The following applies to students interested in participating in the Summer Student Program. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application package is complete and received by the competition closing date.

Want to know more? Please contact resinfo@bcchr.ca. 
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Program Questions

Do I need to have a supervisor before I apply?
Yes, before applying students must establish a research supervisor. It is up to the applicants to contact potential supervisors.

What is the research project I will be working on?
It is up to the supervisor and student to determine the details of the research project. Some research teams will have an established project for summer students, while other research teams will provide support for a student-led project.

To what extent will I be involved in the project design? 
This will depend on the supervisor and research team. In 2020, students reported: 

  • 11% - Had primary responsibility for designing the project
  • 58% - Provided some insight when finalizing the project
  • 31% - Had no input in designing the project

Do supervisors expect students to have previous research experience?
No. When polled, the 2020 summer students had already completed the following items prior to joining the program: 

  • 33% - A previous summer research project (at BCCHR or somewhere else)
  • 70% - A research project
  • 71% - A statistic course or workshop
  • 55% - A research methods course
  • 57% - A written research proposal
  • 52% - A written article or paper on research
  • 35% - A presentation at a professional science conference

Can I re-apply for the program? 
Yes! Students can apply (and receive a summer studentship) for multiple years. However, material submitted in previous applications are not available to reviewers. All information required for the evaluation of the application should be contained in the application and re-submitted each year. 

What does the program cost? 
Registration for the Summer Student Research Program is FREE. The program does not have any application fees or costs associated with participation. 

Funding Questions:

What are my chances of receiving BCCHR funding?
Refer to the application guidelines from your downloaded application package for more information on the scoring criteria and funding stats. 

When will I be notified if I am receiving BCCHR funding? 
Applicants are typically notified about funding decisions by the end of April. 

Can I hold two Summer Studentship awards?
Applicants are NOT ABLE to receive funding from another institute or university for the same type of training during the funding period (ie. the time period you are receiving funding from BCCHR), with the exception of external awards requiring matched funds. 

A student who receives external funding requiring matched funds may use the studentship as the match. These exceptions must be approved by the Research Education Team (contact resinfo@bcchr.ca for details). Applicants may hold a second job as long as it does not occur during the time you are required to work on your project.

If I’m graduating in May, am I eligible to apply for the Summer Studentship?
No. Students not returning to continue undergraduate or medical studies in the following fall/winter semester are not eligible to apply for funding.

Should I investigate alternative funding sources?
Yes! Approximately 80 Summer Studentship applications are received each year and funding is limited to 17 studentships. Applicants are encouraged to apply for all other relevant summer student awards and discuss alternative funding sources with their supervisor. Funding for previous applicants includes the following:

  • Allergen - Undergraduate Allergy, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Summer Studentship Research Training Award
  • Associated Medical Services / Canadian Society for the History of Medicine - Hannah Summer Studentship
  • BC Cancer Agency – Summer Studentships
  • Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada – Research Studentships
  • Canadian Arthritis Network – Summer Research Program
  • Canadian Association of Gastroenterology/Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada – Summer Studentships
  • Canadian Blood Services – Summer Internship Program
  • Canadian Foundation for Infectious Disease – Undergraduate Summer Research Awards
  • Canadian Hemophilia Society – Summer Studentships
  • Canadian Liver Foundation – Summer Studentships
  • Canadian Rheumatology Association – Summer Studentship Program
  • Canadian Society for Mucopolysaccharide & Related Disease – Summer Studentship 
    Research Grants
  • Canadian Stroke Network – Summer Studentships
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research – Health Professional Student Research Awards
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research – Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis Studentship
  • Cystic Fibrosis Association of Canada – Summer Studentship Award
  • Epilepsy Canada – Summer Studentship
  • Eye Foundation of Canada – Summer Scholarship Program
  • Joint Motion Program – Summer Research Studentship
  • endMS Network – Summer Studentship Award
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada – Undergraduate Student Research Awards
  • Parkinson's Disease Foundation – Summer Student Fellowship
  • Radiological Society of North America – Medical Student Grant
  • SIR Foundation – Student Research Grant
  • Society for Vascular Surgery – Student Research Fellowship
  • Stem Cell Network – Undergraduate Research Training
  • University of British Columbia  - Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 
    Summer Student Fellowship
  • University of British Columbia – Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Research Awards
  • University of British Columbia – Pharmaceutical Sciences Summer Student Research Program

Application Questions

How do I download the application forms?
All award application forms are formatted as fillable Adobe PDFs that can be saved. The application package will download as a Zip file. After clicking the link to download the application, the browser window should ask to "Open" or "Save" the file from bcchr.ca. If you have any problems or concerns downloading the application contact resinfo@bcchr.ca. 

Who should complete and submit the application form?
The student and supervisor should work together on completing the application form. Either/or can submit the final application for review. 

To apply for funding, are all transcripts required? 
Yes, transcripts for all post-secondary courses must be submitted. Copies of an original transcript should be scanned and sent electronically. Screen prints of student online accounts will not be accepted. If marks are not complete, please submit the most up-to-date marks. For foreign transcripts, a certified English translation and a clear explanation of the grading system must be included.

  • 1st Year Undergraduate students: Grade 12 transcript and transcripts for all post-secondary courses.
  • 2nd, 3rd & 4th Year Undergraduate students: Transcripts for all post-secondary courses.
  • Medical students: Transcripts for all post-secondary courses (including medical school transcripts)