NEWS: read the Summer 2023 update here.

NEWS: The UROP Awards competition (for UROPs to be undertaken in summer 2023 by Imperial College undergraduates on degree programmes) has closed. Details can be found here. The competition for summer 2024 will be finalised in due course.

NEWS (November 2022): The Dept of Life Sciences will no longer allow UROPs to take place within the Dept of Life Sciences where no bursary has been organised. Queries to the Dept of Life Sciences' Education Office (j.andrewes@imperial.ac.uk)

NEWS (December 2022): The Dept of Chemistry will no longer allow UROPs to take place within the Dept of Chemistry where no bursary has been organised. More information for undergraduates of the Dept of Chemistry can be found on the internal chemistry UROP Blackboard page and queries (if you are a student of another dept within the College or are a student at another university) to chemugadmin@imperial.ac.uk

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This section helps to answer some frequently asked questions surrounding the issue of funding, and points to some third party sources of funding.

There are two aspects to funding a UROP.

1. the costs to the academic supervisor of providing a research experience, which may include consumables (e.g. materials, software, hardware, chemicals, licences) and space (e.g. desk, workshop, bench, laboratory). Normally these costs are borne by the host department in agreeing to host a student. Students are kindly asked to remember this if the host department is unable to provide a bursary towards your living costs although the College does strongly encourage the provision of bursaries. However, although very rare, a department at Imperial College does reserve the right to seek a contribution from a student for specific costs.
2. the costs to a student of living in London for the duration of the research experience (most notably local travel costs, accommodation and other necessary subsistence costs) where the said period is not covered by funding provided for their degree programme. Naturally, when a UROP (which is not employment) takes place in a vacation period a student's normal sources of funding do not always extend to non-term/semester periods, nor (by selecting to undertake a UROP) is the student in a position to undertake paid work. Imperial College strongly encourages either the provision of a bursary by the host department OR freely given assistance from the proposed supervisor to the student so that they may apply for third party sources of funding. However, it remains acceptable for a student and supervisor to agree to collaborate on a UROP without a bursary having put in place for the period. Students and staff should ensure they make themselves familiar with any local departmental policy in this regard.