NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)

Research Admin Offices:

ROADS
HRS

Funding Type:

Grant

Opportunity Type:

Grant

Value:

These awards have a value of $6,000 (plus a top-up from the contributing supervisor/department, based on minimum wage of $17.20/hr (as of October 2024).
The duration of the award is 14 to 16 weeks on a full-time basis.
Effective fiscal year 2022-2023, the following updates have been incorporated into the USRA program description:
- Institutions are required to supplement the award and should comply with their provincial employment standards. The institution will be responsible for supplements to the weekly value and fringe benefits (if applicable)
- For the duration of the award, USRA recipients will be employees of the host institution and employed full time in eligible research and development activities in the natural sciences and/or engineering. The activities will be governed by the terms and conditions of employment of employees engaged in similar work.

As minimum wages are regulated provincially, the minimum 25% top-up will become obsolete for the USRA program, therefore, references to a 25% minimum top-up has been deleted from the literature.

NSERC’s contribution is paid directly to the host institution and is included in the salary that you receive.
NSERC will not reimburse the institution for any period during which you worked part time. No payment will be approved for any vacation leave you take during tenure of the award.

Disciplines:

DeGroote School of Business
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Health Sciences

Sponsors:

Deadlines:

Internal Deadline:

April 1, 2025

Sponsor Deadline:

May 1, 2025

Additional Dates:

Please note: The internal deadline for all Faculty decisions is - April 1, 2025

Description:

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program supports more than 3,000 students annually and is administered jointly by Canada’s three research granting agencies: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Applications for the USRA program must be completed and submitted to the Canadian institution where you wish to hold the award through NSERC’s online system. Selected applications are submitted to NSERC by institutions. No USRA applications may be submitted directly to the agencies.

At the present time, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a specific allocation for these awards, as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations web page.

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are intended to stimulate interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage students to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career in these fields. They help students to gain research work experience that complements studies in an academic setting; these awards can help provide students with financial support through their host university.

Please Note: If you are interested in a USRA position, please contact the Administrators listed below directly.

If you are applying from the Faculty of Health Sciences, please visit the USRA in the Faculty of Health Sciences page for more information.

Please note the following key changes to the USRA program, effective 2025-2026 competition:

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are pleased to continue deploying the additional funds to increase direct support for Black student researchers to the USRA program for2025-2026. These funds will help address the disproportionate underfunding of Black scholars at the undergraduate level, contribute to making Canada’s research culture more equitable, diverse and inclusive, and will strengthen Canada’s innovation potential.

For the 2025-2026 review process:

For NSERC USRAs:

Institutions may continue to recommend applications from self-identified Indigenous students beyond their allocation of awards.

New policy for Black student researchers:

NSERC provides supplementary allocations for additional awards for Black student researchers.

Note: The supplementary allocation for Black student researchers is not a limit. There is no limit on the number of Black student researchers that can be offered an award within an institution’s allocation.

NSERC expects institutions to use their allocations of awards to support applicants from all underrepresented groups, including Black student researchers.

For CIHR and SSHRC USRAs: Presently, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a separate allocation of awards to offer from each agency. Institutions must respect the agency-specific allocation of awards. Refer to the Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations web page for a list of allocations by institution and by agency.

Additional Program Information:

The duration of the award is 14-16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis.
You may hold an award at any time during the year as permitted by your academic program.
Tenure may start on a date acceptable to both you and your host institution.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for an award, you must:

be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications at the university;
be registered, at the time you apply, in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible university;
have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least second class (a grade of “B-,” if applicable) as defined by your university.

In addition…

If you already hold a bachelor’s degree and are studying toward a second bachelor’s degree, you may still apply for this award.
You may hold only one university USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
You may hold a maximum of three university USRAs throughout your undergraduate university career.

To hold an award, you must:

have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor’s degree;
have been registered in at least one of the two terms 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 at any time;
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 not eligible for an Undergraduate Student Research Award if:

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.

Important Changes to Eligibility of Supervisors (effective Summer 2020):

NSERC no longer requires professors to hold an active eligible grant when applying to supervise a USRA student. NSERC considers anyone who is authorized by their university to independently supervise students to be an eligible supervisor.

Canadian Forest Sector Workforce Diversity undergraduate supplements

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you are automatically considered for this supplement when you apply to the Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) program. At the time of your application to the USRA, your proposed research project must fall within the research areas of relevance to Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service. NSERC will supplement, on behalf of Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service, your USRA by $5,000.

McMaster University policy is to issue the full value of the supplement to the student, in addition to the USRA award. You will receive your payment from the institution at which you are holding your USRA. The institution will also issue a T4 or T4A slip (statement of income) to you at the end of the calendar year.

Application/Nomination Process:

The NSERC USRA Program is administered internally through each eligible faculty/department at McMaster in conjunction with the Research Office for Administration, Development & Support (ROADS). Interested undergraduate students should apply to the department in which their research supervisor is appointed, which may not be the student’s home department. Please keep in mind that each department sets its own application deadline. Specific questions regarding the internal application process/requirements should be directed to the specific department contact.

For more information about the NSERC-USRA Program, please visit the NSERC website to consult the program guidelines.

Internal Departmental Contact Information and Application Deadlines:

Department	Contact	Extension	Deadline
Faculty of Business	Pina Del Monte	26045	March 1, 2025
Faculty of Health Sciences	Tamara Fuciarelli	27251	February 13, 2025
Faculty of Humanities	Annamaria Skrtic	24326	March 1, 2025
Faculty of Social Sciences	Chris Hollins	24097

Faculty of Engineering

Department	Contact	Extension	Deadline
Chemical Engineering	Nicole Gregan	24957	February 3, 2025
Civil Engineering	Olivia Pare	24315	February 3, 2025
Computing & Software	Mary Peressini	24614	February 3, 2025
Electrical & Computer Engineering	Tracy Coop	24347	February 3, 2025
Engineering Physics	Jennifer Lourenco	27925	February 3, 2025
Materials Science & Engineering	Laura Miller	24295	February 3, 2025
Mechanical Engineering	Nicole McLean	24294	February 3, 2025
Bachelor of Technology Program	Janice Taylor	20160	February 3, 2025

Faculty of Science

Department	Contact	Extension	Deadline
Biology	Tyler Charlebois	23557	February 28, 2025
Chemistry & Chemical Biology	Sarah O’Dwyer	23490	February 28, 2025
Earth, Environment and Society	Katherine Walker	24534	February 28, 2025
Kinesiology	Katey McKay	24462	February 28, 2025
Mathematics & Statistics	Rabia Awan	24580	February 14, 2025
Physics & Astronomy	Dr. Fiona McNeill	26098	February 3, 2025
Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour	Taylor Bowker	23026	February 28, 2025

Application Instructions

To apply for these awards, you must complete and submit your application using NSERC’s On-line System; a printed copy of the application must be submitted directly to the department you are applying to. Refer to the instructions for completing Form 202 (video, award and eligibility details below provided by NSERC):

Resources:

NSERC USRA FAQ – Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants and Proposed Research Supervisors for more information.

Contact:

McMaster USRA: Students interested in the McMaster USRA (not associated with the NSERC-USRA program) should contact:

Program	Contact	Extension	Application Deadline
Arts & Science USRA	Shelley Anderson	24655	February 14, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Humanities USRA	Annamaria Skrtic	24326	March 1, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Social Sciences USRA	Julie Gouweloos	23560	February 16 & October 31 at 4:00 pm

Note: The McMaster USRA program is not administered through ROADS.