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BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR)TrainingSummer Program

Summer Program

Do you already have an established external funding source, or will be volunteering with a research team? 

Apply to be part of the summer program!

Submitting your Application

The Summer Student Research Program is now at full capacity. For questions, please contact reseduc@bcchr.ca.

To apply:

  1. Find a research supervisor
  2. Review the eligibility criteria and submit the application form. The application for the next summer program will be posted in Spring 2027. Spots will be based on first-come, first-served.

FAQs

If you don’t see your question answered here, please email the Research Education team.

Yes. All applicants must secure a research supervisor before submitting their application. It is the student’s responsibility to reach out to and confirm a supervisor.

The supervisor needs to be a BCCHR Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital whose area of investigation has direct relevance to improving the health of children and families. Affiliate, Emeritus or Emerita Investigators are not eligible.

The specific research project is determined collaboratively by you and your supervisor. Some research teams may offer a pre-defined project for summer students, while others may support you in developing your own student-led project.

Your level of involvement will depend on your supervisor and research team. In previous years, students reported a range of experiences:

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

Specific work hours vary for every research team and can be discussed with your research supervisor. Funded students typically work full-time hours. 

No. When polled, previous summer students had already completed the following items prior to joining the program: 

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

Yes. Students who previously participated in the summer program curriculum can apply again, but may find some of the content similar or repetitive.

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

Yes. To be eligible to receive a certificate of program completion and/or present at SSRP Poster Day, registered participants must meet a requirement of attending at least 5 sessions in June and at least 5 sessions in July.

The majority of the activities will be hosted in-person at BCCHR. While some sessions may be available virtually and/or recorded, this format cannot always be guaranteed.

It’s possible, but it will be the student’s responsibility to ensure their schedule allows them to work on their research project and attend the summer program activities on top of other commitments.

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

Applicants who successfully receive a BCCHR Summer Studentship will be automatically enrolled into the summer program, and do not need to submit another application.

Applicants who do not receive a BCCHR Summer Studentship, but have another funding source or plan to volunteer, can still apply for the program curriculum by submitting the Summer Program Application. Spots are based on first-come, first-served.