Medical Research Scotland - MRS Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships

MRS Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships

You get 420 GBP per week (about 500 EUR) for a summer research placement lasting 6 to 8 weeks, working full time at 35 hours a week. You carry out a real research project on a question linked to human health and gain hands-on lab experience alongside an academic supervisor. The money comes from Medical Research Scotland, a Scottish charity that funds biomedical research and wants to encourage students to consider a research career. It hands out up to 50 of these scholarships each year.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You study for an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree and have not yet graduated by the time the placement ends.
• University: You study at a university in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.
• Where the project runs: The research must take place at a Scottish university or research institution. It cannot be held anywhere outside Scotland.
• Field of study: Any subject is fine, as long as your project addresses a question relevant to human health or disease. This covers the cause, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness, or the development of medical devices.
• Year of study: Students in their 2nd or 3rd year when they apply are preferred, but this is not a hard rule.
• Separate from your course: The project must be separate from the work you already do for your normal degree.
• First time only: You cannot apply if you have held an MRS Vacation Scholarship before. You may send only one application per academic year.

How to apply

You first find and contact a supervisor yourself, then plan the project together. MRS does not match students to supervisors. Your supervisor submits the application online and adds you as a collaborator. Applications for the 2027 round are expected to open in the second week of November 2026. You normally hear the outcome by the end of May.

How realistic are your chances?

Two things narrow the field: the project must run in Scotland, and you must line up a qualified supervisor before you even apply. That weeds out casual applicants. Your prospects are solid if your project clearly relates to human health, your supervisor is well established, and you are in your 2nd or 3rd year, since assessors focus on the learning value and the quality of the science. Securing a committed supervisor early is the real hurdle.