2024 Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) and Showcase

Yes, soon-to-graduate fourth-year students are eligible to apply for the URO program, but priority will be given to second and third-year students.

No, they are not eligible to apply. The preference is for the undergraduate student to be enrolled full-time for the entire academic year.

If the student is taking four courses and therefore has a full-time load, then the student is eligible to apply. 

Normally, the student should be enrolled full-time for the entire academic year.

The preference is for undergraduates to be enrolled full-time for the entire academic year. However, the OVPRI and faculties recognize that circumstances may exist where part-time students can justify why they should be eligible for the program. Supervisors will need to provide a rationale in the supervisor form.

The URO program is, first and foremost, a student award intended to recognize the excellence of TMU students. As a competitive program, only a handful of awards are available per faculty. As such, the URO program requires that students (at a minimum) have a cumulative GPA greater than 3.0.

Please note that the “excellence of the student” is further adjudicated as a specific criterion on a faculty-by-faculty basis. It is therefore recommended that any questions on this matter be directed to your relevant faculty contact.

Due to the limited number of URO awards available, preference is given to students applying to work with a supervisor from their faculty. However, if cross-faculty collaborations are considered, applicants of the program are referred to their faculty’s Associate Dean (Research) for advice.

If cross-faculty collaborations are considered, applicants to the program are referred to their faculty’s Associate Dean (Research) for advice.

No, students are limited to one application for one URO opportunity only.

Yes, international undergraduate students are eligible to apply as long as they meet the faculty URO program guidelines. 

The program guidelines do not stipulate against this. However, it is at the discretion of the faculty if they wish to add additional criteria/restrictions to their program guidelines. 

Yes. A student may apply to work with the same supervisor again, provided they meet the program guidelines. Applications will be adjudicated at the faculty level.

Please submit any questions to your faculty contact.

The URO program is adjudicated at the faculty level, where each faculty announces the call for proposals, reviews submissions and selects their faculty's URO grant recipients. Students and supervisors are required to complete the application form together, which is then submitted and adjudicated by the supervisor’s respective faculty adjudication committee.

This outcome is at the discretion of the Faculty Adjudication Committee. The committee will assess the awards distribution and consider the supervisor’s capacity to provide high-quality supervision to more than one undergraduate student.

The URO program is, first and foremost, a student award intended to recognize the excellence of TMU students. As a highly competitive program, only a handful of awards are available per faculty. As such, the URO program requires that students (at a minimum) have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater. Please note that the “excellence of the student” is further adjudicated as a specific criterion on a faculty-by-faculty basis. Therefore, it is recommended that any questions on this matter be directed to your relevant faculty contact.

The OVPRI does not have an appeal mechanism because we don’t manage the individual URO programs. As such, the OVPRI defers the decision to the faculty URO program administrators and/or Faculty Adjudication Committee.

Please submit any questions to your faculty contact.

No. The award cannot be held concurrently with another paid research-related student position at the University.

Yes, all students and supervisors are required to discuss the mutual expectations between both parties, as highlighted in the URO Student-Supervisor Mutual Expectations Checklist.

The checklist must be signed by both the student and supervisor and retained by the supervisor.

No. URO awards are non-transferable. Please note that the URO award belongs specifically to the student and is not a faculty member’s award. If the initially awarded student cannot take up the position, it is the responsibility of the adjudication committee to award another adjudicated student (who will pursue the opportunity with their supervisor).

 Please submit any questions to your faculty contact.

Yes. The URO Workshop is a mandatory requirement of the URO program. The URO student agrees to participate in the Workshop when they accept the award. 

The URO Workshop is hosted by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, in collaboration with the TMU Library, to provide students with an opportunity to learn important and valuable research presentation skills and to help prepare for the URO Showcase.

Yes. The Showcase is a mandatory requirement of the URO program. The URO student agrees to participate in the Showcase when they accept the award.

The URO Showcase is hosted by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, in collaboration with the TMU Library, to help promote undergraduate research at TMU. The Showcase is a valuable opportunity for students to learn important research-related skills and to prepare for academic and career development.

As a traditional poster showcase format, the event is fairly informal. There are no set presentation times for URO participants. Attendees (staff and faculty) will be walking around the room and have an opportunity to engage with students about their projects individually at their assigned locations.

Students will present their research to faculty, supervisors, staff and other students presenting during the session.

Posters must be no larger than A0 poster size (84.1 cm x 118.9 cm / 33.1 in x 46.8 in), it can be smaller. Posters will be pinned to a poster board for display.

The URO Workshop provides students with an opportunity to learn important and valuable research presentation skills and help prepare for the URO Showcase, including information on poster layout. Please contact your supervisor for further guidance.

Citation style varies across disciplines. Check with your supervisor to determine what citation style you should use.

Students can access the Toronto Metropolitan University Library Digital Repository (opens in new window)  to view projects from the previous URO cohort.

Printing services are available through CopyRITE Printing Service (external link, opens in new window)  at the Toronto Metropolitan Student Union (TMSU).

Yes, supervisors are responsible for the costs associated with printing posters, so it is advised that you connect with them directly.

URO students can opt to add their poster/presentation as a PDF version to the Toronto Metropolitan University Library Digital Repository (opens in new window) .

If you have a class conflicting with the URO Showcase, it is suggested that you speak with your supervisor and the course instructor to see if an accommodation may be made to allow you to attend part, if not all, of the event.

While we state that the Showcase is mandatory, it is there to provide you with the experience of presenting research to a large audience and to add this important skill set to your resume. In essence, it is the culmination of your hard work over the summer, and to miss it would be a disservice to your URO award. If, however, this is not possible, your presentation can be set up beforehand and remain in place in your absence.

Yes, additional guests are welcome to attend.

Please submit any questions to your faculty contact.