External Undergraduate Research Opportunities
As well as Sussex's own JRA scheme, there are plenty of other opportunities to undertake undergraduate research with external institutions throughout the UK.
On this page, you can find details of some of the UK's main providers of undergraduate research opportunities. If any of these interest you, follow the links below for more details.
Keep in mind that this list isn't comprehensive - there might be other opportunities that you could uncover through your own research.
| External Undergraduate Research Placements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Organisation/Institution | Name of Scheme | Details |
| Animal Free Research UK | Summer Studentship & Fellowships | *Scheme on hold for 2023* check back for updates |
| Applied Vision Association | Bradshaw-Eagle Undergraduate Research Scholarship | The Scholarship will provide a stipend (£200 per week, subsistence, for up to 8 weeks) to support undergraduates to carry out a self-contained vision-related research project, in the laboratory of an AVA member. |
| Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour | Undergraduate Project Scholarships | Undergraduate Project Scholarships are grants to undergraduates to enable them to undertake supervised research projects that fall within the field of animal behaviour. Includes £420 per week towards subsistence for the student, and additional research expenses and travel expenses |
| Biochemical Society |
|
Each year, we offer undergraduates the opportunity to develop vital training and skills development by funding a 6-week laboratory visit. Students will be awarded a stipend of £364.70 per week for 6 weeks, to support the students’ living costs for the duration of the placement. |
| Botanical Society of Scotland | Support for Student Fieldwork | Support for Student Fieldwork is available to undergraduate and postgraduate students for both Fieldwork Projects and Fieldwork Training Courses with a botanical theme.
The maximum grant available for fieldwork is £700. |
| The British Lichen Society | Summer Vacation Scholarships | The Society offers one vacation scholarship annually to provide an undergraduate student with research experience in any branch of lichenology. The scholarship is £200 per week for a maximum of 10 weeks, plus a small grant towards the cost of materials, amounting to an overall maximum of £2,200. |
| British Mycological Society | Undergraduate Student Vacation Bursary |
Students on an undergraduate degree must undertake the bursary-funded work during the summer vacation before their final year of study. Students will receive a weekly stipend of £290. Supervisors can request up to £400 as a contribution towards essential research consumable costs. |
| British Pharmacological Society | Vacation Studentships | This studentship encourages undergraduates to take pharmacology as a specialism. Winners will receive up to £1,850 for up to ten weeks (£185 per week) to help cover living costs during a research project. |
| British Psychological Society | Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme | The project should take place over either 6 or 8 weeks over the summer vacation prior to the beginning of the final year of study. We award the positions to the supervisor who must be a member of the society and actively engaged in research. The award provides a student stipend at a weekly rate of £270. |
| British Society for Developmental Biology | Summer Studentship | The Gurdon/The Company of Biologists Summer Studentship scheme provides financial support to allow highly motivated undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in a summer vacation research project of their choosing.
Awards comprise a student stipend of £340 per week for 8 weeks. Consumable costs are not provided. |
| British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy | BSGCT Undergraduate Research Bursaries |
The purpose of the award is to give experience of research to undergraduates with research potential and to encourage them to consider a career in scientific research. The award provides support for the student at a rate of £250 per week for a period of between 6 and 8 weeks. |
| British Society for Neuroendocrinology | Undergraduate Student Laboratory Experience Grant | Undergraduate Student Laboratory Experience Grant provides some financial support for a student who undertakes a vacation lab project. The host supervisor should apply on behalf of the student that they consider to be suitable for a project in their lab. Grant maximum £2,440. |
| British Society for Plant Pathology | Undergraduate Vacation Bursary Fund | The purpose of the bursaries is to provide undergraduates considering a research career with experience of plant pathology research. For experimental projects this will involve practical experience in a plant pathology laboratory. Students based in the United Kingdom will receive a sum of £380 per week from the host institute to cover living expenses. |
| British Society for Cell Biology | Summer Studentships | The BSCB Summer Vacation Studentships offer financial support for high calibre undergraduate students, who wish to gain research experience in cell biology during their summer vacation.
Awards comprise a student stipend of £340 per week for up to 8 weeks. Awards do not cover consumable costs. |
| The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy | *Currently on Hold - Under review* check back for updates | |
| British Toxicology Society | These awards are designed to encourage students or new graduates to experience working in the field of toxicology. There are two studentships on offer and each studentship will provide up to £1,500 to support the living costs of the student for up to six to eight weeks. | |
| Diamond Light Source | University Summer Placements | *Suspended for 2024* check back for updates |
| Experimental Psychology Society | Undergraduate Research Bursary | This scheme will finance a number of bursaries to support undergraduates studying psychology or a related discipline in the summer vacation immediately prior to their final year. Awards will be made to members of the Society and will provide up to 10 weeks’ support (a £375 per week stipend) for their nominated undergraduate. |
| The Francis Crick Institute | Summer Studentships | Our nine-week Summer Student Training Programme provides undergraduates who are performing well on their degree course, with the opportunity to get hands-on training and experience in scientific research and find out what a career in biomedical research might be like. Include funding that is equivalent to the London Living Wage to cover your living costs during the programme. |
| The Genetics Society | Summer Studentship - Genetics Society | We have grants available to support you to gain experience in any area of genetics by doing a research project during the summer holiday prior to the final year of your degree.
£300/week allowance for up to 8 weeks and up to £750 to cover host laboratory expenses |
| Marine Biological Association | MBA | University Placement Opportunities | *2024 placement not yet advertised* The Marine Biological Association offers a number of work placement opportunities annually for students enrolled in a formal education program, undertaking the placement as part of a certified study/ training programme. |
| Microbiology Society | Harry Smith Vacation Studentships | The Society offers a limited number of awards to enable undergraduates to work on microbiological research projects during the summer vacation. Applications must be made by the project supervisor on behalf of a named student. The studentships provide a stipend of £331 per week for a period of up to eight weeks (minimum six weeks). An additional sum of up to £400 for specific research costs may also be awarded. |
| The Nutrition Society | Summer Studentships | The Nutrition Society | The Nutrition Society offers Summer Studentships aimed at undergraduate members interested in a career in nutrition science. Studentships are available for up to eight weeks and there is a stipend of £1600 for the student. |
| Royal Society of Biology | Plant Health UG Studentships | We offer a number of undergraduate studentships in plant health to be carried out over the summer. These placements offer experience of research aligned with Defra priority areas in plant health. Award: £350 per week, for a studentship period of 10 weeks |
| Royal Society of Chemistry | Analytical Chemistry Summer Studentships (rsc.org) | The purpose of the awards is to give experience of research to undergraduates with research potential and to encourage them to consider a career in Analytical Chemistry research. The awards provide support for the student at a rate of £400 per week £440 per week inside of London, for a period of between 6 and 8 weeks during the summer vacation. |
| Sanger Institute | The Sanger Prize Competition 2024 | All essential expenses will be paid for by the prize fund including travel costs, visa costs, accommodation and reasonable food costs during the three month internship. The winner will be able to choose the lab and faculty host they work with, subject to the availability of the host. The winner will be able to choose the timing of their internship which should be taken within a year of being awarded |
| Society for Applied Microbiology | AMI Summer Student Placement Scholarship | The Summer Student Placement Scholarship offers undergraduate students and recent graduates the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience. They are to fund short (6–8 weeks) remote or in-person lab or desk-based projects in applied microbiology-related research areas. |
| Society for Reproduction and Fertility | Vacation Scholarships | The objective of these scholarships is to enable students to work during the summer vacation in university departments or research institutes on research projects related to reproduction, fertility and lactation in humans and other animals. Projects can be a maximum of 8 weeks long, and include a stipend funded of £250 per week to cover living costs for the student |
| Universities’ Federation for Animal Welfare | Animal Welfare Student Scholarships | Although typically completed during July-September, projects may be carried out at any time during the year of application and usually last 4 to 8 weeks. Student Scholarships consist of £250 per week subsistence allowance for the Scholar (paid to the student directly) plus £100 per week project expenses (paid to the host university/organisation). |
| Wellcome Trust | Biomedical Vacation Scholarships |
A Biomedical Vacation Scholarship is for six to eight weeks. It provides a salary at the real Living Wage regardless of age. If you need help with travel and accommodation costs, you can ask for: up to £1,500 outside London up to £2,000 inside London. |