Summer 2025 Enhanced Science Undergraduate Research Experience Awards
March 11, 2025
The UBC Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) office has committed a total of $2 million over the next four years to UBC Vancouver Faculties to support undergraduate research.
The Faculty of Science Dean’s Office has received an additional $100,000 this year to expand the Faculty of Science’s SURE Awards program for Summer 2025. As a result, we’re very pleased to introduce our new program with expanded eligibility — the Enhanced Science Undergraduate Research Experience (EnSURE) Awards.
Highlights
- Available for projects where either you or your supervisor (or both) are from the Faculty of Science. For example, Science supervisors may hire non-Science students; Science students may also work with a non-Science supervisor
- Available to both full-time and part-time research projects
Working Hours and Subsidy Details
- Full-time research projects (35 hours per week) must have a duration of 8 to 16 consecutive weeks:
- Subsidy: $3,000 for 8 to 11 weeks; $3,500 for 12 weeks or longer
- Part-time research projects are limited to 10—20 hours per week and run for at least 8 consecutive weeks (but no more than 16 weeks):
- Subsidy: $10 per hour
- EnSURE is a funding match subsidy: Supervisors are required to provide matching funds on a 1:1 basis towards the student salary. The student salary must also meet the BC minimum wage standards (currently $17.40 per hour; $17.85 per hour as of June 1, 2025)
- Example: 8-week full-time (35 hr/wk) project total student salary is approx. $5,700
35 hours per week @ $20.44/hr ($17.85 plus 14.47% required benefits - e.g., vacation pay, EI, CPP, WorkSafe, and BC EHT)
$3,000 EnSURE subsidy + $3,000 funding match from supervisor = $6,000 - Example: 8-week part-time (10 hr/wk) project total student salary is approx. $1,635
10 hours per week @ $20.44/hr ($17.85 plus 14.47% required benefits - e.g., vacation pay, EI, CPP, WorkSafe, and BC EHT) less $10/hr EnSURE subsidy = $10.44/hr funding provided by supervisor
- Example: 8-week full-time (35 hr/wk) project total student salary is approx. $5,700
How to Apply
Note: Applications for the EnSURE Awards are submitted directly to the Dean’s Office; it is important that you follow the directions below and not the information for the original SURE awards
- Departments may submit proposals which have been reviewed but have not yet been matched with any funding on behalf of their faculty members
- Faculty members who haven’t applied to their Departments may apply directly to the Science Dean’s Office
- Supervisors will be asked to provide a brief outline of the research project and the project format (e.g., full-time or part-time, weekly work hours, the project length, etc.), and indicate whether an internal candidate has been identified
- Students may work with a faculty member to prepare a joint proposal, but the application must be submitted by the faculty supervisor
Timeline
Stage 1 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Central call for applications (or research projects) | Deadline Monday, March 24th |
| Funding announcement | In the first two weeks of April |
Stage 2: If there are vacancies for funded positions | Dates |
|---|---|
| Students are invited to apply for open, funded positions via a centralized application process managed by the Dean’s Office | Mid-late April |
| Student applications are forwarded to supervisors for review and selection | Late April – early May |
Student Appointment and Reimbursement
Award holders will be hired as undergraduate research assistants. Supervisors will be reimbursed after the student appointment ends (in September or October 2025).
Have Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Dean’s Office.
