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Undergraduate Research Bursaries

Funding undergraduate summer research placements in chemistry-related research areas, for both lab-based and remote projects.

We offer bursaries to fund undergraduate summer research placements in chemistry-related research areas, for both lab-based and remote projects.

The purpose of the awards is to give experience of real research to undergraduates students to encourage them to consider a career in scientific research.

On this page:

What can I request funding for?

The bursary provides a contribution to the student's wages equivalent to 35 hours per week at the UK National Living Wage (£12.21 per hour from April 2025) for a total workload equivalent to 6 to 8 weeks. The work can be completed on a full-time, part-time, or flexible basis.

We welcome applications for both lab-based and remote projects.

Restrictions on funding

The  project  must  not  count  towards  the  student’s  academic  credits, be  used  for  expeditions or be conducted overseas for more than 50% of the project time.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, the student must meet all of the following criteria:

  • They are in the middle years of their first undergraduate degree at time of application
  • Mature  students  are  eligible  to  apply,  but  must  not  have  a  previous  degree  in  any  subject.
  • They are members of the RSC. Student membership is free and it is very quick and easy to join. For more details, please see our membership page.
  • They must be registered at a UK or Republic of Ireland Institution (whether full-time  or  part-time)  for  the  majority  of  their  undergraduate  degree  in  the  chemical  sciences.
  • They must  not  be  in  receipt  of  financial  support  from  other  sources  for  the  project that is the subject of application.

Please ensure you read our Guidance for Applicants and our Frequently Asked Questions document fully before you begin your application.

How to apply

Please note that this year, all applications need to be approved by the Supervisor’s Head of Department before they can be submitted. This is done electronically as part of the application. Please ensure you give the Head of Department enough time before the deadline to approve your application. If you do not know who your Head of Department is, please contact your project supervisor. If your project is not at the University in which you are enrolled, you need to nominate the Head of Department at the institution you are visiting.

For fairness and transparency to all applicants, we must apply our rules consistently. This means that we do not allow late applications. You are welcome to apply in the next application round providing you meet all eligibility criteria of that round.

  • Applications open: 13 January 2025
  • Applications close: 17 February 2025 (2pm UK time)
  • Initial eligibility decisions: week commencing 3 March 2025
  • Funding decisions: by early May 2025
  • Reports Requested: week commencing 6 October 2025

All applications will be checked by RSC staff. Your application will not proceed to peer review if:

  • You do not meet our eligibility criteria (see above)
  • Your application is incomplete
  • Your application does not adhere to the length limits instructed in the application system

All remaining eligible applications will undergo peer review by members of our Researcher Grants Peer Review Group and final funding decisions will then be overseen by:

  • Professor John Dean, Northumbria University
  • Dr Joëlle Prunet, University of Glasgow
  • Dr Jóhannes Reynisson, Keele University

They will assess applications on the following criteria. No more than four applications from an individual institution will be funded. We request that institutions are thoughtful about the number of applications they submit (if submitting more than 4) and are considerate about the time given by our volunteer reviewers to ensure the scheme runs smoothly for our applicants.

Where a student applies to undertake their project at a different UK/ROI university to the one they are enrolled in, the application will not count towards the allocation of either university.

  • Merit of the student: reviewers will assess the student’s aptitude and interest in practical work; their academic abilities; career ambitions and how much this project is likely to benefit them.
  • Suitability of the project: in addition to high-quality science achievable in the time available, the project must be suitable for the student’s skill level, whilst providing an appropriate level of challenge. It should give the student experience in a range of techniques and concepts.
  • Supervisor support: the application should demonstrate how the student will be given the support they need to make the most of their time in the lab. The application should also take into account provision of adequate resources to train and supervise the student.

For full details, please see our guidance for applicants or contact us using the form below.

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