The grant for undergraduate research will fund internships in laboratories around the world in the field of Life Sciences for a period from six weeks up to three months in summer 2025. Undergraduates (including Masters) who have not yet been accepted into a PhD program are eligible to apply. Participants should independently find a laboratory willing to host them for the internship.

‍
The grant will cover the cost of an economy return ticket to the host laboratory and living expenses for internships with planned duration from six weeks up to three months. Participants are responsible for covering all additional costs, including extra expenses for obtaining a visa and bench fees. As one of the conditions of the fellowship, awardees will have to submit a scientific report on their experience after the conclusion of the fellowship (in English). Full guidelines will be sent to the awardees in a separate email.

‍
The exact grant amount will be determined according to the exact length of the internship and the expected living costs in the city of the host laboratory as calculated by commonly used cost of living indices. We expect a substantial number of applications and, therefore, the program is likely to be competitive. For competitive applications, priority will be given to candidates that will have the opportunity for greater career and scientific growth and development by performing research in universities with strong academic background. Strong preference will be given to applications from students enrolled in universities with a limited research track record for fellowships in universities with a strong research infrastructure.

‍
Prior to filling out the form, we require that applicants reach an understanding with the host laboratory that the laboratory will be willing to accept the applicant in case of a favorable decision for the grant through the Program. Please ask the PI of the host laboratory to send an email to the official address of the Program (fellowship@molbioschool.org) acknowledging that the laboratory will be willing to host you for the summer internship, indicating the planned duration of your stay, and that the host institution will help you with the necessary documentation for obtaining a visa.

‍
We also ask the participants to discuss with the PI and make sure it is possible for you to obtain a visa to the host country for the internship in summer 2025.

‍
The application consists of:

‍
1)    A statement from the host laboratory acknowledging the acceptance of the student and the timeframe of the internship sent to the following email directly from the host laboratory: fellowship@molbioschool.org.
2)    A Research Statement letter from the applicant describing the reason for selecting the host laboratory and the intended work to be carried out over the summer (part of the Application Form). Please describe the intended scientific project in sufficient detail, including how it aligns with your current research work or studies and how it will impact your future scientific goals and interests.
3)    A filled out Application Form
4)    A CV of the applicant in English attached to the Application Form.

‍
If the participant applies to a different organization in order to get financing for the same internship, they are asked to indicate it in this application. They will also need to inform organizers of the Program if they receive funding for the same internship from a different source than ZF Summer Research Program.

‍
We must receive the completed application, including the acknowledgement letters from host laboratories, no later than January 31, 2025, to allow enough time for the selection committee to select the projects. Therefore, we ask the applicants to provide the relevant information as soon as possible. We are planning to announce the results to all applicants by mid-April 2025.

‍
Summer Internship Program 2025 is the joint project of Zimin Foundation and the School of Molecular and Theoretical Biology.

‍