Ontario Universities International research abroad opportunities

The Ontario/Rhône-Alpes Summer Research Program (SRP) offers the opportunity to undergraduate and graduate students to spend three months in the summer at a French university in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes engaged in research projects relevant to their studies in Ontario.

• Duration: three months in the summer
• Students interested in applying need to be nominated by a University of Ottawa professor to participate in the SRP.
• Students are responsible for finding a host professor or a lab director in a partner university in France who will accept them as research assistants and will pay them a stipend for their work. It is important to note that when getting acceptance from the French Lab or research group, the student MUST get confirmation in writing that they will receive a stipend for the duration of the internship.
• Knowledge of French is not required for participation, as long as the receiving professor is aware of the level of the nominee’s language skills and agrees to host the student. Some knowledge of French would of course enhance the student’s experience. Unfortunately, the timing and structure of the research program makes it unlikely that you can take a French course while conducting research.
• Students are not eligible for academic credits at University of Ottawa for participating in the ORA SRP.
• Students cannot participate more than once at a given level of studies.

Scholarship value

• CAD $1,500 ORA Scholarship (only for Canadian citizens or permanent residents).
• Students are eligible to receive a stipend from the host French university. The amount is determined by the host institution and may vary. On average, the student may expect to receive approximately 600 Euros (around CAD $850 depending on the exchange rate). However, this figure is indicative and may be higher or lower depending on the host institution's policies and funding.
• Combining this funding with funding from third-party sources is allowed.

Expected costs

Interested candidates need to pay for round-trip airfare to France plus monthly expenses between CAD $1,000 to CAD $1,500, including accommodation, food, insurance, student service fee, entertainment, travel and other incidentals.

To be eligible to apply, the student must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at University of Ottawa in any discipline
• Have a nominating professor at University of Ottawa
• Have found an institution and supervising professor in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to host their research internship in Summer 2026.

Applicants are responsible for finding a host professor in a partner university in France who will accept them as research assistants and will pay them a stipend for their work. Please consult the following list of laboratories and research groups and the websites of the participating universities. Applicants could also inquire their uOttawa nominating professor if they could get introduced to a counterpart at the participating institutions.

The application process consists of submitting an application to the International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX) team at uOttawa. Upon review of the application, the University of Ottawa will nominate candidates to the ORA Program Office, who will make the final decision.

The applicant must email IREX@uOttawa.ca by January 19, 2026, the following documents:

• The IREX internal application form
• Letter of nomination from a University of Ottawa professor outlining the relevance of the proposed project to their program of study, the reasons for nominating the applicant to participate in this program.
• Letter (or print-out of an e-mail) from the mentor professor in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stating that they are willing to host the applicant. This letter should indicate the precise duration of the research placement, the activities in which the applicantwill be engaged and the stipend that they will be paid.
• A statement of interest (maximum one page) outlining the applicant’s reasons (academic and personal) for wishing to participate in the SRP.
• Copies of academic transcripts of all post-secondary institutions the applicant has attended.

Please submit all documents in following format : Last Name, First Name – Document Title.

If submitting more than one academic transcript, please consolidate the transcripts into one document.

Please send one compressed ZIP folder containing all the application package to IREX@uOttawa.ca.

The IREX team will nominate the applicant submissions to the ORA Program Office. The ORA Program office will review the applications based on their criteria and by the end of February 2026, inform the candidate if they were successful.

Upon receiving a positive response, the candidate must register as a student at their host university in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Students are responsible for finding their own accommodation. For further information on logistics, including accommodation, insurance and immigration, please refer to the ORA program website.

Once the internship is completed, the student is required to submit a report to the ORA Program Office in Ontario on their activities and experiences by September 30, 2026.

The Ontario/Baden-Württemberg (OBW) Summer Research Program is open to Ontario graduate and undergraduate students in science, engineering, and health science disciplines. Each successful applicant will spend two to three calendar months in the summer at a university in Baden-Württemberg engaged in research projects relevant to their studies in Ontario.

• Duration: two to three calendar months in the summer.
• Applicants must have a prearranged placement when applying to the Summer Research Program (SRP).
• Knowledge of German is not required for participation, so long as the receiving professor is aware of the level of the nominee’s language skills and agrees to host the student.
• Participants are officially considered to be students and are not in either an internship or an employment relationship with the host professor or university.
• Students are not eligible for academic credits at University of Ottawa for participating in the OBW SRP.

Scholarship value

• $3,000 for a research placement of two months; $4,000 for three months.
• Combining this funding with funding from third-party sources is allowed.
• Students should not expect any financial remuneration from the hosting professor or university.

Expected costs borne by applicant

Participating students need to pay for accommodation, living expenses in Germany, flights and other associated costs. 

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at University of Ottawa in any discipline;
• Undergraduate students must be in at least the second year of their studies when applying;
• Have a nominating professor at University of Ottawa; and
• Have found a prearranged placement with a host professor at one of the participating institutions in Germany for Summer 2026.

Students are responsible for finding a host professor in one of the partner universities in Germany, who will accept them to participate in their ongoing research project(s). The host professor should be engaged in research in an area that is relevant to the students’ program of studies. For more information on finding a host professor, please refer to the OBW SRP website. 

Once the applicant receives written confirmation from the host professor they accept to host them, the applicant must email IREX@uOttawa.ca with details of the proposed placement. IREX will get in touch with the OBW Program Offices in both Ontario and Baden-Württemberg, to confirm that the placement is eligible for the OBW SRP. Once we receive a response, we will inform the applicant. The applicant can then proceed to Step 4 and submit their application to University of Ottawa. 

The application process consists of submitting an application to the International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX) team at uOttawa. 

Note: This step should only be completed once the student has found a research placement in Germany, and IREX has sent them a confirmation that the proposed placement is eligible for the program. 

Upon review of the application package, the University of Ottawa will nominate candidates to the OBW Programs Office. The OBW Programs Office will make the final decision on the application and inform the candidate of the outcome.

The applicant must email IREX@uOttawa.ca by January 19, 2026, the following documents:

• The IREX internal application form
• Letter of nomination from a University of Ottawa professor in the applicant’s home department/program, outlining the relevance of the proposed project to their program of study and the reasons for the nomination.
• Letter (or print-out of an e-mail) from the mentor professor at a Baden-Württemberg university in stating that they are willing to host the applicant. This letter should indicate their willingness to involve the applicant in an ongoing, relevant research project in a meaningful capacity for either two calendar months (minimum) or three calendar months (maximum); this letter must indicate the precise start- and end-dates of the research visit and outline briefly the activities in which the student will be engaged.
• A statement of interest (max. one page). The letter should outline the reasons, personal and/or academic, for wishing to participate in this international program; the qualifying experience; and expectations on the impact of the program to their academic/professional development.
• Copies of academic transcripts of all post-secondary institutions attended.

Please submit all documents in following format: Last Name, First Name – Document Title.

If submitting more than one academic transcript, the transcripts must be consolidated into one document.

Please send a compressed ZIP folder containing all documents within the application package toIREX@uOttawa.ca.

The IREX team will nominate the application to the OBW Programs Office. The OBW Programs office will review the nominated candidates and notify them around February 2026 of the application outcome.

Upon receiving a positive response, the candidate must register as a student at their host university. The host institution will advise them of the exact process.

If their application to the SRP is successful, the applicant will be required to conclude an agreement with their Host Professor describing their duties and provide it to the OBW Programs Office, who informed them of the outcome of their application. The following Duties Agreement Form (PDF, 104 KB) should be completed by March 15, 2026 along with an OBW authorization form.

Once the internship is completed, the student is required to submit a report to the OBW Program Office in Ontario on their activities and experiences.

For further information on the program please refer to the OBW Program website.

The Ontario/Baden-Württemberg Faculty Research Exchange (FRE) offers grants to support research visits to universities in the German state of Baden-Württemberg by faculty members from participating Ontario universities. The main objective of the OBW FRE is to promote new collaborative research partnerships and strengthen existing partnerships between researchers in Ontario and Baden-Württemberg. 

• The OBW FRE grants, funded by the province of Ontario, support researchers in all fields for a minimum of one month and a maximum of six months research staybetween March 1, 2026 and April 30, 2027 at one of the nine host university in Baden-Württemberg. Researchers who wish to stay longer than six months are still eligible to participate, but the maximum fundable period will be restricted to six months.
• The awardee’s primary focus must be on the proposed research project. A limited teaching and/or research-dissemination commitment is also required.

Award value

A monthly stipend of CAD $1,750 to support the participants' living costs in Germany. Grants are exclusively for living costs and not for research expenses.

Applicants are eligible for reimbursement for relocation expenses incurred at the beginning and end of the granting period up to a maximum of CAD $1,750. 

Applicant eligibility

To be eligible to apply, the applicant must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• Be a full-time faculty member holding a tenured or tenure-track appointment that includes a research component*

* University of Ottawa professors need to have a full-time professor status. This includes APUO professors, affiliated institute scientists and clinician scientists with an academic appointment at uOttawa at the rank of assistant, associate or full professor;

• Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and must at the time of application have been engaged full- time in research and/or teaching for at least two years following receipt of the doctorate.
• Grant holders must hold an appropriate appointment both at the time of application and for the full period covered by the grant.
• The OBW FRE program will not fund research travel for which other concurrent funding is secured.
• Researchers who have previously received an OBW FRE grant are not eligible.

The application process to the OBW FRE program is external to University of Ottawa. The applicants are required to submit their application OBW FRE Program Coordinator.

Deadline to apply: January 15, 2026.

For full information on the application process, and all other program specifics, please refer to the OBW FRE website.