Deadline: February 15, 2025
Applications are open for the IBRO Fund for Undergraduate Research Internship Programs 2025. This program aims to address the persistent underrepresentation of minority groups in neuroscience by supporting established programs for research internships for undergraduate students from community colleges and 4-year primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) across the U.S and Canada (e.g. attending a non-U15 university).
The program prioritizes students who may not otherwise have had exposure to research, offering a pathway into graduate study and potential careers in neuroscience. Kindly note that this grant program is not open to individuals looking to secure a research internship but rather to program coordinators offering an established research internship programs.
By providing financial support to students underrepresented in biomedical sciences, they aim to promote diversity, equitable access, and opportunities within the field of neuroscience.
Program Details
This funding opportunity is designed to support established programs that offer internships to students enrolled in U.S. or Canadian community colleges or 4-year undergraduate institutions. Internships must provide students with hands-on research experience, mentorship opportunities, and skill-building workshops to prepare them for future academic and career success.
Successful programs will demonstrate an emphasis on two key areas:
- Mentored Research: Students should engage in a meaningful, supervised research project in a neuroscience laboratory. Each student will be placed in a neuroscience-related laboratory where they will work on a defined, hypothesis-driven project under the supervision of a faculty member and/or a direct mentor (graduate student or postdoctoral fellow). Students will participate in regular meetings with their mentors, which will serve as a space for ongoing support. Mentor responsibilities include providing one-on-one training on laboratory techniques and experimental design, a regular review of progress and guidance on troubleshooting experiments and facilitating discussions on interpreting scientific literature relevant to the project. At the end of the program, students should present their research projects in a session attended by faculty, graduate students and other members of the university community either by oral or poster presentation.
- Professional Development: Programs must offer professional development workshops focused on building skills for scientific success and helping students navigate the academic and career landscape. Examples of relevant professional development opportunities include, but are not limited to:
- Introduction to biomedical research: basics of neuroscience research, laboratory techniques and scientific ethics.
- Navigating personal and professional identities in science: discussions on how minority students can thrive in research environments.
- Networking strategies: how to network within academia, including tips for attending conferences and making meaningful professional connections.
- Applying to graduate school: guidance on writing personal statements, choosing programs, securing recommendation letters and preparing for interviews.
- Career paths in STEM: exposure to various career options within and outside academia, which may include industry, science communication, public policy or interdisciplinary fields.
Stipend
- Up to $25,000 USD is available to cover student stipends and associated program costs.
Eligibility
- Open to established research internship programs focused on providing neuroscience research experiences to students from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly those currently enrolled in community colleges or primarily undergraduate institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Programs with demonstrated success in supporting underrepresented students in STEM, particularly neuroscience, are encouraged to apply.
- This program is not open to individuals looking to secure a research internship.
- This program is only open to the US/Canada region. Applications for programs taking place in other regions of the world will not be taken into consideration.
Application
For more information, visit IBRO Research Internship.
