NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards

If you are an undergraduate student who'd like to get research experience in an academic setting, you should consider applying for an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA). Through these awards, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) subsidizes eligible professors to hire students to work on interesting research-related jobs and projects.

• The minimum normal duration of the award is 16 consecutive weeks of full-time work. The USRA makes no provision for sick leave or other interruption of awards.
• Under exceptional circumstances, NSERC may approve awards for periods of less than 16 weeks

Try to create your own research opportunity by contacting eligible professors you would like to work with and tell them about this program. Many professors will be happy to talk to you about the opportunity to hire you at a subsidized wage. If you find a professor who is interested, ask them to contact their USRA Coordinator for more information.

Here are some tips:

• Know what you are going to say: be prepared to talk about your interests, knowledge areas, and lab or volunteer experience. Familiarize yourself with the professor's research subject so you can ask informed questions about it. This will show that you are genuinely interested in helping with the research.
• Bring a copy of your resume.
• Read the NSERC program rules for supervisors. Make sure you understand these rules and application procedures. You must work under the supervision of a faculty member who holds an eligible active NSERC research grant either at the time you submit the application or when you hold the award.
• Regardless of whether you get the position or not, thank the professor for their time with a thank-you email.

• These awards have a value of $4,500. This amount will be reimbursed to your project supervisor's account at the end of your work tenure.

• Universities are required to supplement the amount of the award by at least 25% of its value using other sources such as university funds, NSERC grants, or any other research funds. The minimum pay for the tenure of your award of 16 weeks is $7474.25 based on the June 1, 2019 BC minimum wage increase from $12.65/hr to $13.85/hr. If the award is longer than 16 weeks, your pay should increase by a minimum of $484.75 for each additional week or $96.95 for each additional day.

• You will receive your payment from the university in accordance with its pay procedures. You will also receive a T4 or T4A slip (Statement of Income) for tax purposes from UBC Payroll.

• 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 (see the section on Travel Allowances below for more information).

• NSERC will not reimburse the University for any period during which you worked part-time. No payment will be approved for any vacation leave you take during the tenure of the award.

NSERC may approve a travel allowance for the actual costs you incur to get to your host university if it is different from the one you are attending at the time of the award. The maximum allowance is an amount equivalent to economy airfare between the cities where the universities are located.

In addition...

• NSERC will pay the return travel costs only if the actual period of tenure is 12 weeks or more.
• NSERC will not provide a travel allowance for your spouse or children.
• This allowance is not designed to offset your daily commuting costs to and from the host university.
• NSERC will provide an allowance (as deemed reasonable by NSERC's Finance Division) for ground transportation costs to and from your residence and your point of departure (e.g., airport, train station, bus station). Receipts must be provided.
• NSERC will not provide an allowance for the cost of transporting excess baggage or removing household effects.
• Frequent flyer points will not be reimbursed.
• NSERC will not reimburse travel expenses to and from field research locations and the UBC campus. Any additional cost related to fieldwork (e.g., travel expenses) must be covered by the supervisor.
• Please contact your faculty school coordinator about how to submit a travel claim form.

Application process and general questions:

Contact your Faculty/School/Department USRA Coordinator (see list above)

As a second resource, you can also contact:

NSERC USRA Liaison Officer
UBC Centre for Student Involvement & Careers
nserc.usra@ubc.ca