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About the initiative

To maintain Australia’s position as leaders in science and innovation on a global playing field, we need to sustain a reliable pipeline of talented STEM professionals who enter and stay in careers in research. Creating a thriving ecosystem for cutting-edge research and skilled, curious researchers to flourish is key to attracting new people to the Australian biomedical research sector.

CSIRO’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is a work integrated learning program. It is designed to harness the wisdom and expertise of our best biomedical researchers, and to connect them with highly capable undergraduate students interested in research, for a mutual learning opportunity. Students gain important, paid experience working in research teams, while their supervisors develop mentoring skills to enhance their leadership and management performance. There is an application process for both undergraduate students and prospective supervisors to participate in the program. 

Hi, I'm Tristy Falkenberg. I'm the Deputy Director of CSIRO Science Connect. CSIRO is Australia's National Science Agency. Our mission is to solve Australia's greatest challenges with science and technology. Did you know that we invented Wi-Fi? And the bank notes you use every day are an Australian invention and they're now used in 45 countries around the world. What we do impacts Australians positively every day in lots of different ways.

UROP (or the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) has a proud history in the Victorian biomedical research industry, UROP differs significantly from other programs.

Firstly, it's not just a placement for a couple of weeks over a summer, it's for a minimum of six months up to 12 months, really giving the student an immersive experience of what it's like to be in a lab in biomedical research. The program enables labs and lab personnel and the students to connect broadly across the biomedical network in Victoria, building networks, building connections for their career now and into the future.

Secondly, the placement program enables early career researchers and PhD students an opportunity to supervise a student building their supervision skills and their line management skills for their future employment. And then thirdly, the placement program is individually tailored to place students with the right lab and the right supervisor to ensure the right fit and the most successful outcomes of the program.

And finally, the program enables broad connections to be made by people working in the lab and also the students right across the biomedical sector in Victoria to really build those connections for their careers now and into the future.

A very warm welcome to all the students of UROP. Congratulations on getting into the program. It's very competitive. We're delighted to have you. This program has the capacity to change your life. Not only will it provide you a hands-on long-term experience of what it's like to work in a biomedical lab, it will also open your eyes about what other opportunities are available for you and for your career. So I urge you to make the most of the opportunity and hope you really enjoy the experience over the time you are with the program.

The best advice I can give is to grab the year off opportunity with both hands, ask questions, learn new skills, make connections. Most importantly, think about what drives you. This will help you decide what you want to do with your career going forward, no matter what you decide. Congratulations again to all the students who are participating in UROP and thank you to all the supervisors in labs that are enabling this to happen.

I can't wait to hear what you're achieving and what you've succeeded in learning over the last year.

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Work with us

Encouraging students to pursue further education and careers in biomedical research is critical to a thriving STEM research ecosystem in Australia. Find out more about UROP and how you might get involved.

The challenge

Science plays an important role in delivering benefits to our community. It is critical that Australia creates and sustains a reliable pipeline of skilled problem solvers and innovators to remain at the forefront of global science and innovation. Researchers hold a unique position in science, responsible for uncovering new insights and testing new approaches to 21st century challenges. 

Through UROP, CSIRO brings together biomedical researchers from respected research institutions in Victoria with talented undergraduate students to participate in crucial research projects. Integrating work experience early on into university study allows Victorian STEM students to be globally competitive.

CSIRO’s focus on creating real-world experiences allows undergraduate students in their penultimate year of study to relate their theoretical study to practical applications of research. It also enables research institutions to leverage the skills and talents of exceptional students now and train the emerging STEM leaders for the future.

The solution

Investing in, and training the next generation of scientists by providing early, positive experiences of research lab work to students, is key to cultivating an interest in pursuing biomedical research as a career. It also helps build Australia’s STEM talent pipeline and bridge the gap between university education and real-world research.

UROP provides the platform to connect STEM professionals with undergraduate students in their penultimate year of study to create opportunities for students to experience working in a research team. The program also facilitates cross organisational and cross-disciplinary networking and interactions. This enables university students based in Victoria to incorporate practical research into their undergraduate study years, bringing the real-world application of STEM study to life.

UROP is the platform that gives undergraduate students in STEM the chance to immerse themselves in the day-to-day workings of a wet or dry research lab, and to motivate them to continue further biomedical research or work, while earning an income.

The program is made possible through the willingness of researchers from leading institutions to supervise and monitor the progress of bright and curious students throughout the work placement, mentoring and guiding them through their own research journeys.

Our impact

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, was launched in Victoria in 1996. CSIRO Education and Outreach took over delivery of the program in 2020. Since program inception, more than 700 undergraduates in Victoria have completed the work integrated learning experience, hosted by 50+ research teams.

A report commissioned in 2022 showed that UROP is achieving its goals to support undergraduate students to pursue further education and careers in STEM research. Alumni reported a positive perception of UROP, and most said it had a significant impact on their education and/or career decisions. Importantly, most respondents said UROP motivated them to pursue a career in STEM, and over a third were working in a job directly related to the research they completed through UROP. STEM professionals also gain benefits through the experience. Supervising a student can be an extremely rewarding experience, enabling supervisors to reflect on their own work practices and career journey, and build their own mentoring and leadership skills.

The connections students and supervisors make strengthen collaboration in the Australian research sector, and contribute to keeping Australia at the forefront of innovative science in biomedical research.

Our partners

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program has been funded by CSL since 2010. CSL’s generous support contributes to the successful management and delivery of the program. This includes ongoing monitoring and evaluation, to determine the success of the program, apply learnings for future improvements, and report on outcomes and impact. Delivering this program enables CSIRO to make important development opportunities available to biomedical research students and supervisors, helping to build the skilled STEM workforce Australia needs.

 

Patron's statement

I'm Mike Wilson, the vice president and head of the research group for csl. We're based here at the BIO 21 Institute at the University of Melbourne. CSL is a global biotechnology company and we develop and manufacture medicines for the treatment of life-threatening diseases. 

CSL is a proud Australian company and we are the third largest company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. CSL has been a proud sponsor of UOP for more than 10 years.

 It is a unique program in that it targets undergraduates unlike many other programs. This gives these undergraduates an opportunity to gain real life experience in laboratories and research groups, both in industry and in academia. 

The Europe program is unique in firstly that it targets undergraduates and is also a longer term commitment. This is a great opportunity for you to experience firsthand what it's like to work in a research environment. You'll get access to great supervision, high quality mentors, and the ability to expand your professional network. 

This opportunity will also help you consider and think about what the right career path is for you. So as I reflect on my own career and I think about when I was standing in your shoes as an undergraduate, my advice to you is first of all, don't be shy about asking questions. And don't be shy about making suggestions. 

You'll come in with fresh ideas and and thinking that hasn't occurred to the scientists that you are working with before. Second of all, really use the opportunity to ask questions about the people that you are working with and what their career path looks like. And also ask them, who in their network would they suggest that you could also talk to about career paths that might be open for you.

CSL has had the absolute pleasure of hosting more than 30 students over the past 10 years. As part of the UROP program, all of these students had a major impact on CSL projects.

One particular highlight was a student called Harry Fong. Harry came to us and was part of our data science team, made a significant impact in developing algorithms that helped us in our major drug discovery platform, which is called an antibody face display, um, technology. We are still using this technology today.

Harry then worked for us part-time before embarking on a master's degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in artificial intelligence and machine learning. And Harry has now since returned to Australia to take up an industry position in Sydney.
We are so proud that Harry started his career as a UOP student here at csl.

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