Undergraduate Research Awards
As a research-intensive university, UM provides a multitude of unique learning opportunities for undergraduate students to interact with the best minds and research leaders in their fields. This experience opens them up to new possibilities for a research career in either government, academic or industry sectors.

Experience research
Henry McKay, undergraduate student in social work, with mentor Marleney Bonnycastle, says the award helped him to connect to Indigenous-based research.
Share the excitement of discovery
UM is the first Canadian university to offer an Undergraduate Research Award open to undergraduate students in all fields and ranges of research, scholarly works or creative activities.
The awards are competitive. Students apply to be mentored for 16 weeks (from May through August) by a professor of their choice. There are:
- 172 awards available across all disciplines
- 10% of awards are available for self-declared Indigenous students
- 2 awards for community-based projects
- $7,000 monetary award
- Is a recognized UM Co-Curricular Record activity
Important Dates
-
Submit your application by 4:30 PM (CST)
Applicants for UM Undergraduate Research Award will be given conditional notification of award during the first week of March, with final confirmation being sent the last week of March.
Application criteria
- Must be enrolled in 24 credit hours at the time of the Voluntary Withdrawal deadline (Fall term 2020 and Winter term 2021)
- Minimum GPA of 3.0, based on all credits completed at the time of application
- Cannot be held in conjunction with other competitive awards such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Research Summer Award
- Students who will be graduating in the Spring (May/June convocation) in which this award is tenable will not be eligible for the award
- This award cannot be held more than twice by any recipient during their undergraduate program(s) at UM
- Students who hold a master’s degree are not eligible for this award
- Co-op students are eligible to apply, however, the student must be enrolled in 12 credits of course work for one of the terms. Co-op students may need to provide a statement from their program coordinator stating that it is a full-time co-op program.
Community-based research
Up to two additional awards will be dedicated to students working on community-based research projects with UM professors.
To be considered eligible for this opportunity, applicants must verify with their professor that their project qualifies as community-based research and indicate this by checking the appropriate box on the application form.
All community-based research projects must fit within disciplines supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Additional community-based research projects may be supported through the main competition, subject to final selection of successful applicants.
How to apply
- Interview two eligible professors to find out more about their areas of research, scholarly work or creative activity
- Eligible professors must be full-time UM faculty members, not adjunct professors or instructors
- Interview two professors about the research, scholarly work or creative activity they are undertaking
- Write two 150-word summaries based on each interview
- Choose one of the professors that you want to be mentored by during your award placement and write a 250-word rationale for your choice, indicating how this research, scholarly work or creative activity fits with your own long-term career aspirations.
- Complete the online application form and submit by 4:30 PM (CST) on the January 25, 2021
- If you are a successful recipient of the award, you are encouraged to present the results of your research, scholarly work or creative activity at the annual Undergraduate Research Poster Competition.
How to find a professor working in your area of interest
Below are current lists of professors interested in hosting an Undergraduate Research Award recipient in 2021. They are provided to help you find a professor working in your area of interest. They are not exhaustive or exclusive. Professors do not need to be listed in order to be eligible to supervise students for the purposes of this award. You may interview any eligible professor. They must be full-time UM faculty, not adjunct professors or instructors.
Lists of UM faculty
- Asper School of Business (pdf) posted Nov 13, 2020
- Centre on Aging - multi-faculty (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- College of Dentistry (pdf) posted Nov 3, 2020
- College of Nursing (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- College of Pharmacy (pdf) posted Nov 6, 2020
- College of Rehabilitation Science (pdf) posted Jan 7, 2021
- Desautels Faculty of Music (pdf) posted Nov 4, 2020
- Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (pdf) posted Nov 5, 2020
- Faculty of Arts (pdf) posted Dec 15, 2020
- Faculty of Architecture (pdf) posted Nov 3, 2020
- Faculty of Education (pdf) posted Nov 6, 2020
- Faculty of Engineering (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- Faculty of Law (pdf) posted Nov 9, 2020
- Faculty of Science - Physics & Astronomy (pdf) posted Nov 9,2020
- Faculty of Science - Chemistry (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- Max Rady College of Medicine (pdf) posted Nov 27, 2020
- Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources (pdf) posted Nov 2, 2020
- School of Art (pdf) posted Nov 9, 2020
After being accepted for an award
After receiving notification of your award via email, each award recipient should contact their chosen professor to provide a 250-word (maximum) abstract of the research program, specifying how you will fit with and augment their research program.
In cases where a student’s work is not directly linked to the professor’s research, scholarly work or creative activity the professor must indicate how they will ensure that the student is being mentored in the area and discipline as an undergraduate researcher.
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Contact us
Undergraduate Research Awards
Office of the Vice-President (Research and International)