Updated January 15, 2016
Background
Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are meant to stimulate your interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage you to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career in these fields.
Opportunity
If you would like to gain research work experience that complements your studies in an academic setting, these competitive awards can provide you with financial support.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an award, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
- be registered, at the time you apply, in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible university;
- have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor’s degree; and
- have obtained, over the previous years of study, a CGPA of at least 10.00; this is a competitive adjudication process.
In addition…
- If you already hold a bachelor’s degree and are studying toward a second bachelor’s degree, you may still apply to this program.
- You may hold only one USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31), and a maximum of three USRAs throughout your university career.
To hold an award, you must:
- have been registered in the term immediately before holding the award in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible university;
- not have started a program of graduate studies in the natural sciences or engineering; and
- be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the tenure of the award.
Who is not eligible?
- you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, BScN); or
- you hold higher degrees in the natural sciences or engineering.
NSERC Eligible Programs for Supervisors
Holders of the following types of grants are eligible to supervise USRA holders for the 2016 competition.
Grants Programs
- Climate Change and Atmospheric Research
- Discovery Grants (Individual, Group and Subatomic Physics (SAP) Project, Northern Research
- Supplements, Frontiers, Accelerator Supplements, Ship Time)
- G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding and Belmont Forum
- CREATE (Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program)
- Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
- NSERC John C. Polanyi Award
- NSERC/NRCan/AECL Generation IV Energy Technologies Grants
Partnerships Programs
- Automotive Partnership Canada (APC)
- Strategic Network Grants (SNG)
- Strategic Project Grants (SPG)
- Chairs in Design Engineering (CDE)
- Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) Grants
- Engage Grants (EG)
- Industrial Research Chairs (IRC)
- Innovation Frontiers (IF)
- Interaction Grants (IG)
- Partnership Workshops Grants (PWG)
- Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants
Chairs and Faculty Support Programs
- Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE)
- Northern Research Chairs Program (NRCP)
Canada Excellence Research Chairs
Funding Available
$4,500 from NSERC, plus a minimum of $1,800 from the supervisor.
Project duration: A full 16-week period, full-time during the summer of 2016.
If you are an undergraduate student who will be graduating in April 2016 and are applying to pursue your graduate studies in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at Carleton University starting in September 2016, the office of the Dean of Engineering and Design will match the contribution of your supervisor (up to a maximum of $2,500) towards your stipend if you succeed in the competition. Please note that this is contingent upon you continuing your graduate studies in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at Carleton University starting in September 2016.
Travel Allowances: a travel allowance may also be granted if you take up the award at a university other than the one at which you are currently registered.
How to Apply
- The Faculty of Engineering and Design has a total of 23 awards available for the 2016 competition.
- Students apply through the Faculty where they request to hold their award (the supervisor’s Faculty, not necessarily the student’s).
- Students from other universities may also apply.
Application Package – 3 required elements
1 of 3. Application Form: NSERC form 202, Part I and Part II
– Create an NSERC online portfolio
– Create a Form 202 from the drop down menu, and follow the instructions
– Students complete Form 202 Part I, and forward the reference number provided by the system to their potential supervisor(s) – this is required to link Parts I and II
– Students upload a PDF of official transcripts
– Supervisors complete Form 202 Part II
* Submit a printout of Form 202 Part I (student’s copy).
* Submit Form 202 Part II (supervisor’s copy). The supervisor can submit it directly to Temi Guoti (by email or inter-office mail at Minto 3034) or give a printout to the student.
2 of 3. Carleton transcripts and other postsecondary transcripts
* Submit official hard copies of all postsecondary transcripts to:
3 of 3. Cover Page
* Submit the completed NSERC USRA 2016 Cover Page
Complete application to be submitted to:
Temi Guoti
3034 Minto Centre
Contact Information:
613-520-5659
Temi.Guoti@carleton.ca
Student Deadline
Applications to be submitted by: Monday, February 15th, 2016, 12:00 noon
Please note that applications not delivered by the deadline will not be considered.
HARD COPIES of original transcripts are required.
Award Decisions
Each Faculty will inform applicants of its award decisions after it has completed its selection process.
Payment of Awards
Successful candidates will receive payment from the University in accordance with its pay procedures. The University will also issue a T4 or T4A slip (Statement of Income) at the end of the calendar year. NSERC will pay its contribution directly to the University.
