The Amgen Scholars Program aims to inspire the next generation of innovators by providing undergraduate students with hands-on summer research opportunities at premier educational and research institutions across the globe. Launched in 2006 in the United States, 2008 in Europe, and 2015 in Japan, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is one of the latest addition to the list of world-class institutions offering this prestigious program in Asia.

The key objective of the program is to nurture current undergraduate students who are committed and looking to further their career in biology or related sciences through graduate studies. The program features eight weeks of intensive biomedical or biotechnological research experience in basic and translational sciences. Research training and experiences are mainly provided by faculty members of the Department of Biological Sciences, who anchors the Life Sciences Program and partner Departments from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

In addition to working full time in the laboratory for 8 weeks, the program also features:

• Interaction and guidance from leading faculty research mentors
• Information sessions on Graduate Program opportunities with the National University of Singapore
• Weekly colloquiums and seminars where students can meet and interact with visiting scientist
• Access to campus facilities such as the Library, University Health Services and Sports Centre*
• Learning journeys and social excursions*

*Subjected to changes based on local Covid-19 safety regulations. Charges may apply.

Amgen Scholars Asia Program applicants must be undergraduate students who are:

• Enrolled in colleges or universities in Asia* that award a bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent); and
• At minimum, have completed their first year of undergraduate study at the time the summer program begins; and
• Are not graduating before the summer program begins, and after the summer program ends will resume undergraduate studies for at least one semester or one quarter.

Asia Program applicants must also have:

• A strong record of academic performance; and
• A good working knowledge of English. If not a native English speaker, English is not your first language, or your current university is not taught in English, you will need to demonstrate your English proficiency with either of the following:
  • a minimum TOEFL (iBT) score of 72
  • IELTS overall band score of 5.5
  • Cambridge English FCE
  • TOEIC score of 1095,
  • TOEIC L&R score of 785, or
  • TOEIC S&W score of 310
  • If your current university is taught in English, a letter from the university stating that their teaching medium is fully in English will suffice.
• An interest in pursuing a Ph.D.

*Eligible students must attend colleges or universities in Asia as defined in ‘Classification of Countries by Region’ by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs / Population Division World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision. 

Eligible Countries where home university is based,

Eastern Asia: China; China, Hong Kong SAR; China, Macao SAR; China, Taiwan Province of China; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Japan; Mongolia; Republic of Korea

South-Eastern Asia: Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; Indonesia; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Myanmar; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Viet Nam

Central Asia: Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan

Southern Asia: Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Iran (Islamic Republic of); Maldives; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka

Western Asia: Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Cyprus; Georgia; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; State of Palestine; Syrian Arab Republic; Türkiye; United Arab Emirates; Yemen

This is a full-time program. Scholars cannot take any courses or hold a job throughout the duration of the program. In addition, all participants must be able to attend the program for its entire duration.

Participants are expected

• To live in the accommodation provided by the National University of Singapore.
• To participate fully in the day-to-day life of the research group, respect the work of all members of the laboratory, and attend and participate in laboratory meetings or other gatherings.
• To participate in laboratory safety training and test before commencement of lab work.
• To attend the orientation, all required conferences, activities and social events.
• To give a poster and oral presentation describing his/her summer research project.
• To provide a written report upon completion of the project.
• To participate and present their project at the Amgen Scholars Asia Symposium 2024 in Tokyo.

The Amgen program provides the following support throughout the program duration.

International Scholars:

• Accommodation: Arranged by the National University of Singapore.
• Travel grant*: up to SGD1500
  To cover airfare to Singapore from home country and from Tokyo back to home country after the symposium via the most direct economical route.
• Stipend**: SGD6000 for the 8-week program
• Visa application: TEP applications will be initiated by the National University of Singapore and fees will be covered.

Local Scholars:

• Accommodation: Local students should remain in their own residence for the duration of the program.
• Travel grant*: To cover round trip airfare to Tokyo and back from for the Amgen Scholars Asia Symposium.
• Stipend**: SGD6000 for the 8-week program

* All students must arrange their own private health and travel insurance. Please be informed that neither the Amgen Foundation nor the National University of Singapore can provide health insurance.

** The stipend covers all your living costs during your summer program such as local transportation, meals, etc.

Research Projects

Projects will only be made available to shortlisted applicants to consider. Do note that projects are assigned base on a ranking system and not every one will be able to get their first choice project. Please do not contact potential supervisors for projects. 

Host labs and research projects may come from various departments in NUS.
* Faculty members, Department of Biological Sciences
* Faculty members, Department of Biochemistry
* Faculty members, Department of Pharmacology
* Faculty members, Department of Anatomy
* Faculty members, Department of Physiology
* Faculty members, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

For enquiries, please email us at amgen_nus@nus.edu.sg.

*We are busy during application period and we seek your kind understanding if we are unable to address your enquiry immediately.

About the Program

Q. What is the purpose of the Amgen Scholars Program?
A. The Amgen Scholars Program provides hundreds of selected undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in a hands-on research experience at many of the world’s leading educational institutions. The Program seeks to increase learning and networking opportunities for students committed to pursuing science or engineering careers and to spark the interest and broaden the perspective of students considering scientific careers. Ultimately, the Program aims to increase the number of students pursuing advanced training and careers in the sciences.

Q. Would the Program be flexible on the starting/ending dates to accommodate some slight conflict of schedule?
A. No, the 8-week program schedule is fixed, and full participation is required with regular weekday attendance in the lab during office hours.

Q. Are the decisions made continuously until the deadline (i.e. rolling admissions) or after the deadline altogether?
A. Please refer to the program timeline.

Eligibility

Q. What countries are eligible to apply for the NUS Amgen Scholars Asia Program?
A. Please refer to program eligibility

Q. Do I need to be a citizen of an Asian country to apply to participate in the Amgen Scholars Program at one of the host institutions in Asia?
A. No. There is no citizenship requirement for the Amgen Scholars Program in Asia.

Q. Do I need to be able to speak an Asian language such as Japanese or Chinese to take part in the Amgen Scholars Program at one of the host institutions in Asia?
A. No. However, as the program will be predominantly carried out in English, you will be required to have proficiency in English.

Language Proficiency

Q. I’m not a native English speaker, but currently attending a university whose language of instruction is English. Do I need to submit scores to prove my English proficiency?
A. No. Non-native English speakers who have been receiving undergraduate education from an institution whose language of instruction is English do not need to submit test scores. However, please submit a letter from your university stating that their teaching medium is fully in English.  All requirements are based on your undergraduate education regardless of any prior education (e.g. high school).

Application Documents

Q. I have completed the online application, but have not received an Email with upload instructions?
A. The instructions Email will be generated and sent immediately upon completion of the online application. You might have provided an invalid or misspelt your university email address. Alternatively, do look up your spam or junk folder. If you still do not receive an email, please check in with us through email. 

Q. Why is there another deadline provided for document uploading when the application deadline is 1 Feb 2024?
A. Applicants are expected to have all documents ready prior to completing the online application. Thus, 3 days are allocated for document uploading. The deadline of 1 Feb 2024 is in reference to new applications. 

Q. When will my referees receive their instruction email? 
A. Referees should receive the instruction emails immediately after completion of online application. Applicants should check with their referees to submit their reference letters.

Q. How long do my referees get to submit their reference letter and will I know when they have submitted their reference letter?
A. A deadline specific to your referees will be provided in their instruction email. You will not be notified if your reference letter has been received. Applicants should follow up on their end to ensure that their referees have submitted their reference letters. Referees have 2 weeks to submit their letters.

Q. Do I need to upload both the foreign language and English translations of my transcripts? 
A. Yes. Transcripts that are in a language other than English should be translated into English. The translation must be provided by the university.

Q. Is an unofficial transcript acceptable, or should I submit an official transcript (that is, printed and signed by the university registrar)?
A. Unofficial transcripts printed with University/Institute letterhead are acceptable.

Q. My university uses an electronic academic transcripts service, which issues official online transcripts as a substitute for paper ones. Would it be acceptable for me to attach this transcript to my application?
A. Yes. Please upload its PDF format to your application page.

Q. Do you require that reference letter(s) be written on a specific form?
A. You are required to nominate 2 Faculty members to provide a letter of reference each, referees must be currently involved in teaching one of the courses you are attending or a member who supervise your research project. There is no specific format for the letter, but it should be on a departmental/university letterhead, including the referee’s signature.

Q. How do I know if my submission was received?
A. As long as you see the green tick after submission, your documents should have been successfully uploaded. If there are any missing documents, we will email you for clarifications. You do not need to enquire on the status of your submission.

Q. I am having trouble with uploading the documents into the link provided after application. What can I do?
A. If you are unable to access the upload link provided, you can email your ZIP folder (clearly labelled) to amgen_nus@nus.edu.sg. 

Financial Support

Q. When will my stipend be paid?
A. After your successful admission to the Program, the stipend will be paid in two parts:

First stipend at the start of the Program
Last stipend at the mid-way point of the Program

*Note that a definite date cannot be provided as disbursement may be affected by administrative matters.

Q. How will my airfare be covered?
A. Successful applicants will need to purchase their own airfare to Singapore first after confirming their itinerary with the program committee. Retain all receipts and boarding pass for reimbursement after arriving in Singapore for the program.

Project selection

Q. Do I need to approach supervisors to get a project?
A. No. Projects are pre-designed and selected scholars will get to rank their preference from the project pools before getting assigned one. It is possible that not every scholars will be allocated their first choice.

Statement on preparing the Amgen Scholars Program application using generative AI tools.

Please see the statement here.

Amgen Scholars 
LabXchange – Online Science Classroom
Amgen Foundation
National University of Singapore

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The National University of Singapore would like to express its appreciation to the Amgen Foundation for the general support provided for this program.