Undergraduate Research

Funding programs for undergraduate research

• NSERC USRA: The USRA program requires a faculty supervisor to provide part of the student’s salary, so talk to professors you would like to work with. Only Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) can apply for an NSERC USRA. Each department at Queen’s is given a certain number of USRAs each year. The 2026 deadline will be February 13 (Civil, Chemical, Electrical & Computer, Mechanical & Material, Mining Engineering), but may be different in the Engineering Science departments. 
• There is an unlimited number of NSERC USRAs for Indigenous students , see Queen's USRA page.  There will be an additional 8 USRAs across Queen's for Black students, in addition to the USRA spots allocated for each department. Follow your department's instructions for the applications. 
• Queen's has an undergraduate research program called USSRF. Each department receives an allocation of USSRFs each year. Same deadlines as for USRA, see above.  
• Charles Allan Thompson Research Award : similar to an NSERC USRA, but international students are eligible and will have higher priority since they are not eligible for the USRA program. Deadline in early March.
• Queen’s Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP): some faculty members fund research projects for undergraduate students through SWEP, so check the list of SWEP positions for next summer - they were posted on December 15 on MyCareer, and the application deadline is usually in February. 
• Mitacs Accelerate: these are industrial research internships where undergraduate or graduate students spend about half the time at the university and half the time at an eligible company, non-profit or municipal partner organization, working on the same research project. Each 4 month internship unit requires a faculty supervisor and $7,500 in co-funding from the partner organization that is matched 1:1 by Mitacs. Mitacs contact: Ana. No deadlines. 
• Women in Engineering Summer Research Grants: these are $3000 grants, one per undergraduate program for women or allies of women. Information will be distributed through the departments in spring or early summer. Contact your department's undergraduate assistant to find out about your department's process and deadline. 
• Mitacs RISE Germany: Engineering undergraduates who have completed at least 2 years of their degree are eligible to apply to do research projects in Germany, funded with $7,000 from Mitacs and a Germany funding agency. You don't need to be able to speak German, English is the working language. The deadline for visits in summer 2026 was November 30, 2025, but this is an annual program. 
• Queen’s STEMInA undergraduate research program: a new pilot initiative for Indigenous students who are interested in research.
• Cross-Disciplinary Internship Program | Arthur B. McDonald Institute: this program is specifically for students not enrolled in Physics or Engineering Physics programs. Internship amount:  $12,000 CAN + $500 CAN from supervisor towards student opportunities. Deadline January 30, 2026 at 4pm EST.
• Work-Study: the university subsidizes  experiential learning opportunities for students with financial need, including research-related opportunities.   
• Some faculty members have included a budget for undergraduate research projects in their grant applications and will not require co-funding from one of the programs listed above.