Undergraduate Student Research Awards

NSERC – Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
NSERC has allotted Bishop’s University seven (7) Undergraduate Student Research Awards for the Summer 2026 and one (1) exclusively for Black student researchers. More details about NSERC below.

SSHRC – Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
SSHRC USRAs are available exclusively for Black student researchers. SSHRC has allotted Bishop’s University one (1) Undergraduate Student Research Award for the Summer 2026. More details about SSHRC below.

NSERC – Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are meant to nurture students’ interest in a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. This program provides natural sciences and engineering students with a cash award ($6,000), supplemented by the supervising BU faculty member (see below), to undertake a 14-16 week, full-time research assistantship during the Summer 2026. The Office of Research and Graduate Studies is accepting submissions until March 16, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Please submit your application package to the Graduate Studies Coordinator (Jimmy Couturier – jimmy.couturier@ubishops.ca).

NSERC has allotted seven (7) Undergraduate Student Research Awards to Bishop’s University for the Summer 2026. This quota does not include applicants who self-identify as Indigenous Peoples and Black student researchers, whom can be recommended to NSERC beyond our institutional quota. In order for Indigenous and Black student researchers to be recommended for awards above the institution quota, they must self-identify and provide consent within the application form for this information to be shared with their institution and NSERC.

Application packages, to be sent by email, must include:

Form 202, part 1 (completed by the student) as well as Form 202, part 2 (completed by the supervisor) (please consult the NSERC website for the forms and click here for instructions on completing the application);
Student’s official university transcripts;
A cover letter from the student explaining why they should receive this funding.

Consult the tutorial video for a thorough overview of the application process.

Moreover, please note the following:

To be eligible to apply for an award, a student must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the deadline date for applications at the institution;
USRA awards are now considered a salary and must comply with employment standards. Professors are thus expected to contribute the following amount to supplement the NSERC contribution.

Duration of the research assistantship	Contribution of the supervisor*
14 weeks (490 hours)	$4,613.40**
15 weeks (525 hours)	$5,371.50**
16 weeks (560 hours)	$6,126.60**

*Professors should not endorse more students than they can afford to support.

**Amounts represent contributions based on the 2025 rates. Once the 2026 rates are set, these amounts will be updated. Supervisors should expect a slight increase in contributions.

Please consult the NSERC USRA website for complete guidelines for this competition, including full eligibility criteria and selection process. If you have questions regarding this competition, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator (Jimmy Couturier – jimmy.couturier@ubishops.ca).

SSHRC – Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

At the present time, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. To be eligible to apply for these awards, applicants are asked to disclose within the application form that they self-identify as Black and to confirm that they understand that this information will be shared with the institution to which they are applying and, if awarded, publicly.

For further details on these awards, refer to the USRA program description and the Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations web page; or the NSERC section above as the application process remains the same.

Frequently asked questions

In this situation, you would not apply at Bishop’s. Please note that you can apply to more than one institution. However, you must apply directly to the institution where you would like to hold the award. It is up to the institution to decide whether to accept candidates from other institutions.

You need to have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor’s degree at the time the award is held (Summer 2026) and have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award. Please note however that universities are allowed to set more stringent eligibility criteria, so it is possible for another university to require completion of the first year at the time of the application.

Yes, part-time and full-time students are eligible to apply to the USRA program as long as they are registered in a bachelor’s degree program and meet all other eligibility criteria.

Yes, you can hold a USRA following the completion of your degree, provided you are not registered in a graduate program and you meet all other eligibility criteria. You must be registered in your undergraduate degree at the time of application.

No, you must be registered, as of the deadline date for applications, in a bachelor’s degree program at Bishop’s.

You may take a maximum of two courses during the tenure of the award, if you have your research supervisor’s approval and arrange to make up any missing time.