Generally UCSF students have a high success rate at obtaining research funding. Sources that UCSF students have been very successful in obtaining are marked with a .
All other fellowships and awards generally apply to fewer students or may represent new sources of funding.

• General Information
• Summer Funding Sources
• Funding Sources for Research Block Electives 
• Funding Sources for Extended Programs
• Office of International Programs (OIP) Funding Opportunities

General Information

Most fellowships have application deadlines in the fall or winter but do not permit activation of the awards until the following summer. Funding agencies never make awards for research that has already been completed and only rarely fund projects that are in progress.

After reviewing these sources of funding you should search GrantsNet. The site, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, provides one-stop shopping for scientists looking for grants, fellowships and other sources of support. Use of the site is free, although it does require registration. Automatic e-mail notification of updates is available as an option for registered users.

Summer Research Funding Sources

Students who are doing research in the summer following the first year are not registered but they are eligible for work-study support (contact the Financial Aid Office). Fellowship support for summer research is available from a number of sources. Most of the application deadlines for summer funding are in the winter or spring quarters. All funding agencies require the student (with the help of the sponsor) to write a brief description of the proposed research. You should allow at least a month to choose a research sponsor and write your proposal.

Funding Sources for Research Block Electives 

Students may apply to extramural agencies for funding to support research electives. If you plan to apply for outside funding, you should bear in mind that the application deadlines for the fellowships appropriate to your research project may be as much as a year before the date on which you plan to start your project.

If you add an extra year to do research you are eligible for a fifth year of financial aid; however, because funds available to the Financial Aid Office are limited, the aid you receive in your fifth year will consist entirely of loans. This, of course, means an increase in your total debt at graduation. If you plan ahead, you may be able to obtain a fellowship and thereby fund your research year without taking out additional loans.

Planning for a full year of research should begin early in the fall. The funding agencies that offer appropriate fellowships have deadlines ranging from November to April. In most cases, the fellowships cannot be activated until the following July. Many students find that the process of selecting a research sponsor, deciding on a project, writing a proposal, and arranging for the required letters from the Dean and your sponsor takes about 2 months. If you would like help in choosing a sponsor or in identifying the funding agencies most appropriate for your project, consult Drs. Lowenstein (lowenstein@medsch.ucsf.edu) or Lomen-Hoerth (catherine.lomen-hoerth@ucsf.edu).

Additional Funding Options
Source	Summer	Research Block Electives	Extended Programs
AIDS Clinical Research Center Grants
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Student Research Fellowship Deadline December
Students from any school with an active AOA chapter are eligible, but each school may nominate only one candidate. For more information selection contact Kathy Healy (khealy@medsch.ucsf.edu)
AMA Foundation Seed Grant Research Program Deadline December 3, 2007
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Summer Fellowship Grants Deadline December
American Academy of Dermatology Summer Intership and Mentor Program for Minority Medical Students Deadline April
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Jeanne Spurlock Research Fellowship in Drug Abuse & Addiction Deadline March
American Brain Tumor Association Medical Student Summer Fellowship
The American Brain Tumor Association provides a medical student summer fellowship for brain tumor research ($2500). UCSF medical students interested in a summer project, must contact: Nalin Gupta, MD, PhD Director, UCSF Pediatric Neurological Surgery Program
American Dermatological Association Medical Student Fellowship
American Diabetes Association Medical Scholars Program Deadline February
American Federation for Aging Medical Student Summer Research Training at UCSF Deadline February
American Heart Association Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke Deadline April
American Heart Association & American Stroke Association Medical Student Research Program Deadline: March
American Osler Society William B. Bean Student Research Award in Medical History and/or Medical Humanism Deadline March
American Psychiatric Association's Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry Deadline April
Angiogenesis Foundation Summer Research Fellowship
Arnold P. Gold Foundation Student Summer Research Fellowship in Community Health Deadline March 15
Association for Academic Minority Physicians Minority Medical Student Summer Research Program
Bertram V.A. Low-Beer Memorial Fellowship in Oncology
Betty Ford Center Summer Institute for Medical Students Deadline March 15
California Academy of Family Physicians Summer Externship Program
Case Western Reserve University - Skin Diseases Research Center Minority Medical Student Summer Fellowship
Child Neurology Foundation Medical Student Summer Scholarships 1st & 2nd year medical students contact Donna Ferriero if you are interested: FerrieroD@neuropeds.ucsf.edu. She can also help you locate a research mentor in child neurology.
Childrens Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases Summer Oncology Research Fellowship Deadline March
Deafness Research Foundation Fellowships
DH Blair Venture Capital Summer Associate Program in New York Deadline March
Fight for Sight Summer Student Fellowships
Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship
Fulbright Student Program
Genentech Foundation Fellowship Deadline April
Howard Hughes Medical Institute NIH Scholars Program Deadline January
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Training Fellowships Deadline January
Infectious Diseases Society of America Summer Scholarships for Medical Students Deadline April
Institute for the Future
Long range forecasting in healthcare
Linker Fellowship in Biomedical Research Deadline April
Lupus Foundation of America Student Summer Fellowships
Mayo Clinic Patient-Oriented Research Training Program Year-Long Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center - Summer Research in Oncology Deadline February
Merck/Association for Academic Minority Physicians Minority Medical Student Summer Research Program
National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program Deadline January
National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Training Award
National Institutes of Health Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities
Minority students who select sponsors with NIH funding are eligible to apply for funding through this award. You and your sponsor write a supplement to your sponsor's original NIH grant requesting money for your support. There is no specific deadline, but the review process takes about 3 months.
National Institutes of Health Summer Research Fellowship Program Deadline March
National Medical Fellowships Fellowship Program in Academic Medicine for Minority Students
New York Academy of Medicine Student Grants and Fellowships
Glorney-Raisbeck Medical Student Grants in Cardiovascular Research Program Deadline March
David E. Rogers Fellowship Program Deadline March
Louis L. Seaman Medical Student Research Grants in Microbiology Deadline March
Ferdinand C. Valentine Student Research Grants in Urology Deadline March
New York City Department of Health Research Training Program
NHLBI Summer Minority Student Research Program Deadline March
New York Department of Health - Health Research Training Program Deadline March
Pathways to Discovery Student Research Fellowship
Five $23,000 fellowships awarded for UCSF medical students committed to 12 months of full time research
Pine Family Foundation for Catastrophic Disease Research
Oregon Health & Science University - Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery Summer Research Fellowship Deadline May
Ralston Scholarship in the Neurosciences Deadline April
One scholarship of $2,250 is available for a UCSF student who is carrying out fundamental research in the neurosciences. To apply, complete the form for the Student Research Committee Fellowships and attach a cover letter indicating that you are applying for both awards.
Summer Training on Aging Research Topics - Mental Health (SMART-MH) Fellowship Deadline: January
Stanley J. Sarnoff Endowment for Cardiovascular Science Fellowship Deadline January
Sjorgen's Syndrome Student Summer Fellowships
Society for Pediatric Research/American Pediatric Society Student Research Program Deadline January
Stanley Scholars Program
Fellowships for work in psychiatry. For information contact Dr. Samuel Barondes at 476-7066 or barondes@cgl.ucsf.edu
St Jude Children's Research Hospital - Oncology Education Program Deadline February
UCSF School of Medicine Quarterly Research Fellowship Deadlines January 15, April 15, July 15, October 15
These awards are available to UCSF medical students who have extended their medical school programs for the purpose of doing full-time research. Students doing 3 months of research will receive $4,000, and can reapply for a consecutive term for funding. Completed applications should be delivered to the Office of Curricular Affairs.
UCSF School of Medicine Summer Research Fellowship Deadline April
United States Pharmacopeia Summer Fellowship Program Deadline January Summer Internship Program Deadline January
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - Summer Research Program Deadline February
Vanderbilt University Medical Student Research Training Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Deadline February
XDx Fellowship in Molecular Diagnostics Deadline January