Research Interns@Strathclyde

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Key facts

  • Number of scholarships: TBC
  • Value: A stipend equivalent to the Scottish Living Wage (2022-23)
  • Opens: 23 January 2023
  • Deadline: 27 March 2023
  • Helps with: Living costs
  • Duration: June 2023 to August 2023

Summary

We have been made aware of some technical issues relating to the RI@S application portal, whereby some students are not receiving their element of the form. Please be advised that we are looking to address this as soon as possible. The application date will be extended to accommodate this.

The goal of Research Interns @ Strathclyde (RI@S) is to provide undergraduates with direct experience of real research environments. To do this, we will be offering a number of funded internships over the summer of 2023, where successful applicants will get the opportunity to carry out an independent, self-contained programme of enquiry in a live research area.

We also offer a research development programme that is open to all undergraduate students at the University of Strathclyde on funded summer internships, work placements or projects. Any students on funded summer scholarships (including RI@S, EPSRC, and Carnegie) are invited to participate in the programme. If you are not funded by one of these schemes but wish to participate, please do get in touch via the contact details below.

The programme offers skills training, workshops, and hands-on insight into the breadth of opportunity in research and is particularly suited for students considering further study and a career in research, inside or outside academia.

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Eligibility

RI@S is aimed at undergraduate students (including international students) of the University of Strathclyde in their penultimate year, i.e., students in the third year of a four-year degree, or the fourth year of a five-year degree (integrated Masters).

Postgraduate students and students who have already completed their undergraduate studies are not eligible to apply. Incoming exchange students are also not eligible as they cannot participate in the whole programme due to the limited time they spend in the University. This does not apply to outgoing Strathclyde students.

The RI@S funding cannot be used to support research that forms part of a credit bearing programme. While the experience should strongly benefit a student's studies through the skills developed, the actual work must not be part of, or directly contribute to, any undergraduate degree programme.

Students may only submit one application to the RI@S programme, though are encouraged to apply for other summer internships available to them. Students should be encouraged to apply for the Carnegie Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships given their prestige and if successful make this their first choice. Supervisors are limited to supporting two applications.

Subject eligibility

Accounting & finance, Architecture, Biomedical engineering, Chemical engineering, Chemistry, Civil & environmental engineering, Computer science, Design manufacture & engineering management, Economics, Education, Electronic & electrical engineering, English, Entrepreneurship, History, Human resource management, Law, Marketing, Mathematics & statistics, Mechanical & aerospace engineering, Languages, Naval architecture ocean & marine engineering, Pharmacy & biomedical sciences, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Speech & language therapy, Business, Journalism, Hospitality & tourism, Management, Forensic science, Management science, Social policy, Teaching, Aeronautical engineering, Biochemistry, Biology & biological sciences, Biomedical science, Civil engineering, Data analytics, Environmental engineering, Health, Immunology, International relations, Mechanical engineering, Microbiology, Naval architecture, Ocean engineering, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Product design, Prosthetics & orthotics, Renewable energy, Social work, Software engineering, Sports engineering, Engineering, Science, Marine Engineering

Levels eligibility

Undergraduate

Study modes eligibility

Part Time

Fee Status

Home (Scottish), England or N. Ireland or Rep. Ireland or Wales, International

Student type

Current student

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Project details

RI@S encourages flexible working and as such our scholarships our part-time to enable students to apply alongside other commitments. As such we offer the following:

  • 15 hours per week – for up to a maximum of 10 weeks.

RI@S particularly encourages limited projects (of up to five weeks). We will also consider additional flexible working arrangements for summer internships, and supervisors should get in touch with us before applying to discuss these.

RI@S funded internships should take place over the summer. They should begin at the earliest by 1 June 2023 and should be completed by 31 August 2023. The precise dates of the project, and the working pattern, should be agreed between the student and their supervisor.

The research activity in which RI@S interns will be involved must constitute an independent, self-contained programme of enquiry that has its own specified aims and objectives. It might, where relevant, form part of a larger programme of work in which the student, the department or research group is engaged. Additionally, the research could be undertaken in local and regional organisations, businesses and community agencies and development projects with which the department or student has links. 

Any type of research activity that is normally conducted within the faculties will be considered for support and sponsorship. All research that is conducted, on or off campus, will be subject to relevant legislation and regulations, including ethical approval, health and safety requirements, risk analysis and the University policy on academic misconduct. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that these are completed.

We particularly encourage projects that align to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals represent the complex global challenges we must address to ensure a sustainable, equitable future for all. The SDGs are broad in scope, addressing a wide range of social, economic, and environmental factors, including poverty, climate change, inequality and health and wellbeing. All UN member states adopted the SDGs in 2015 as part of Agenda 2030, which set out a 15-year plan to meet these ambitious goals. Strathclyde has committed to delivering the SDGs by placing Education for Sustainable Development at the heart of our curricula and enabling students to address these challenges. Learn more about the SDGs.

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Further information

Funding

NOTE: There is no additional funding for consumables, equipment, overheads etc. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring the student has access to all the necessary equipment and consumables to undertake their project.

If projects can cover 100% of the costs (including internship wages) from either internal or external sources, this should be declared within the relevant section of the application form. We also consider partially funded applications. Where an external partner (private, public, or charitable organisation) is involved, a contribution to the funding of the internship should be sought.

Frequently asked questions

Is RI@S a competitive scheme?

Yes. In the academic year 2020-21, we received 116 applications, of which 26 were successful.

When will I find out if my application has been successful?

Applications close on the 17 March 2023. Students and Supervisors will be notified of the outcome in early May.

I’m a postgraduate student, can I apply to the RI@S scheme?

No. Only undergraduate students in their penultimate (second-to-last) year of their programme are eligible to apply. This means you can apply if you’re in the third year of a four-year-degree, or the fourth year of a five-year-degree (integrated Masters).

If I’m not eligible for the RI@S scheme, are there any other internships or scholarships I could apply for?

There are range of scholarships available to Strathclyde students. They are listed on the Scholarships webpage.

I don’t have a supervisor and I don’t know how to get one, what should I do?

Departmental webpages include lists of academic staff, with their research interests and lists of publications. You can use that information to find academic staff working in areas that you find interesting, and then approach them to act as your supervisor.

Alternatively, your lecturers are likely to know the research interests of academic in their department, and may be able to suggest academics for you to contact.

If there is a class that you find particularly interesting, a good first step could be to approach the lecturer teaching that class to see if they would be willing to supervise a project in that area.

Do I have to come up with the idea for my research project?

There are different ways of developing the research proposal. You can develop it yourself in discussion with your supervisor. Alternatively, a staff member may already have an idea for a research project.

Can I apply to the RI@S scheme for funding to support me to complete my dissertation?

No. The work that you do for the RI@S internship must be separate from the work you do for your degree programme.

Can I apply to the RI@S scheme as well as the Carnegie and EPSRC scheme?

Yes, you can apply for multiple different internship schemes, but you will only be able to accept one offer. If you are successful for both the RI@S and the Carnegie scheme, you will be expected to accept the Carnegie offer, as you would allow a place on RI@S for another student.

When does the internship start and finish?

There is a lot of flexibility in when you can undertake the work for your internship to find a fit that works for you. Internships can take place any time in June, July, and August. The precise timing of the internship should be agreed by the student and the supervisor.

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How to apply

The Application process is:

  1. supervisor nominates a student and a project
  2. student completes an application for the project
  3. faculty members, and staff from the Careers Service, will review and grade the applications on the criteria below
  4. a final panel will then review both the student application score and the project nomination's score before an offer is made to the student and supervisor

The application is submitted in two stages:

  1. the first stage is submitted by the supervisor
  2. the second stage is submitted by the student

Supervisor stage

First, the supervisor completes the Project Nomination. This form asks for basic information on the project, the supervisor and the name of the student who intends to undertake the project. There are two key elements of this form:

  1. the reasons why the student is suitable to be nominated for this internship. This could cover things like their qualifications, academic achievements, prizes, their interest in the research area, their interest in progressing to PG study
  2. information about the proposed project. This has four elements:
    1. background
    2. aims & objectives (including benefits to the academic themselves and the student)
    3. opportunities for the student to contribute to dissemination activity
    4. any further information. This section is optional.

Once the supervisor has completed and submitted their part of the application, they won’t be able to make any changes. Once the application is submitted by the supervisor, the nominated student will receive an email with a link to their application form.

Student stage

The student section of the application has six questions:

  1. please outline your motivation for applying for the internship, including how you see this contributing to your academic development and future career aspirations
  2. what is it that interests you about this particular research topic or area?
  3. please describe a time when you built up a good working relationship to achieve a result. What did you do to build this relationship? How do you know it was a success?
  4. describe a time, perhaps linked to a challenging task or assignment, when things were difficult and you were working under pressure. Why was it challenging? What did you do? What was the result?
  5. please describe how you propose to undertake the research for your chosen project?
  6. if you are applying or have applied for another summer internship please indicate below which one(s)

The student must also tick a box to indicate that they agree to participate in the RI@S development programme. This is a series of events and activities that take place during the internship period, designed to help interns to make the most of the experience.

Once the student has finished and submitted their section of the application, the application is complete and cannot be altered. The ‘save’ or ‘save and close’ buttons can be used to save changes without submitting.

Application deadlines

  • the supervisor must submit their section by Friday 10 March 2023 at the latest for the application to be considered
  • the student must submit their section by Friday 17 March 2023 at the latest for the application to be considered

Selection Criteria

Each application will be assessed on the following criteria:

  1. the students’ academic performance
  2. the quality of the research proposal. The following criteria will be used:
    1. the independence of the student’s activity
    2. whether the project is sufficiently self-contained
    3. the clarity and appropriateness/achievability of the aims and objectives
    4. the originality, and potential contribution to knowledge
    5. the appropriateness of the research design and methods
    6. the outputs, dissemination, and impact
  3. the students’ element of the application. This element will be reviewed by staff from the careers service, who will look particularly for evidence of self-reflection on their previous experience and how this will make them a strong candidate for the internship, and how the internship will fit with their personal development and future plans

The outcomes of the selection process will be announced in May 2023.

Please complete and return the appropriate submission form:

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Contact us

If you have any questions about the RI@S scheme, please contact the RI@S mailbox, researchinterns-admin@strath.ac.uk.