General information

VMFX75 is an 18 ECTS course, that runs from end of January to mid-August and comes with a fully funded stipend from the Faculty.

Scholarship application

Q. Can I apply if I am not a student at the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University.
A. No. To apply for these course a student has to be registered as an active programme student at the Faculty of Medicine.

Q. Can I apply if I am on a study leave?
A. Yes, if you are on an approved leave of studies.

Q. Can I postpone my scholarship until next year?
A. Unfortunately not, you will have to reapply next year.

Q. What should I include in the motivational statement?
A. There is not a formatted template for the motivational statement, and not one correct way of writing the statement. It is, however, important to highlight the following aspects:

write a clear motivation on why you are interested in science and research in general
describe any past research activities (course, lab work, participation in scientific events and/or competitions etc)
describe any currently ongoing research activities (lab course, project work, thesis work etc)
write a clear motivation on why you are interested in receiving this scholarship (e.g. with a focus on research interest in a specific topic)
write a clear motivation on how receiving this scholarship would further your studies
write a clear motivation on how receiving this scholarship would further your research career

A suitable length for the statement is not more than one A4 page

Q. How do you prioritize the applicants?
A. Some important factors are:

Previous research experience (e.g. extra curriculum courses – relating to research)
How well you motivate why you should receive a summer scholarship. If you do not have any previous research experience, the motivation is extra important.

Q. Can I get feedback on my motivational statement?
A. No, unfortunately not. Due to the large number of applications we receive, we do not have the possibility to give individual feedback on the statements.

Q. Do credits from another university or faculty count towards the eligibility requirements?
A. For VMFX75 it is usually not necessary to submit additional documentation. Master’s students are generally eligible if they are admitted to a master's program at Faculty of Medicine.

Q. Can the eligibility requirement of an independent first cycle project worth at least 15 credits be replaced by research experience in a lab?
A. If you do not meet the formal eligibility criteria but believe your experience is equivalent to the requirement/s, you can request an assessment of your qualifications. Please note that we are unable to confirm in advance whether you will meet the requirements.

About the project

Q. Can I write a literature study as a summer research project instead of a clinical research project?
A. Yes, literature review (scoping review) is ok.

Q. Can I write/do the project together with another student?
A. It is ok to work together within the same project BUT the project plans have to be different. The method can be the same but if you wish to work together on something, a suggestion is to divide the research questions between the two of you.

Q. Can I extend the project and present at a later time?
A. The courses end at the end of August which means you have to present/do the examination in August, even if the results are preliminary. If you miss the August examination, the first retake possibility will be in September the same year, and the second retake possibility in August the next year.

Supervision

Q. Can a PhD-student supervise me?
A. As a co-supervisor. Your main supervisor needs to be someone with a PhD degree.

Q. Can the project be performed outside of the Faculty of Medicine?
A. We encourage all students to perform their research project with a research group at the Faculty of Medicine. If the project is performed outside of the Faculty of Medicine, there has to be a main supervisor at the Faculty who is responsible for the quality and execution of the project.

Q. Does the supervisor get financial compensation from the faculty towards teaching hours, possible experimental costs etc?
A. The supervisor does not receive any financial compensation from the faculty for supervising VMFX75 students. However, if a supervisor needs teaching hours for a docentship or lecturer application, the course leadership can write a certificate for this. The research part of the VMFX75 course runs from mid-June to mid-August, and corresponds to 15 ECTS which counts as 10 hours of supervision.