Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Program (SWORP)

Important Dates

The aim of the Schulich - UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) is to enrich undergraduate medical education by enabling students from the Windsor program of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (“Schulich-Windsor students”) to conduct research under the supervision of a University of Windsor faculty member.

The program is intended to foster an appreciation for and proficiency with the research process. It will complement other existing programs to foster student research, including Schulich's Summer Research Training Program (SRTP); Schulich Dentistry Research Opportunity Program (SDROP) and student research opportunities within Experiential Learning. Students can expand on a project started through the Research Module of Experiential Learning.  It is hoped that this program will provide an opportunity for students to learn how research is conducted and will encourage medical students to incorporate research activities into their future career plans.

Scope

SWORP will provide funding for Schulich’s Windsor Campus undergraduate medical education students to undertake a research project under the supervision of a University of Windsor faculty member. Projects may be in any area of biomedical, medical, or health-related research including basic science, clinical research, health services, outcomes research or education research. Requests may be for new projects, or for projects which build on prior research activities. The project must be located at the University of Windsor, Windsor Campus or at a Distributed Medical Education site.

Projects that are primarily public service in nature, while worthwhile, are not eligible for this student research support. Funding will also not be provided for projects required for existing courses.

Eligible Projects

1. Undergraduate medical education students currently enrolled in their 1st or 2nd year within the Windsor Campus of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry are eligible to apply. Students can expand on a project started through the Research Module of Experiential Learning. Undergraduate medical students based in London, BSc or BMSc students, postgraduate trainees, graduate students in Schulich departments, and University of Windsor students are not eligible for this program.
2. Supervisors must hold an appointment at the University of Windsor (adjunct; Clinical Professor and Professor of Practice, tenured, tenure-track, or limited-term), which must cover the term of the proposed research study. If a clinical supervisor does not have a formal affiliation with the University of Windsor, please contact WE-SPARK Health Institute. Supervisors are encouraged to become WE-SPARK members for continued administrative support to their research projects.
3. Faculty members are not eligible to submit applications by themselves.
4. A supervisor or a student cannot submit more than one (1) application per award competition. The supervisor may, however, participate as a Co-applicant or Collaborator on other SWORP applications.
5. Students cannot apply for SWORP and SRTP at the same time.
6. A supervisor cannot apply for both SWORP and SRTP for the same research project.
7. The research activity is to be performed at institutions in Windsor-Essex. If other locations are proposed, there must be a strong justification.
8. Faculty supervisors do not need to be in the medical research field. Past projects have included the disciplines of law, social work, and data organization, and any project that has a medical nature may be eligible.

Remuneration

1. The amount awarded for a single award is $5000 for 18 months.
2. Ten awards in the amount of $5,000 will be available.
3. Funds may not be used to cover expenses incurred prior to June 1, 2023.
4. Funding Sources: For each project funded through SWORP, a research account will be established at the University of Windsor under the name of the supervisor. Half (50%) of the funding will be provided by the Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and will be available from the Schulich Research Office. The remaining 50% of the funding will be provided by the University of Windsor: the Office of the Vice President, Research will provide 25%; the other 25% will be provided by either the Faculty Dean or the Supervisor, depending on the agreement between the Dean and the Supervisor. Standard requirements, procedures and policies for University of Windsor research accounts will apply.

Application Expectations

Each applicant must work with their identified supervisor to develop a research project which may be accomplished within the timeframe of no more than 18 months. The project description should include the following components: background including rationale (~500 words), hypothesis, research design and methodology (500 words) and expected outcomes (~200 words). The project description should describe any anticipated problems and the extent of faculty supervision.

The supervisor shall describe student's role (300-500 words: specific tasks, activities, and responsibilities of the student) and research training environment. This section could include any anticipated problems and the extent of faculty supervision.

The application shall clearly describe the role of the student in the project. Students should be involved in a literature search, the formulation and understanding of the methodology, data collection, and in the interpretation, writing, and presentation of findings. The project description should include a paragraph describing the student's background, particularly in relation to experience or course work that will be useful for this project, and how the project relates to or builds on any prior experience the student has had with research, for example through undergraduate work. The project description should also include possible venues for presenting this research (for example, department research days).

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by an adjudication committee. The review scoring criteria are listed below (Each Criterion will be scored 0 to 5 points)

1. Project Description (Clear statement of problem, research question and hypothesis, background demonstrating scholarly and critical literature review)
2. Strength of Supervisor including commitment and supervision to the research project
3. Student role and activities are clearly defined
4. Feasibility of the Project
5. EDI principles implemented within the research proposal

Conditions of Award Funding

1. Should the applications be approved for funding, any Research Ethics Board Clearance, Animal Care, or Biosafety certification is necessary for the research must be active before funds will be released. This is the responsibility of the Supervisor.
2. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor and student to maintain their eligibility throughout the term of the grant and to notify the respective research office of any changes that may affect their eligibility to continue to hold the grant or be paid from the grant.
3. A portion of the requested funds may be used as a stipend for the student (Note: some money may be withheld to satisfy Canada Revenue Agency requirements for any applicable statutory benefits). While it is assumed that the student works on the project full-time for at least ten weeks during the summer, precise scheduling of work on the project must be determined by agreement between the student and the supervisor. Research-related activities during the academic year, which overlap with scheduled curricular commitments, must be approved by the UME office according to established Schulich policy.
4. If for unforeseen circumstances the research project cannot be completed within 18 months, an opportunity will be provided for the student and the faculty member to submit a request to the Schulich Windsor Campus office for an extension providing satisfactory reasons and a revised budget. Once extension is approved by Schulich Windsor campus, a notification must be sent to the Office of Research and Innovation services for extension on SWORP grant account. NOTE: Students should be realistic when estimating the amount of time, they will be able to devote to SWORP projects during their academic year, especially if they plan to conduct SWORP work in their clerkship year.
5. Student award recipients are encouraged to present their research at various national and international conferences. Students will be asked to present their research project outcomes at the SWORP Journal club.

Restrictions

1. Projects that are primarily public service in nature, while worthwhile, are not eligible for this student research support.
2. Funding will not support projects required for existing courses.
3. Undergraduate medical students based in London, BSc or BMSc students, postgraduate trainees, and graduate students in Schulich departments are not eligible. University of Windsor students from outside of Schulich do not qualify for this program.
4. Medical students who hold a M.Sc. and wish to apply may not work in the same laboratory where they received their graduate training.
5. Faculty members are not eligible to submit applications by themselves – you and your student must apply together.
6. Supervisors must hold an appointment at the University of Windsor (adjunct Clinical Professor and Professor of Practice, tenured, tenure-track, or limited-term), which must cover the term of the proposed research study.

 

Submit an application online

Questions?

Contact:

Linda Di Rosa

Manager, Schulich-Windsor

Linda.DiRosa@uwindsor.ca