High school research programs

Global science and math research competition. Students research a complex concept in life sciences, physics, or mathematics and translate that research into an engaging explanatory video (max 3 min). Grand prize includes a $250,000 scholarship.

A 10-week research and mentorship program where students create and contribute to a citizen science project guided by an undergraduate student mentor. Students develop research skills, collect real data, and present findings.

Phase 1 (Activation) of the 2026-27 Conrad Challenge runs August 27 to October 30, 2026; Phase 2 (Innovation) closes January 8, 2027, with the Innovation Summit April 21-24, 2027. Student teams pitch a commercially viable solution to a real-world problem.

An online research incubator where you pick a problem that matters, get matched with a mentor and produce a real piece of work over the cohort, in anything from policy and economics to computer science and biology. It runs in three tiers: Research Foundations gives a certificate and community access, Research Fellows adds mentorship and project grants, and Research Scholars adds custom mentorship and a $10,000 scholarship. Applications for the next cohort open in November 2026, with a priority deadline of December 15, 2026 and a final deadline of January 4, 2027. Widely circulated figures about a $500 acceptance award and $30,000 in seed funding are not on the Non-Trivial site as of August 2026, so treat the tiers above as the published offer.

Highest level of chemistry competition for Canadian youth. You enter through the Canadian Chemistry Contest in April, which the Chemical Institute of Canada runs and uses to select for the Olympiad; national-team candidates then work through online problem sets, a take-home exam and a national camp. Preparation goes far beyond the high school curriculum, into organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. Top students represent Canada at the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Alberta-exclusive project-based STEM innovation program where student teams tackle real-world problems using emerging technologies. Teams receive mentorship and may advance to MindFuel's national Tech Futures Challenge.

National citizen science initiatives accessible through Alberta high schools. Space Lab and Tomatosphere allow students to collect and analyze real environmental and spatial data, contributing to actual ongoing scientific research.

Virtual research academy matching high school students with PhD mentors for a 10-week independent research project in any discipline. Projects result in a finalized research paper, podcast, or technical prototype. Strong portfolio-building program.

Student applications open in early March and close in early April for the July-August placement. Paid summer research at the U of A for students underrepresented in STEM, ending with a celebration event in August.

Applications are accepted through the DiscoverE form, with separate intern streams in Edmonton and Ottawa. ELITE is a paid summer program for Black youth in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.

Applications for the 2027 program reopen in fall 2026. A one-week program where Indigenous high school students conduct research alongside university professors and graduate students at the U of A.

CWSF 2027 runs May 29 – June 5 in Hamilton. There is no direct application: Alberta students qualify by winning at their regional science fair, then present original research against roughly 400 finalists from across Canada.

Team registration for the 2026 season is closed. iGEM's High School Competition is entered as a school team under a teacher acting as PI, not by individual students; teams design a synthetic biology project across the season for the international jamboree.

This challenge is not currently running. STEM Fellowship lists no active Big Data & AI Challenge cycle. Teams previously produced a peer-reviewed manuscript from open-data and AI research, with a finale in Calgary.

National innovation challenge where youth teams design and prototype STEM solutions to real-world problems. Teams receive access to industry mentors, workshops, and MindFuel's Connect2Innovate platform. 13+ years running with 5,000+ alumni.

Applications are open now across host universities including UCalgary, UBC, Queens, Guelph, York, TMU and U of T Mississauga. REO places high school students on real research, prioritising Indigenous, rural, refugee, newcomer and first-generation students, though everyone is encouraged to apply.

Online academic program where students work directly with university tutors to research and draft a university-level paper. Research tracks available in medicine, computer science, engineering, and more. Builds academic writing and independent research skills.

No direct application: Canadian students qualify for Regeneron ISEF through a Society-affiliated regional science fair. The world’s largest pre-college science competition; Team Canada selection is highly competitive.

Applications open April 1 and close in early July, with decisions by August 31. A free online research program from the New York Academy of Sciences where students team up on industry-set challenges with a mentor.

Rigorous virtual research institute for high school students. Accepted students work one-on-one with university professors across disciplines, from neuroscience to computer science, to produce a peer-reviewed research paper over 8 weeks.

Applications for the 2026-27 cohort are open now. TKS is a 10-month after-school program where students go deep on AI, biotech and robotics and build projects with companies; alumni have reached research labs and startups before 19.

Open only where your school or district has joined SSEP as a community. Those teams design flight experiments from September 1 to November 3, 2026, with community submissions to NCESSE by November 12 for Mission 22 to the International Space Station.

Applications open in early March in two rounds: an early-bird round at a lower fee, then a second round through mid-April. DEEP is a paid U of T engineering summer academy running July to mid-August on the St. George campus.

Registration opens in the fall, with regional fairs held between February and April. Winning at this regional fair is the only route to the Canada-Wide Science Fair for students in southeastern Alberta.