Summer research experiences are invaluable tools for scientific development at the undergraduate level. These research experiences allow undergraduate students to cultivate a deeper love for science, develop new skills, connect with mentors, grow professional networks, and explore new opportunities. In 2020, campus and laboratory closures due to COVID-19 forced the cancellation of many formal summer research experience programs. The impact of these COVID-19 disruptions was especially profound on Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other minoritized groups.

The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) was founded in the summer of 2020, and started as a program to address the COVID-19-related cancellations of in-person summer research opportunities. Now, NSURP remains a virtual research program for URM students that would otherwise not be able to partake in an (in-person) research experience. NSURP scholars can participate in the program from any location with a computer and an internet connection and learn to conduct impactful research through the formation and testing of hypotheses.

Currently funded by the NSF as a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), NSURP matches students from across the US to laboratories all over the world to conduct research full time (40 hr/week), entirely virtually. Since its inauguration in 2020, NSURP has matched over 400 URM scholars from across the US with mentors from around the world. Upon completing NSURP, students can leverage their experiences to pursue further research and career experiences in science.