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Background

The URI administers both the URI Stipend and the Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship (SRS) program. Together, these programs receive over 500 applications each year, and support >160 students, funded by at least 17 different sponsors. Currently, the URI Stipend and Alberta Innovates SRS each have their own application and adjudication processes, despite substantial overlap in the applicant pools. This results in considerable duplication of effort by applicants, adjudicators, and program staff in the preparation of administration of these applications.

To increase the efficiency and reduce administrative burdens associated with undergraduate research funding programs, the URI is working with Student Financial Support (SFS) and Enrolment Systems and Service Innovation (ESSI) to leverage the º£½ÇÉçÇø AwardsHub platform for undergraduate research awards. is the system currently used to administer most undergraduate scholarships at the U of A. Applicants access the system through a single entry point, and are guided to apply for everything they are eligible for. The platform uses adjudication scores and eligibility-based matching algorithms to optimize the allocation of available funding. 

A similar approach has been successfully implemented at the University of Calgary, which currently administers ~12 undergraduate research funding programs (including their Alberta Innovates SRS applications) through a common application using a similar software platform. 

Which awards will be included in the streamlined competition?

For 2026, students will submit one application to be considered for the following awards: 

• URI Stipend (including all targeted eligibility awards within the URI Stipend program)
• Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship 
• Alberta Diabetes Institute Summer Studentship
• Alberta Respiratory Centre Summer Studentship
• Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA) Summer Studentship
• Alberta Transplant Institute Summer Studentship
• Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology Summer Studentship
• Department of Surgery Summer Studentships
• Striving for Pandemic Preparedness - Alberta Research Consortium (SPP-ARC) Summer Studentship
• Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Summer Student Funding (multiple awards)

The URI is prioritizing work with existing funding partners to ensure a smooth transition of current awards into the new system in 2026. Additional awards may be integrated into the streamlined competition at a future date. 

The Tri-Council USRA will NOT be part of the streamlined application at this time. Students will still need to apply separately for Tri-Council USRAs. Visit the Tri-Council USRA website for information about how to apply for a Tri-Council USRA. 

How will this affect you? 

Students:

• Starting in the 2026 application cycle, students will complete ONE application to be considered for the URI Stipend, Alberta Innovates SRS, and all affiliated programs for which they may be eligible (see list above).
• There will be ONE deadline for applications each year (in February). The application deadline for 2026 will be announced in Fall 2025. 
• The student application consists of a plain language research proposal (similar to the current URI Stipend proposal), and a personal statement outlining the student’s research interests and motivation, preparation for research, and anticipated career benefit. 
• Students will no longer need to book separate advising appointments for feedback/support on URI Stipend and Alberta Innovates SRS applications. We anticipate this will increase advisor availability and reduce wait times for funding advising appointments. 
• Current U of A students who have already completed a general scholarship application in AwardsHub for the current year will not have to re-enter their personal and academic information to be assessed for eligibility for research awards. Non-U of A applicants will submit their application via a Google Form with a transcript upload. URI will import their applications into AwardsHub for adjudication, and they will be evaluated for any research awards for which they are eligible. 
• Students will be prompted to fill out the contact information for their proposed supervisor. This will trigger a “reference” request to the supervisor to complete their part of the application. 
• Students will be assessed for all awards they are eligible for and if successful, will normally receive one offer from the streamlined competition. Waitlisted students will be waitlisted for any award for which they are eligible, and will receive an offer for the next available award based on their waitlist position. This maximizes the allocation of funding to as many students as possible, and will facilitate more efficient and timely communication regarding waitlist offers. 
• Communication regarding the application outcome will come directly via email from URI and/or the sponsoring funding agency. 

Supervisors:

• Supervisors will be permitted to apply to the streamlined competition with a maximum of 4 students each year. Applications in excess of this amount will NOT be sent for adjudication. This is equivalent to the existing limit of 2 students per supervisor for each of the URI Stipend and Alberta Innovates SRS as separate competitions.
• Supervisors will complete their section of the application independently. The interface operates similarly to a “reference request.” Once the student adds the supervisor details into their part of the application, supervisors will receive an email prompting them to complete their part. 
• The supervisor section of the application focuses on the supervisor’s mentoring experience/track record, the appropriateness of the project for the student, and the supervisor’s mentorship plan. 
• The supervisor section of the application now allows for the identification of a co-supervisor (if applicable).

Adjudicators:

• Overall adjudicator burden will be reduced, as applications that currently overlap across separate competitions will no longer be adjudicated by multiple committees.
• Adjudication will take place entirely within the AwardsHub system. Applications appear side-by-side with the rubric/score sheet, so there is no need to continuously switch between platforms to read applications and fill in the scoresheet. 
• Adjudicators will be assigned applications within their broad disciplinary area (i.e. health sciences, natural and applied sciences, social sciences and humanities). This is existing practice for the Alberta Innovates SRS program, but will be a change for the URI Stipend. 
• Applications will be anonymized for adjudication. Applicants will only be identifiable to adjudicators if they include identifying information in the written sections of their application. While this is already the case for the URI Stipend, it will be a change from established practice for the Alberta Innovates SRS. 
• Adjudicators will assess the merit of the written application only, consisting of the student’s research proposal, personal statement, and supervisor section. Adjudication scores will determine the rank order of applications. The software will then identify which top-ranked applicants best fit the eligibility criteria for each available award. Since eligibility criteria vary for different awards, all eligibility criteria, including academic requirements (e.g. year of study, program, academic standing/GPA, as applicable for various awards) will be assessed by the software in accordance with the parameters for each award. For awards that currently consider GPA in the selection process, required thresholds (below which a student would not qualify for that award) and preferred thresholds (above which an applicant would be identified as a “stronger match” to that award) may be set for individual awards in consultation with the award sponsor(s). Where such thresholds are implemented, they will be communicated transparently to applicants. The URI Stipend will continue to be open to all U of A undergraduate students with satisfactory academic standing. 
• The compilation of adjudicator scores is entirely automated, and the system will not permit the submission of incomplete adjudicator scores, thus eliminating the most probable sources of human error in the scoring/ranking process.

What happens next? 

• The new URI common application in AwardsHub is anticipated to open in late Fall 2025, with a deadline in early February 2026 (to be announced). 
• URI will continue to provide a Google Doc template of the application that applicants can work on offline (and collaboratively with their supervisors) while they are drafting their research proposals. The adjudication criteria will also be posted online when available. 
• URI will be hosting info sessions for students on the new funding application process starting in October 2025. Students can . 
• URI funding feedback advising appointments will be available in campusBRIDGE starting in November. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to receive feedback on their application prior to submission.