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Student Summer Research Awards (SSRA)

Each year, over 100 undergraduate students participate in the Student Summer Research Awards (SSRA) programme. The SSRA is an eight-week elective module during the summer trimester, offering students the opportunity to undertake supervised research in various fields of medicine, including laboratory-based, computational, clinical, patient-centred and educational research. Projects may be conducted at UCD, its affiliated hospitals, or internationally.

The programme is open to students from the School of Medicine’s undergraduate programmes and offers the chance to gain five ECTS credits towards their degree. Additionally, students from the School of Veterinary Medicine, and School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering may audit the module.

Following completion of their summer research projects, students present their work in September through poster and oral presentations. Participants compete for the SSRA Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals in Research Excellence, judged by a panel of researchers and clinicians.

Available Research Projects

A list of SSRA projects will be available at a link here to Students from mid-November to the end of March 2026.

Projects arrive to the SSRA on a rolling basis, and will be updated weekly.

Students are also strongly encouraged to seek out their own projects. Supervisors can then submit the project through a link (opens in a new window)here, which will be made available from mid-November 2026.

If you have further queries, please contact (opens in a new window)ssra@ucd.ie

Exposure to Research

In many cases, the SSRA scheme will provide you with your first experience of either laboratory or clinical based research. This is an invaluable opportunity to gain critical exposure to the research process, including formulating research questions, designing studies, collecting and analysing data, and interpreting findings.

Undertaking an SSRA project can provide you with experiences which strengthen your understanding of evidence-based medicine, enhancing your skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific writing. The experience of an SSRA P-project also fosters curiosity, encourages ethical research practices, and may inspire a long-term interest in clinical or academic research, contributing to your development as a well-rounded practitioner.

Each year, researchers from across the School and affiliated clinical sites submit potential student projects to the SSRA Committee for consideration. A list of available research projects is compiled on a rolling basis and will be available at a link here from mid-November. This process connects high-level research to undergraduate students. Our Medicine, Radiography, BHLS and Physiology graduates are encouraged to see themselves not just as future healthcare practitioners but also as researchers and investigative scientists.

  1. Review the projects and then contact potential Supervisors via email with an expression of interest in working on the project. A short email introducing yourself and why you are interested in the specific project is required. You should also include the SSRA Student Project Application Form as an attachment.
  2. Wait for the Supervisor(s) to respond to your email (this can take a few weeks in some instances).
  3. If the Supervisor chooses you, you must email the project number and confirmation email from the Supervisor to(opens in a new window) ssra@ucd.ie.

Students can apply for as many projects as they like, though students can only participate in ONE PROJECT PER YEAR.

Seeking out an independent project:

Students can also seek out their own SSRA Project through any academic contacts (both local and international) that they may have. 

Your chosen Supervisor must submit the project details including the project title, methods and anticipated results via an Online Submission Form which will be accessible (opens in a new window)here from mid-November.

If you are seeking your own project, your Supervisor MUST submit the project details before the end of March.

SSRA projects need to have prior approval from their relevant ethics body. SSRA students may not be insured unless UCD can verify that the proper ethics protocols have been followed. 

Please read the SSRA Ethics Guidelines document carefully. Discuss the ethical aspects of your research project with your Supervisor; and attend the SSRA Ethics Workshop in March 2026 (date to be confirmed).

The SSRA Ethics Declaration Form must be uploaded on Brightspace before the commencement of your project. This declaration must be completed, even if the project does not require ethical approval.

UCD School of Medicine students can find the relevant ethics compliance forms at this address: https://www.ucd.ie/medicine/research/researchethics/howtoapply/

For ethics relating to animals, please contact Associate Professor John Baugh ((opens in a new window)john.baugh@ucd.ie). For further information on the UCD Animal Research Ethics Committee (AREC): https://www.ucd.ie/researchethics/about/animalresearchethicscommitte/

Funding Body

Project(S)

Further Information

AoPGBI Summer Studentship Awards

Summer Studentship 

(opens in a new window)Summer Studentship 

Deadline for Applications: 31 March 2026

Wellcome Trust

Various projects

(opens in a new window)Various projects

Health Research 
Board

Summer Student 
Scholarships 

Applications for 2026 Scholarships are now open. For further information, visit the HRB (opens in a new window)website 

Pathological Society 
of Great Britain and 
Ireland

Undergraduate Elective Bursary UBO225

Information will be made available from November 2025.

Irish Cancer Society

Irish Cancer Society Summer Studentships

Information will be made available from November 2025.

Form
Due Date
Description
SSRA 2026 Induction Book - This booklet is for student information
SSRA Key Dates 2026 - Key Dates for student information
SSRA Module Registration Form 2026 23rd May 2026 This form should be submitted as a PDF email to ssra@ucd.ie
Kathleen Lynn Summer Student Scholarship Form 2026  3rd March 2026

Application for Kathleen Lynn Summer Student Scholarship in the History of Medicine/Humanities in Medicine
Clare O'Connor Scholarship Application Form 2026 1st September 2026 Application for Clare O’Connor Summer Student Scholarship in Respiratory Research 
SSRA Student Project Application Form - This form should be completed and sent to potential Supervisors when applying for projects 
SSRA Ethics Guidelines & Declaration Form   2nd  June 2026 This form should be completed and submitted on Brightspace before your project begins

UCD School of Medicine

UCD Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 6603 | E: school.medicine@ucd.ie