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.

STARTING FALL 2026 - UPDATED APPLICATION TIMELINE

DATE	DESCRIPTION
Mid-September	Initial communication to faculty to solicit project submissions (due October 26)
Monday, October 26	Project submissions due
Early November	Projects are reviewed by the CREMS Adjudication Committee
Early December	Supervisors are notified if their project is approved, waitlisted or declined
First Week back in January	Project list posted to website and circulated to students. Students will have 3 days to review projects, and then supervisors may be contacted to schedule interviews
Mid-January	Interviews can begin
February 10 (annually)	Final student/supervisor pairings due to program office with signed commitment form

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 a maximum of one week granted for holidays. These 10 weeks do not include any holidays. Students are to arrange holidays directly with their supervisor. Due to the condensed summer timeline, vacation time beyond one week cannot be accommodated.

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 monthly by the University of Toronto undergraduate awards office, through an internal system and paid via direct deposit to the students' bank account on file.

CREMS 2027 Projects - Available Now

Updated timelines for the Summer 2027 cycle are now available.

Faculty project submissions can be submitted through our online form: 2027 CREMS Supervisor and Project Information Form – Fill out form

Faculty submissions are due October 26, 2026. The CREMS 2027 Supervisor and Project Information Form can be found here: 2027 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 early December.

Accepted projects will be posted on the CREMS website in early January 2027 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 not occur before January 18, 2027.

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 February 10:

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: 2027 CREMS Supervisor and Project Information Form – Fill out form by October 26, 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 September (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 September.

Step 2

Project submissions are due on October 26, 2026. Please complete the online submission form (available September 21, 2026).

Step 3

Submitted projects will be reviewed and scored by the CREMS Adjudication Committee. By early December (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 in early January (annually) and students will be notified via email that they can now apply to the projects listed.

Step 4

As of January 11, 2027, 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 on or after January 18, 2027, 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 February 10 (annually)*. Supervisors must also submit a list of all students who were interviewed for the project and a completed Mentor Agreement form. This should be signed by both the supervisor and student and outlines that the supervisor and student agree to work with each other, and that the supervisor agrees to pay $3250. *If February 10 lands on a weekend, student selections will be due on the following Monday.

Step 6

We encourage student and supervisor pairings to set-up an orientation meeting in the Spring 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. Students may extend the program by one week (maximum) to accommodate vacation time. Vacations should be approved by the supervisor in advance.

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.