LMP Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program (SURE)

In order to participate in the LMP SURE Program, you must:

1. have at least a B+ (cGPA of 3.3) average in an undergraduate program;
2. be registered in a full-time undergraduate program in the academic term immediately prior to the SURE program and expect to return to full-time studies at the end of the research program;
3. secure an LMP supervisor before applying (see below on how to locate and secure a supervisor);
4. be Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or international student with a valid student visa and social insurance number.

Students who have completed their undergraduate program by the start of the LMP SURE program (May 12, 2025) are not eligible, unless:

• they have been accepted into or are currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional program (e.g., medical undergraduate degree program), or
• they have been accepted into a graduate program which they have not yet begun.

Program expectations

To take part in the program, you must be able to:

• be available to work in a laboratory for a minimum of 12 weeks full time
• attend the Orientation Session, on May 12, 2025
• participate in the LMP SURE Research Day August 8, 2025

How often you are expected to be in the lab is something you will have to discuss and decide with your supervisor. There is no set schedule and your lab hours are dependent on the expectation of the supervisor, project needs, and workload to complete the project. 

Lab work requires a lot of commitment and dedication. You will have to plan your time accordingly to the needs of your experiments in order to successfully complete your project. 

The LMP SURE Program is open to international students who currently study in a Canadian university with valid student visa and social insurance number (SIN) - you are considered the same as domestic students (Canadian citizens and permanent residents).

International students who study at universities outside of Canada (ie. those without a student visa) are not eligible to apply for the LMP SURE program this year.

You may submit only one application to the SURE Program

Search the LMP Faculty Directory for a potential supervisor. Only faculty  marked ‘yes’ under Graduate Faculty will supervise students.

Tips on locating a supervisor 

• Identify the area of research you are interested in and focus on faculty in that area. 
• Speak with Teaching Assistants and upper-year students who have gained research experience or have participated in the program in the past. 
• Ensure your resume, transcript, and application form are carefully prepared and up-to-date. 
• When contacting a supervisor, learn about their research, publications and view their website. 
• Start your search for supervisors early. 

Tailor your cover letter to include: 

• your knowledge of their research work; 
• a brief description of your research interests and skills/experience and how this ties in with their lab; and
• your program, year-of-study and career goals. 

Since there are more students interested in the summer program than the number of potential supervisors, some supervisors may have more than one suitable candidate, and he/she may conduct interviews to select a student. 

You should apply the same effort to applying to this program as you would when applying for a job! 

Do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions at lmp.undergrad@utoronto.ca. Our office is here to help. 

Good Luck! 

All applicants (including those who will be located in a hospital) must:

• submit an online application 
• submit a transcript or a statement of results showing marks for all University courses completed (a printout from ACORN for U of T students is acceptable).  
• include an active email address as this will be used to communicate your acceptance into the program and details regarding the weekly seminars and poster day. Award winners will also be advised via email. 
• have a supervisor sponsor for the summer prior to submission of the application. 

Once you have completed your section of the form and saved it, copy the link and send it to your supervisor for them to complete their section. If there are any issues with the form e.g. the supervisor cannot see your saved information, try a different browser (Firefox seems to work well with this form).

How you will hear if you have been accepted

Admission to the program is not competitive. If you meet the LMP SURE eligibility criteria you will be admitted into the program.

We will email you within two weeks to confirm acceptance into the program. You will receive an email about awards and confirmation of stipend in mid-to-late April.

Student stipend 

All students receive a minimum $6,974 stipend provided either by the supervisor or a combination of external awards and the supervisor.  

Awards 

A number of awards are available to support summer research endeavours for LMP Pathobiology Specialist students and other students participating in the SURE program.

1. Early Awards for LMP Pathobiology students only

LMP SURE Early Awards are available to Pathobiology Specialist students to support summer research experiences. 

Award value: $2,500 (from university) plus a minimum supplement of $4,474 provided by the supervisor (Total to student: $6,974) 

Application deadline: January 13, 2025

How to apply: via the online form available in January each year.

Number of awards available: minimum 5 awards 

To be eligible, you must:

• be in your 2nd or 3rd-year of study and be registered in the Undergraduate Pathobiology Specialist Program
• have at least a B+ (cGPA of 3.3) average
• be enrolled in the LMP SURE program and your supervisor should hold a SGS-appointment
• not have previously held a LMP SURE Early Award

Awarded to Pathobiology Specialist students based on grade and application package. Preference will be given to top students who will be carrying out summer research for the first time.

You do not need to have a supervisor match to apply to the LMP SURE Early Award. The award is designed to provide funds to help you find a lab in a research area you are interested in.

We will notify winners by email in late January. Winners will be paid the award amount plus a supplement from the supervisor.

2. Linda and Avrum Gotlieb Fund Supporting LMP Summer Student 

Award value: $2,500 plus a minimum supplement of $4,474 provided by the supervisor (Total to student: $6,974) 

Number of awards available: one

To be eligible, you must:

• be in your 2nd or 3rd-year of study, registered in the Undergraduate Pathobiology Specialist Program
• have at least a B+ (cGPA of 3.3) average
• be enrolled in the LMP SURE program and your supervisor should hold a SGS graduate-faculty appointment.  

Application deadline: January 13, 2025

How to apply:  Pathobiology Specialist students automatically qualify for this award by applying to the LMP SURE Early Award - you do not need to make a separate application.

We will notify the winner by email in late January. Winner will be paid the award amount plus a supplement from the supervisor.

3. Non-restricted awards: available to all undergraduate students to support summer research experiences

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) award was established in 1973 and its aim is to foster advanced research experiences for undergraduate students at the University of Toronto.

Those who receive an award will be notified by email in May. Winners will be paid the award amount plus a supplement from the supervisor.

Based on generous donations to the University, there are UROP Awards allocated to the following research thematic areas: 

• General Medicine
• Cardiovascular, heart                        
• Epilepsy or Muscular Dystrophy
• Cancer and cancer-related diseases  
• Kidney and kidney-related diseases
• Respiratory disease  

Award value: $2,500 (from university) plus a minimum supplement of $4,474 provided by the supervisor (Total to student: $6,974) 

Application deadline: February 25, 2025

We will notify winners by email in April. Winners will be paid the award amount plus a supplement from the supervisor.

How to apply: You are automatically eligible for this award by applying to the LMP SURE program - you do not need to make a separate application.

To be eligible, you must:

• have at least a B+ (cGPA of 3.3) average.
• have successfully completed term in a full-time undergraduate program directly prior to the award period.
• Students who have completed their undergraduate program are not eligible unless they have been accepted into or are currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional program (medical undergraduate degree program) or they have been accepted into a graduate program which they have not yet begun.
• University of Toronto and non-University of Toronto students may apply, including international students (with valid student visa for the full summer work term);.
• Students cannot hold another summer research award concurrently with a UROP award. 
• Students may submit only one application to this Program. Departure from this rule will result in the application being accorded a lower priority or being rejected.
• Award recipient must be enrolled in the LMP SURE program.
• Supervisors can be named as primary supervisor for a maximum of two students through one department to this Program. Departure from this rule will result in the application being accorded a lower priority or being rejected.

4. NSERC Undergraduate Summer Research Award (USRA) 

Official program details and guidelines on the NSERC website

Internal departmental application deadline: February 25, 2025

We will notify winners by email in April. Winners will be paid the award amount plus a supplement from the supervisor.

Award value: $6,000 from NSERC plus a minimum $3,298 top-up provided by the supervisor (total to student: $9,298 for 16 weeks)

Duration: 16 full consecutive weeks 

The University of Toronto administers this program in the summer term only, between May 1st and September 30th of each year. 

There is a limited number of NSERC USRA available to the LMP SURE Program. 

To be eligible, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada at the application deadline date; 
• be registered in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible university; 
• have completed, at the time of application, a minimum of two academic terms/semesters; 
• have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study; 
• be enrolled in the LMP SURE Program; 
• have a faculty supervisor who holds an appropriate university academic faculty appointment;
• must engage in research in the natural sciences or engineering;
• have obtained, a cumulative average of “B+”, as defined by your university. 

In addition, you may: 

• not defer or transfer the award; 
• hold only one university USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31); 
• hold a maximum of three USRA throughout your undergraduate university career. 

You are not eligible for a NSERC USRA if: 

• you are enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (eg. MD, MD/PhD, DDS, BScN), or 
• you hold higher degrees in the natural sciences or engineering, or 
• you have started a program of graduate studies at any time. 

Your supervisor does not have to hold an NSERC-research grant, but the proposed summer research project must engage in research in the natural sciences or engineering.

How to apply

The NSERC USRA award requires a separate application package. Please contact lmp.undergrad@utoronto.ca if you need help. 

Please consult the NSERC USRA program detail and guidelines webpage 

• Step 1: Register on the NSERC Online System 
  NSERC USRA applications MUST be completed by students and their supervisors online 
• Step 2: Complete Form 202, Part I- Application for an Undergraduate Student Research Award. When this form is completed online, a reference number will be generated. Please forward this reference number to your proposed supervisor to complete Part II. 
• Step 3: Supervisor to complete and submit Form 202, Part II- Application for an Undergraduate Student Research Award.  
• Step 4: Request your official transcript (hard copy or e-copy) and send to lmp.undergrad@utoronto.ca. For UofT students, the most recent academic history report from ACORN is acceptable. In addition to submitting the transcript to the department, you will also need to upload the transcript or the most recent academic history report from ACORN to your NSERC Form 202 Part I.  
• Step 6: Once Form 202, Part I and Part II are completed, submit Form 202 electronically to NSERC and email a copy of Form 202, Part I and II to: lmp.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

Internal deadline to submit all material (including the official transcripts) February 25, 2025. 

A successful NSERC USRA application will include your supervisor submitting Form 202 via the NSERC Online System and the student emailing Form 202 Part I and II and Transcript to lmp.undergrad@utoronto.ca.