Health Research Training Awards

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) — Black Researchers Stream

Funds undergraduate research participation for Black student researchers in Canada.

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program is a Tri-Agency initiative administered by NSERC that places undergraduate students in supervised research settings at Canadian universities. CIHR's stream of the USRA is presently restricted exclusively to Black student researchers, reflecting CIHR's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in health research. Applications for the 2026 competition are submitted through NSERC's portal, and the deadline is October 1, 2026 (ResearchNet program code 4436). Funds flow to the host institution to support the student's placement.

Eligibility requires that applicants be undergraduate students currently enrolled at a Canadian university. The CIHR USRA stream is health-research-focused and covers CIHR-eligible subject areas including biomedical, clinical, health systems, and population health research. Applicants must be Black student researchers to qualify for the CIHR stream; other undergraduate researchers may access NSERC or SSHRC USRA streams depending on their research discipline. The program is administered through NSERC systems rather than directly through CIHR's ResearchNet portal.

Students seeking to apply should identify a faculty supervisor conducting CIHR-eligible health research and confirm their institution's internal nomination process, as universities typically manage USRA allocations internally before submission. Competitive applications will demonstrate alignment between the student's research interests and the supervisor's active health research program. Because this stream targets Black student researchers as part of a targeted equity measure, applicants should expect to demonstrate eligibility in that regard. The October 2026 deadline allows applications to be prepared over the summer and early fall academic period.