Supervisors

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Applications are now open. Applications are due by February 6, 2025 at 4:00pm PDT. Please find the application portal below.

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Eligibility

The MRPM application process has changed. We are now only accepting one application package for supervisor-student research teams. Research teams include: 

• FoM Primary supervisor

• Non-FoM Co-supervisor

• One post-graduate student advisor

• Two non-MD undergraduate students

•  Optional: one MD student

Additionally, the adjudication criteria has changed from previous years. Please find the Adjudication Table below and review prior to submitting an application.  

Faculty of Medicine supervisors must:

• Have a current faculty appointment with the FoM at UBC (includes affiliate appointments) at the rank of Instructor or higher (including clinical). Note that applications from individuals holding a rank within the instructor or clinical stream will require Departmental sign off.
• Find a co-supervisor with a non-FoM appointment. If you need help facilitating this process please email the Student Research & Education Coordinator at med.studentresearch@ubc.ca.
• Appoint at least one postgraduate student advisor for their project. This graduate student will be included on all correspondence and will attend and help facilitate relevant workshops. The postgraduate student advisor will be formally recognized for their contributions by the Faculty of Medicine Office of Research.

Non-Faculty of Medicine co-supervisors must:

• Have a current faculty appointment at UBC outside of FoM (includes affiliate appointments) at the rank of Instructor or higher (including clinical). Note that applications from individuals holding a rank within the instructor or clinical stream will require Departmental sign off.
• Non-FoM faculties include (but not limited to):
  • Applied Science (including Biomedical Science)
  • Science
  • Arts
• Non-FoM departments may include (but are not limited to):

Projects must:

• Involve active student participation in the proposed study.
• Be based on a clear and testable research question or hypothesis
• Be interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary in nature
• The FoM MRPM award only provides a partial student stipend of $6,000. Supervisors must provide an additional $3,400 minimum for each non-MD undergraduate student (2 per project)  
  • If you choose to appoint an optional 1st year MD student, the MRPM will provide a student stipend of $3,200. Supervisors are not required to provide additional stipends. 
  • Have operating funds in place to cover all research expenses (if applicable); supervisors are responsible for all other expenses. 

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Important Considerations

• See previously funded MRPM projects to get a sense of projects that have been successful in the past.
• There is one application portal which the entire research team (primary supervisor, co-supervisor, postgraduate advisor, and students) should collaborate on to submit an application. Please find the application portal here. 
  • Click here to see an example template of the application form, which you can use as a guide to prepare your application.  
  • Note: The application requires research teams to complete and sign a Student-Supervisor Agreement along with their application. Please see a template of this Agreement here. 
• Projects will be adjudicated by FoM researchers. Projects will be awarded based on the merits of the research project and benefit to the students 
• To be eligible, projects must be conducted from May 1 – August 31 
• If you have an eligible research project but no attached students yet, you can advertise your project on our websites for students to apply to you directly. Please email med.studentresearch@ubc.ca  a completed Project Posting form before January 16, 2025. When we publish it in this table, interested students can contact you. Once you have chosen students to take in your project, complete the application package together with the rest of your research team. Students chosen for this research project will conduct full-time research (35 hours/week for 16 weeks for non-MD students or 35 hours/week for 8 weeks for MD students) 
• Supervisors may only be the primary supervisor on one submitted MRPM application.

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Postgraduate Student Advisor Information

• Supervisor pairs will choose one postgraduate student to advise on the project
• Advisors can be Master’s students, PhD students, or Post-doctoral researchers in either supervisor’s lab
• Advisors will help facilitate research project and will be required to participate in three summer workshops (TBA)
• Postgraduate Student Advisors will receive supervisory and adjudication experience and receive formal recognition for their work from the Faculty of Medicine Office of Research.

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Application Process

Note that FoM MRPM Application packages must be submitted by a research team as one application. The FoM MRPM no longer matches students with supervisors and thus supervisors are responsible for identifying a student partner in advance of the application deadline. However, supervisors can opt to post their projects on the FoM MRPM website to assist in their search for a student partner. Please email a completed Project Posting Form to med.studentresearch@ubc.ca by January 16, 2025 at the latest in order to advertise your project. 

• FoM supervisors, non-FoM co-supervisors, postgraduate advisors, two non-MD students (and an optional MD student) will apply together on one application, 

• Supervisors are responsible for finding a research partner 

• Research Teams will be informed of successful applications in March 2025 

• Students are permitted to choose only one summer research project (i.e. NSERC USRA, FoM SSRP, FoM MRPM, etc.) 
• Click here for instructions on creating a digital signature on Adobe Acrobat.

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Application Template

Application Portal

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Deadline

Applications are due on February 6, 2025 at 4:00pm PDT. 

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If your application is not successful: 

• Applicants will be contacted in February with the results of the adjudication process 

• Unfortunately, many excellent projects may be unable to be funded due to the limited scope of this program 

If your application is successful: 

• Successful research teams will be informed of successful applications in March  

• Successful student applicants will receive their full stipend through the Student Services Centre (SSC). Payment will be handled by the FoM Dean Office 

• Supervisors will need to top-up non-MD student awards by at least $3,400 ($6,800 total supervisor commitment). The FoM Dean’s Office will handle the transfers via Workday and will reach out for grant information prior to dispersing student stipends. You may draw from multiple grants for the top-ups (i.e. from both supervisor’s accounts) 

• The FoM MRPM will also ensure student accident insurance for all successful awardees for the duration of their placement 
• Supervisors and students will receive a request (via email) to complete a brief online program evaluation and a short Project Impact Questionnaire at the conclusion of the FoM MRPM placement. 

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Supervisor FAQs

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Adjudication Criteria

Total: 100 Points

Criterion	Points	Notes
Project SummaryThe project must be based on a clear and testable research question(s) or hypothesis. Projects not meeting this requirement are not eligible for the FoM MRPM.	30	This section should address the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposed project.  Considerations should include:  Clear interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary focus  Clear rational for the proposed research approach and methodology, including the context within the relevant field of research  Clear and testable research question or hypothesis  Feasibility of the research approach including the project timeline  Expected project outcomes
Benefit to the StudentsStudents should benefit from their involvement and come away with new knowledge, new skills, and a better understanding of what interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary research entails.	50	This section must address how involvement in this project will help the students gain an understanding of how high-quality research is conducted. This includes addressing the opportunities to learn new skills (or develop existing skills) in the context of the following learning objectives (as applicable – not all will be applicable to all projects). As a result of their FoM MRPM experience, the students will gain an understanding of:  How to generate testable research questions and/or hypotheses  How to critically evaluate & analyze existing literature/data  Specific techniques/skills required for the project (of lesser importance in scoring than the above learning objectives)  The ethical principles of research  How to critically analyze data; appropriate statistical analyses The principles of experimental design  Effective scientific communication (presentations, manuscripts, guidelines, patient learning materials, etc)  Additional considerations:  The students’ learning objectives and role are clearly defined  The fulfillment of additional learning objectives (not discussed above) related to the conduct of medical research  Students have the opportunity to interact with and learn from other researchers (will help the student gain a broader understanding of what research entails)  The project has strong research and educational merit  The project can be completed in the time available
Student Statements	20 total (If application has 2 students, this will be divided into 10 points per student. If application has 3 students, this will be divided into 6.6 points per student)	Score on a continuous scale using the guidelines provided:  0: poor  0-5: satisfactory  5-10: good  10-15: excellent  Positive consideration will be given to statements that address:  Why the students want to be involved in research and this particular project  What the students hope to gain – how will this research experience benefit their current/future educational and/or career
Academic Record	0	*Note: Student academic record is not factored into adjudication scoring; it is only relevant to ensure eligible.This will be assessed by the Student Research & Education Coordinator.

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