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NSERC USRA

The following information is for the Summer 2024 competition offered by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Students and supervisors are asked to review all program and application details before starting an application.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada - Undergraduate Student Research Awards

The NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are meant to nurture your interest and fully develop your potential for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE). They are also meant to encourage you to undertake graduate studies. If you would like to gain research work experience in an academic setting, these awards can provide you with financial support during the Summer 2024 period. 

USRA program is administered jointly by Canada’s three research granting agencies for research projects in their respective fields:

  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

NSERC USRA actively encourages FEMALE, Canadian INDIGENOUS students and students who self-identify as Black when completing NSERC's online application form.

CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. NSERC oversees the administration of the USRA program and the application process on behalf of the three agencies. Accordingly, applications must be submitted through NSERC’s online system. All other eligibility rules and all selection criteria are the same as for NSERC.

Students apply via the NSERC online USRA application and be sure to indicate which agency you are applying to. More information will come available on the SSHRC and CIHR webpages.

Application Deadline

  • Monday, February 19 at 11:59 PM for students applying with a supervisor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
  • Includes the electronic submission required by NSERC + the electronic submissions required by McGill (see link below for Application Process)

Duration and value of USRA

  • NSERC will provide $6,000 for each student award and a top up will also be required from each supervisor
  • Default research period for this year will be 15 consecutive weeks of full-time research (35 hrs/wk), with a minimum supervisor contribution of $2,800, to be increased to $3400 for a 16 week project
  • Start date for the project can be May 2 or May 9
  • Monday to Friday work schedule to be discussed/agreed upon by student and supervisor
  • Student's research period should not be interrupted by vacation time

Supplements (not guaranteed)

  • FRQNT supplement of $1,500 - Link for SUMMER NSERC USRA holders will be posted once the FRQNT posts the page. Must apply once you have received notice from NSERC that your USRA application has been successful; more information will be available at a later date on the FRQNT supplement website
  • Canadian Forest Sector Workforce Diversity undergraduate supplement of $5,000 - students meeting the eligibility criteria are automatically considered by NSERC when they apply to the USRA program; as permitted by NSERC, (part of) the supplement may be used to offset the supervisor's costs, however, total compensation to the awardee cannot be lower than the value of the supplement plus the value of the USRA itself; for more information see NSERC's website

Student eligibility

  • Competition is open to McGill as well as non-McGill students
  • At the time of application, student must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada)
  • Student must be currently registered in a bachelor's degree program in the natural sciences or engineering (without holding higher degrees in these fields); students studying towards a second bachelor's degree are also eligible
  • Undergraduate students currently enrolled in health professional programs such as Medicine (including Med-P), and Nursing are not eligible to apply
  • Students may NOT hold more than three(3) USRA scholarships in a lifetime
  • Students are not permitted to do thesis research during the term of their award
  • Students may not concurrently hold more than 1 research award during the summer term
  • Students are permitted to take 1 non-research course during the summer term; student and supervisor must ensure an appropriate work plan is in place in order for the student to make up research hours missed during class time
  • SSHRC & CIHR applicants must agree to self-identify as Black
  • For more details, please refer to the student eligibility information on NSERC's website

Supervisor eligibility

  • Supervisor must be a Full, Associate or Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
  • The departments of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology are part of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (not the Faculty of Science)
  • If the supervisor holds a primary appointment at another university (e.g. Université de Montréal) and is an Adjunct Professor at McGill, the student must apply through the primary institution instead of McGill
  • Supervisors must not be on leave during any part of the student's research period
  • Supervisors can either currently hold an active NSERC grant, be a recent NSERC grant applicant or a former NSERC grant recipient; preference will be given to those who are currently funded by NSERC (e.g. as principal investigator or co-investigator of the grant)

The following spreadsheet provides a listing of researchers who actively hold a NSERC grant within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences: File NSERC - Summer 2024

In their application, students must indicate the primary department of their proposed supervisor.

Students are responsible for contacting researchers of interest directly using the link to Departments/Schools or Staff Directory.

Non-McGill applicants

In preparing an application, students must email gradstudies.med [at] mcgill.ca for a copy of the required McGill Online Application Form not accessible to them by login.

Please note that NSERC does not offer travel allowances. Non-McGill award recipients from outside the Montreal area will therefore be expected to cover any travel-related expenses.

Selection criteria for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

NSERC USRA applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

  • Academic excellence
  • Research potential
  • Expected quality of the training and mentorship to be received

A one page personal statement must be included as part of the application assessment (see required form on next page).

Due to the limited number of awards allocated, the following conditions will also apply:

  • Only 1 application per student (any additional submissions will not be considered)
  • Only 1 application per supervisor (any additional submissions will not be considered)
  • Applicant must have a cumulative GPA score (CUM GPA) of at least 3.60 or higher (using 4.00 scale)
  • Preference will be given to applicants with at least 3 terms completed (e.g. U3, U2, U1 with freshman year)

Notification of results

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences normally receives about 70 applications and is usually able to support about 35 students.

By the end of March, applicants of the Summer 2024 competition will receive an email notification regarding the status of their application.

By mid-July, successful applicants will receive a follow up email award notice from NSERC.

Questions

If you require clarification regarding the Summer 2024 NSERC USRA competition offered by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, please contact the Trainee Awards Coordinator at gradstudies.med [at] mcgill.ca.

 

Application Process

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