Singapore students reach research mainly through four routes: the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), which selects Singapore's delegates to Regeneron ISEF, the MOE Science Mentorship Programme, A*STAR's student awards, and online one-on-one mentorship that ends in a published paper. The national programs are strong but run through schools, so a student whose school does not nominate them, or who attends an international school, often needs a route that does not depend on nomination.
This guide explains each option with official sources, who can access it, and what it produces.
The routes at a glance
| Route | Who can access it | How you get in | What you leave with |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSEF, then Regeneron ISEF | Students in MOE schools; ISEF delegates must be Singapore Citizens or PRs | Submit a project to SSEF | Awards, and for top projects a place at ISEF |
| MOE Science Mentorship Programme (SMP) | Selected secondary students | School selection | A mentored project and a paper in the Youth Science Conference proceedings |
| A*STAR Youth Researcher Award (Upper Secondary) | Singaporean Sec 3 and 4 students on the SMP | School nomination | An allowance and A*STAR research exposure |
| Online one-on-one mentorship | Any student, any school system | Direct application | A first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue |
SSEF: Singapore's road to ISEF
The Singapore Science and Engineering Fair is co-organised by the Ministry of Education, A*STAR and Science Centre Singapore, and it is affiliated with Regeneron ISEF. It started in 2001, and SSEF 2027 will be the 27th edition. SSEF 2026 final judging took place on 10 March 2026, with public day and the awards ceremony on 11 March.
SSEF is how Singapore picks its ISEF team. At Regeneron ISEF 2026 in Phoenix, eight Singapore students, chosen on the basis of their SSEF 2026 projects and performance, competed against more than 1,700 students from about 60 countries, regions and territories, and won seven awards: four Grand Awards and three Special Awards. Singapore has taken part in ISEF every year since 2001. ISEF 2027 is May 8 to 14 in Los Angeles.
What families should know:
- Eligibility is tied to MOE schools. SSEF is open to secondary and pre-university students in MOE schools, typically Sec 3 and above. Students from non-MOE schools are not considered, and only Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are considered to represent Singapore at ISEF.
- Projects must follow ISEF rules. Work involving human participants, animals or hazardous materials needs approval before it starts. Our ISEF guide covers the forms.
- The calendar is early. With judging in March, a project needs to be well advanced by the end of the previous year.
MOE Science Mentorship Programme
The Science Mentorship Programme is run by the Gifted Education Branch of the Ministry of Education together with local tertiary institutions, including NUS, NIE/NTU and the polytechnics. Selected students choose from projects offered by mentors at partner organisations, meet their mentors weekly from January to July, and spend two full-time weeks on the project during the June holidays.
The programme has two parts: the Mentorship Attachment, where students study a topic in depth and investigate a problem, and the Youth Science Conference, where students write a scientific paper for the YSC Proceedings and present through posters and talks.
Best for: Secondary students whose schools select them, and who want to work in a university lab with a Singapore scientist.
Keep in mind: Selection runs through schools. Students who are not selected, or who attend international or private schools, need another route.
A*STAR student awards
ASTAR runs awards that recognise students on Singapore's research track. The ASTAR Youth Researcher Award (Upper Secondary) is for Singaporean Secondary 3 and 4 students taking part in the MOE Science Mentorship Programme with outstanding results in science and mathematics. It includes an allowance and an invitation to STEM Ignite, a three-day research exposure programme with visits to A*STAR research institutes. Applications come through school nominations.
ASTAR also runs junior college awards, including the ASTAR Science Award (JC) and the Youth Researcher Award (JC), which are also school-nominated. Ask your school's science department about the current cycle.
School research programmes
Many Singapore secondary schools and junior colleges run their own research programmes, often linked to SSEF, the SMP and university partners. These vary a lot by school. If your school has one, it is usually the fastest way into SSEF.
Online one-on-one mentorship with publication
For students who want a published paper without waiting for a school nomination, online mentorship is the route that works from any school, including international schools and IB, A-Level or AP curricula.
The YRI Fellowship is fully online and open to students in 50+ countries. Each student works one-on-one with a PhD mentor for 10 weeks, 5 to 8 hours a week, in a field of their choice. Singapore's time zone is well placed for mentors in Asia, Europe and Australia, and YRI schedules sessions around the student's school term and exam calendar.
What is included:
- A 1:1 PhD mentor matched to the student's field, from 1,000+ PhD mentors.
- An editing team on every draft and a publishing team that takes the paper to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences.
- Free help until the paper is published.
- Competition preparation, including ISEF and JSHS, and a mentor letter of recommendation.
87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at science competitions. A paper written through YRI can also become a stronger SSEF project, because the research question, method and analysis are already written to journal standard.
Singapore is also a conference destination. One YRI Fellow's first-author paper was accepted at IEEE ISASF 2026 in Sydney and at a second international conference in Singapore. See more on the published work page.
How to choose between the routes
The routes are not either-or. Many strong students combine them, and the right mix depends on three questions.
Does your school nominate you? If you are selected for the SMP or a school research programme, take it. Working weekly with a Singapore scientist is excellent training, and it feeds directly into SSEF and the Youth Science Conference.
What do you want to leave with? A mentorship attachment builds skills and a conference paper. A first-author paper in an IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue is a different credential, and one that admissions readers outside Singapore recognise immediately.
How much time do you have? Sec 4 and JC2 are exam years. A focused 10-week project, done in the year before, fits around O-Levels, A-Levels or the IB far better than a project started late.
If you are not nominated, or you attend an international school, the most reliable plan is a mentored project online, written up as a paper, which can then become your SSEF entry if you are eligible.
What universities look for
For NUS, NTU and SMU, research experience and SSEF results support applications, interviews and scholarship applications, especially for research-focused programmes.
For US universities, a published paper is one of the few credentials that transfers across school systems intact. Admissions readers can verify it, and it gives the essays and interviews something concrete. Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard. How research papers get you into Ivy League schools explains how readers use it.
For UK universities, a paper gives a personal statement depth: what you investigated, what you found, and why you want to study the subject.
A timeline for Singapore students
- Secondary 2 and 3: Start a project. If your school offers the SMP or a research programme, apply. If not, start a mentored project online.
- Secondary 4 and JC1: Aim for SSEF with a finished project. Submit a paper. Use the results in scholarship applications.
- JC2: Present, publish, and list every result on your applications. There is little room for a new project during A-Level year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Singapore students qualify for ISEF? Through SSEF. Singapore's ISEF delegates are chosen on the basis of their SSEF projects and performance, and only Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are considered.
What is the Science Mentorship Programme? An MOE Gifted Education Branch programme run with NUS, NIE/NTU, the polytechnics and other partners. Students work weekly with a mentor from January to July, then write a paper and present at the Youth Science Conference.
Can international school students in Singapore do research? Yes, though SSEF and several national programmes are limited to MOE schools. International school students often work with a university professor directly or join an online mentorship program such as the YRI Fellowship.
Is it possible to publish a paper in secondary school? Yes, with a mentor, a focused question and a clear plan. See journals that publish high school research for venues.
How much does online research mentorship cost? The YRI Fellowship is $2,997, or 3 payments of $999, with scholarships considered case by case.
How the YRI Fellowship helps Singapore students
If the goal is a first-author paper, a stronger SSEF or ISEF project and a standout university application, the YRI Fellowship is built for that outcome. One-on-one PhD mentorship for 10 weeks, an editing team on every draft, a publishing team for IEEE, Springer and Elsevier venues, competition preparation and free help until the paper is published. No research experience is needed, and you get a decision within 48 hours.
See pricing, read student stories, and apply to the YRI Fellowship.
Sources
- SSEF official site (MOE): organisers, ISEF affiliation, 2026 dates, 27th edition in 2027
- SSEF: general rules and guidelines (MOE schools, Sec 3 and above, ISEF citizenship rule)
- Ministry of Education: Singapore's young research talents clinch 7 awards at ISEF 2026
- Science Centre Singapore: Singapore Science and Engineering Fair
- NUS Faculty of Science: Science Mentorship Programme
- A*STAR: Youth Researcher Award (Upper Secondary)
- A*STAR: Youth Researcher Award (Junior College)
- YRI Fellowship: program details
- YRI Fellowship: pricing
- YRI Fellowship: published work
