CREMS Summer Research Program

The Comprehensive Research Experience for Medical Students (CREMS) Summer Research Program provides opportunities each year for medical students enrolled at the University of Toronto to participate in a full-time summer research project between their first and second year, or second and third year of medical school, under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The CREMS Program is only open to current University of Toronto students.

Duration

The CREMS Summer Research Program runs for 10 weeks from June to August. Students will work on the research project on a full-time basis with one week granted for holidays.These 10 weeks do not include any holidays. Students are to arrange holidays with their supervisor directly. This is considered a full-time role and the student is not to take on any other full time work during these 10 weeks.

Stipend

A stipend of $6,000 is included; CREMS will contribute $2,750 and the supervisor will be responsible for $3,250. The supervisor is also responsible for any extraneous study or travel expenses.

NOTE: The Supervisor is responsible for arranging student payment for their portion of the stipend according to the guidelines of their hospitals or research institutes. The student must clear $3250 after any and all deductions. Payments from CREMS are processed bi-weekly by the University of Toronto undergraduate awards office, through an internal system and paid via direct deposit to the students' bank account on file.

OPEN - Faculty Project Submissions are now being accepted

We are currently accepting faculty submissions for the CREMS Summer Research Program. Projects are due on February 10, 2026.

Faculty will be notified by mid-March if their project has been selected for posting. Accepted projects will be posted to our website for students to apply beginning in late March until the end of April. Faculty must notify the CREMS Office of their student selection by May 1, 2026.

Please note that CREMS will not support any pre-determined student/supervisor pairings. Supervisors must agree to open their projects to all students who apply and interview all students that are interested.

The CREMS Program runs full-time for 10 weeks, from June to August.

Faculty submissions are due February 10, 2026. The CREMS 2026 Supervisor and Project Information Form can be found here: 2026 CREMS Supervisor and Project Information Form – Fill out form. Due to the overwhelming number of faculty submissions to the program, you may only submit 1 project per year.

Submitted projects will be reviewed and scored by the CREMS adjudication committee. We typically receive 150+ applications and can fund around 40-50 projects. CREMS positions will be offered to the supervisors/projects with the highest scores. We expect to complete the review process and notify successful applicants by mid to late March.

Accepted projects will then be posted on the CREMS website and medical students will be invited to apply directly to the supervisors. Supervisors should interview at least 5 interested applicants and select one student to work with. In the interest of fairness, we require that supervisors do not pre-select a student. Supervisors are required to list all the students that were interviewed along with the name of the selected student. Interviews must occur after April 1, 2026.

We only allow ONE student per project. Once the selection is made, supervisors are to submit the following items to the CREMS office via email (crems.programs@utoronto.ca) by May 1, 2026:

List of interviewed students
Selected student name
Signed mentor agreement
1. This agreement outlines that the supervisor and student agree to work on the funded project, understand the expectations of the Program, and that the supervisor agrees to pay their portion of the CREMS stipend ($3250). Supervisors’ payments must be arranged through their own finance department. CREMS is not able to invoice or pay on a supervisor’s behalf. Please note, the Mentor Agreement Form is obtained when CREMS advises that your project has been approved. A template will not appear on the website.

Faculty interested in submitting a project should complete the online submission form: 2026 CREMS Supervisor and Project Information Form – Fill out form by February 10, 2026. If you have any questions or require further details, please email crems.programs@utoronto.ca.

Application Process

Step 1

Call for projects go out through the Vice-Dean's Office to all University of Toronto department chairs in January (annually).  Each department is responsible for disseminating this information to their faculty (i.e. through the department listserv, newsletter or website). Interested faculty members are also encouraged to check the CREMS website directly, as all relevant submission information will be posted each January.

Step 2

Project submissions are due on February 10, 2026. Please complete the online submission form: https://forms.office.com/r/hG2pxvMVAa2026.

Step 3

Submitted projects will be reviewed and scored by the CREMS Adjudication Committee. By mid to late March (annually), the Program Coordinator will notify all supervisors to let them know if their project has been selected for the Program. CREMS positions will be offered to the supervisors/projects with the highest scores. Successful projects will be posted to the CREMS website and students will be notified via email that they can now apply to the projects listed.

Step 4

As of March 30, 2026, students can begin to contact supervisors of the project(s) that they are interested in. We ask that supervisors meet with at least 5 interested students and select which student they feel is most suitable for the project. Interviews should be conducted after April 1, 2026 to enable students time to review the projects and contact potential supervisors.

Step 5

Once a student is selected, supervisors must advise CREMS by email (crems.programs@utoronto.ca) of their student selection by April 27, 2026. Supervisors must also submit a list of all students who were interviewed for the project.

Step 6

Supervisors will be sent a Mentor Agreement form to be signed by both the supervisor and student which outlines that the supervisor and student agree to work with each other, and that the supervisor agrees to pay $3250. This completed form is due May 1, 2026.

Step 7

We encourage student and supervisor pairings to set-up an orientation meeting in May to ensure students are properly set-up and can begin their project on time. The CREMS Summer Research Program begins in June and runs full-time for 10 weeks.

Requirements for successful completion

Upon completion of the Summer Program, students will be required to submit their final deliverables to the program office via email at crems.programs@utoronto.ca. A call for these deliverables will go out in September.

Formal Project Abstract fit for publication
Supervisor and CREMS Program Evaluation Form
One-page Informal Report outlining the student’s research experience

Students are required to participate in the annual Medical Student Research Day held in February of the following year, by submitting an abstract and presenting a poster of their findings. Successful completion of the Summer Program will be evaluated by the CREMS Program Director and Coordinator.