involved in a wet lab (typically bench top experiment based labs) or a dry lab (typically computer based analysis). All placements will be made at the discretion of the university and are final.

Value and tenure of award

Studentships will be for 6 weeks, from July 2, 2025 to August 13, 2025. Students must make a full-time commitment to their research during the period of the Alberta Innovates HYRS award. The awards are in the amount of $3,000 in the form of a non-taxable stipend. Additional costs, including meals, health benefits, and transportation, are the responsibility of the student.

Successful applicants residing outside of Calgary who require accommodations should contact hyrs@ucalgary.ca.

Applications and offers of award

HYRS applications must be written by the student.

The University reserves the right to confirm, through independent means, representations of authorship or credentials.

In the event of material deviations in the submitted information, the University reserves the right to disqualify any applicant from the competition.

Students offered an Alberta Innovates HYRS award will be required to accept or decline the offer by a date specified in the notification of the offer, with written approval of a parent or legal guardian. Students who decline the award may claim credit for the award on their curriculum vitae, noting that the award was declined.

Only two students per high school will be offered an Alberta Innovates HYRS award.

Communications

All publications, including public messages, arising from research supported by Alberta Innovates grants or awards must acknowledge the support.

Alberta Innovates reserves the right to publish and/or disseminate information regarding its grants and awards.

Alberta Innovates HYRS students are to conduct their research in a safe and ethical manner under the guidance of their mentors. During the period of the award, they are to maintain regular scheduled hours. In no case should HYRS students conduct research for more than 35 hours per week. Timesheets will be collected from all students to ensure adherence to this guideline.

HYRS students are expected to follow the procedures and rules of the research environment in which they conduct their research, including all policies governing research at the University of Calgary.

Students are required to attend all HYRS-related events such as guest lectures, facility tours, and the Open House.

Students are responsible for their own transportation, parking, and food during the program.

Students will be required to submit a final report to the University of Calgary Research Services Office upon completion of the award.

Students will also be required to give a presentation about their HYRS experiences to a class at their high school. Additional information will be provided to successful applicants.