The MSSRP is a research training bursary in which supervisors submit a project and may either pre-select a student or interview candidates; once a supervisor–student pairing is confirmed, it undergoes peer review and is ranked based on the project’s alignment with the student’s career goals and the feasibility of the proposed training plan within program parameters. The projects span the gamut of research domains across the faculty: clinical, translational, basic science, quality improvement, education, etc. The skills gained in this program provides medical students with experience and skills to support their clinical and research career development.

All faculty members with a primary academic appointment to the Faculty of Medicine at the level of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (PhD or MD) are eligible to submit a project to this program and supervise a summer medical student.  Adjunct Professors & Lecturers are not eligible for this program.  

Each year, we will identify priority areas in collaboration with our partners. These priorities will be guided by the Faculty of Medicine’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan and may require additional application information or reporting criteria. 

Key Dates

• Supervisor application due January 18 at 23:59 ET

• Students application due March 25 at 23:59 ET

• Notice of decision sent early May

Funding

Under the guidance of the designed PI, the successful medical student applicants will be awarded a stipend of $6,000 to conduct the research project. It is expected that each awardee spends 10 weeks working on the research project between May 25 and August 21, 2026.

Who can Apply?

1.  Supervisors must hold a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine*, be in good standing with their departments, and be eligible to supervise undergraduate students. Potential supervisors must also:

• Contribute $1,850 to the program (an invoice will be sent at the end of the summer)

• Review 6–7 applications between March 27 and April 20, 2026

• Serve as a judge at the MSSRP Presentation Day (Fall  – date to be confirmed in July)

• Ensure the project will follow all the required ethics procedures, including having approval before the project commences (if required)

• Use EDI best practices in research design, interview process, training and mentorship

• Agree to submit only one MSSRP project and supervise one MSSRP student per year
• Have the necessary time and resources to train students through the summer studentship 

*Limited to Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors (Adjunct Professor & Lecturers not eligible). 

2.  Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) students at the University of Ottawa who are enrolled in their first or second year of training are eligible to apply.  Successful candidates must also:

• Prepare and present a poster of their research results during the designated MSSRP Presentation Day  (Fall  – date to be confirmed in July).
• Notify the Medical Education Office by July 15 of their absence to present the poster during the designated MSSRP Poster Day (Fall  – date to be confirmed in July).

*Note: The terms of the research training opportunity can be discussed between the PI and student. 

Please note that only one project per supervisor will be accepted. 
Students can only be funded to work on one project each summer they are eligible to apply.  Students must agree to accept only one research stipend for the summer awarded (i.e., a student cannot hold concurrent research positions). 

Application Process

1.  Potential supervisors are invited to submit a full project description by January 18  through our online supervisor application form. Submission includes:

• Summary of the project, which includes: research question, introduction, objectives, methods, training plan and impact statement.
• Short description of how research project will incorporate sex- and gender-based analysis+ (SGBA+);
• research ethics board approval (if required); and
• any additional information required for those applying for priority announcements.
• Supervisors should inform the Research Office if they already have a pre-selected student for their project, or once they have selected a student through the interview process.

2.  The available project list will be circulated to all first- and second-year medical students (in late January).

3.  Students may select up to seven (7) projects from the list of available projects and submit a request to receive the supervisors’ contact information.

• Once a project has received six (6) requests, it will be removed from the list.  
• A project may be reinstated if the supervisor determines that none of the candidates meet the project requirements.
• The project list will be updated regularly letting students know in real time which supervisor projects have already been fulfilled

4.  Supervisors who have not pre-selected a student will interview the students ensuring the principles of EDI are respected as outlined in the Tri-Agency Best Practices in EDI in Research.

5.  Supervisors will notify the student they select for their project in writing so students can then include this confirmation in their application.

6.  All selected students (pre-selected & selected through interview process) must submit a student application form (available early March) and up-to-date CV by March 25 at 23:59 ET. The application form includes the following details:

• how this position fits with their future plans and career path;
• how the project will provide them with a unique research training opportunity;
• student role in the project as they understand it;
• what skills and experience they offer that are relevant to the project (e.g. previous research experience).

7.   A review committee comprised of faculty and community members will assess them and rank the applications using the merit indicators (see below).

8.  Supervisors and students will be notified of the committee’s decision via email by early May.

9.  Upon receipt of the award notice, both student and supervisor must confirm they accept the award.

Priority Areas

1.  Mach-Gaensslen Foundation

Up to five (5) awarded will be funded through the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation. The Foundation’s objectives are to:

• carry out, support and promote medical research in the fields of cardiology, oncology and psychiatry,
• disseminate the findings of such research to the interested public, and
• promote excellence in education in the fields of cardiology, oncology and psychiatry.

2.  Social Accountability

Up to four (4) summer studentships will be allocated to the priority area of Social Accountability, and these will be awarded to faculty-initiated projects developed in collaboration with community partners.

Please see the Terms of Reference for the Social Accountability Priority Announcement for more details.

Review Committee

The review committee will assess and rank the pairings between students and projects based on the relevance of the project to the student’s career aspirations and the feasibility of the training plan within the program’s parameters. The committee commits to a fair and transparent review assessment to promote excellence in research across Faculty of Medicine’s diverse research fields. In alignment with the University of Ottawa’s Office of the Vice-President, Research policies, the committee will foster an equitable research, education and training environment that provides equal opportunities for everyone and that respects and values diversity.

Mandate

Peer reviewers will provide rankings of MSSRP applications using the merit indicators (see below) while ensuring the Faculty’s core values of equity and diversity are respected.

Membership

Merit Indicators

All applications will be reviewed according to the following merit indicators:

• Excellence of the Research Project (50%)
  • Impact, innovation, feasibility, methods, SGBA+ considerations
• Excellence of Training Opportunity (50%)
  • Research training experience and skills development, training plan, fit with career goals of the trainee

In addition, applicants seeking consideration under the priority areas must clearly demonstrate how their projects meet each of the criteria:

1. Mach-Gaensslen Foundation
   
   Projects in the Mach-Gaensslen priority area must:
   • Carry out, support and promote medical research in the fields of cardiology, oncology and psychiatry;
   • Help disseminate the findings of such research to the interested public; and
   • Promote excellence in education in the fields of cardiology, oncology and psychiatry
2. Social Accountability
   
   Projects in the Social Accountability priority area must clearly:
   • Identify a specific community partners who will be engaged in the research project. Community partners may include community organizations and partners, policy makers at the regional, provincial, and national levels, health professionals, funding organizations, certification bodies, patient advocacy groups, or members of the public.
   • Describe how the project will address a priority need of this community partners group.
   • Describe how the applicants will engage their community partners in their project. We encourage applicants to consider how community partners might be involved in as many stages of the project as possible (i.e., research question, design, analysis, interpretation, knowledge dissemination). We recognize that projects may be at different phases of execution.
   • Identify how the community partners will benefit from the results of the research through knowledge mobilization.