This page contains information about UROP for students. Staff facing information is available here.

Overview

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) is set up to allow undergraduate students NOT in their final year of study an opportunity to gain an insight into the research being undertaken by the world-class academics that teach you. It also provides an opportunity for you to develop some of the technical and transferable skills required in research activities, and by many other graduate careers.

UROP projects operates during the summer period. A list of the UROP projects are available to view here. Project details are continually added and each advert will up updated/removed once the post has been filled.

You can choose to apply for any of the projects on offer - including those outside the Department.

Some projects are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) or Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and have eligibility criteria that must be observed.

A link is provided through each UROP advert to enable you to email the supervisor of any project that interests you. You can contact them for further information to enable you to decide whether you want to apply or not. Some supervisors will set a deadline for applications, and then consider who they want to select; others may offer their projects on a first-come-first-served basis. (Note: Expressing interest at this point does not tie you to taking on a project, nor does it tie the supervisor to offering it to you).

UROP students will be paid the National Living Wage plus the appropriate holiday pay, as a mimumum. Payments made to students are subject to appropriate deductions for PAYE (Income tax and National Insurance contributions). The normal duration of a UROP placement is 10 weeks, though shorter or longer projects may be supported at the discretion of the supervisor.

Key details

Administrative responsibility for UROP projects within the Department of Engineering lies with the Industrial Placements Coordinator, Joe Goddard. The academic co-ordinator is Professor John Durrell. Students are welcome to raise any queries with either of them.

Students MUST present their Right to Work documents to the finance office before they commence their placement. Overseas students may participate if your visa allows you to legally work full time during official vacation periods. (For example, Student visa). 

Students paid on the UROP scheme will need to sign an 'Intern' Workers Agreement.

The standard working week is 37.5 hours, although this is project dependent.

A signed timesheet must be submitted in a timely manner to the finance office for payments to be processed. Payments are made on a regular basis using the University Payment System.

All students MUST complete the registration process via the Industrial Placements Coordinator.

To register, students need to complete the UROP Appointment form, containing the Hazard Assessment Form and Cambridge Casual Workers Checklist. This should be done alongside your supervisor and returned to the Indusatrial Placements Coordinator at least one week before the start of the project. This is downloadable here - uropdocset.docx

In Engineering, UROPs can also be supported by College funding as long as the College provides a letter to the Department confirming that the College is employing the student and is providing support equivalent to the national living wage.

Students are expected to work to an acceptable technical standard. Supervisors retain the right to terminate appointments, if performance remains below the required standard, following due warning.

You should negiotiate your schedule of work with your supervisor at the start of the project.

To comply with University rules you should produced and submit a two-page technical report to document the work that you have completed. If your UROP satisfy's the Industrial Experience requirment, you will have to submit the Industrial Placements Report - details on the student Moodle page. Link here.