FAQs: ACS Cancer Research Internship Program for College Undergraduates

The goal of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Innovation in Cancer Research (CICR) Internship Program is to provide access to cancer research training and career development for undergraduate college students who are aspiring to become part of the future cancer research and care workforce.

We anticipate that exposing students to cancer research, mentoring, and career-development activities will ultimately advance the cancer research workforce – driving greater innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration.

For 10 weeks, undergraduate-student interns:

• Engage in hands-on research
• Are mentored by accomplished investigators and experience the day-to-day world of cancer research while participating in research projects
• Work in a collaborative environment with other scientists in cancer research labs or in clinical or community settings at leading research institutions, such as teaching hospitals, universities, medical schools, and cancer centers 

Throughout the year, interns also actively engage in planned, longitudinal career-development and networking activities. 

Each institution will propose a start date for their Internship Program; however, we anticipate the funded institutions will start their programs sometime between May and June.

ACS will monitor the program on an ongoing basis. Institutions will use surveys to collect baseline and longitudinal data.

Aggregated data collection will help us identify the successes and need for potential modifications of the program, including but not limited to:

• Gauging the amount of elicited interest in pursuing a career in biomedical research or other health science
• Identifying the percentage of interns who stay within the field at each institution

A formal program evaluation will occur every 5 years.  

To apply and be eligible for funding, institutions must:

• Be in the United States and have undergraduate and graduate degree-granting programs, professional degree-granting programs, or be an eligible nonprofit institution with a current letter from the Internal Revenue Service conferring nonprofit status.
• Have evidence of an active cancer research program with a track record of extramural funding and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Have documentation of the appropriate resources and infrastructure to support the proposed grant, including its financial management and management of its research subjects.
• Have experience with Pathways programs and have held an ACS institutional grant (ACS IRG, CHERC, ACS Cancer Research High School Program, Post-Baccalaureate Fellows), NIH R25, or similar grants.

ACS Cancer Research Internship institutions may request support for 4 to 8 ACS interns per year during the 3-year project period.

Interested institutions may email CancerResearchTraining@cancer.org 

The ACS team will invite eligible institutions to apply for the ACS Internship Program through ProposalCentral. 

The deadline for ACS Internship applications is April 1.

 The ACS Cancer Research Internship Program peer review committee convenes in June to review all submitted applications.

Institutions apply April 1 and receive notice of funding decisions in July. The start date for the project period is January 1.

Institutions are funded for up to a 3-year project period with $132,000 for direct costs only. Institutions may apply for a lower award amount depending on the number of interns they propose to train. 

The award includes a $5,000 stipend to support each of the 4 to 8 interns selected. The award also includes discretionary funds for the PI to use for the benefit of the interns, such as team-building activities or for offsetting housing or travel costs.

To be eligible for funding, applicants for Principal Investigator/Program Director must:

• Be a full-time faculty member and have attained the rank of Associate or Full Professor (or equivalent) at an eligible academic institution in the US or an eligible nonprofit.
• Have a track record of extramural funding, mentoring junior investigators, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and administrative/leadership experience (such as deputy director or director of a program, center, or department).

No. ACS funds a single institution and single PI. Although we do not allow multiple PIs, institutions may have other doctoral-level faculty help lead the program.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be:

• Rising college sophomores, juniors, or seniors with an interest in any STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) 
• In good academic standing with at least a 3.0 GPA
• Full-time students and not enrolled in summer courses that will interfere with the internship

No.

No. Admission to the ACS Cancer Research Internship Program requires an application to an institution with an active Internship Program funded by the ACS. See a list of current ACS Cancer Research Internship Institutions.

The internship is a paid work experience. Students who are selected receive a weekly stipend of $500 for 10 weeks, totaling $5,000 for the summer internship. 

No academic credit is awarded for the completion of this summer program.