The main research options for UK secondary and sixth form students are Nuffield Research Placements, In2scienceUK's In2STEM programme, the Big Bang Competition, CREST Awards, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), and online one-on-one mentorship that ends in a published paper. The placement schemes are excellent and free, but most are targeted at students from disadvantaged backgrounds and run for a few weeks, so many families look for a route that is open to any student and produces a paper.

This guide covers each option fairly, with official sources, and explains how each one helps with UCAS and with US applications.

The routes at a glance

RouteWho it is forFormatWhat you leave with
Nuffield Research PlacementsYear 12 (S5 in Scotland) STEM students, aimed at disadvantaged backgroundsSummer placement with a researcherProject report, poster, placement experience
In2STEM (In2scienceUK)Year 12 and S5/S6 students from low socioeconomic backgroundsSummer placement plus online workshopsPlacement experience, mentoring
Big Bang CompetitionStudents aged 11 to 18National project competition, free to enterAwards, including UK Young Scientist of the Year
CREST AwardsAges 11 and upBronze, Silver and Gold project awardsA recognised project award
Extended Project QualificationSixth form students120 guided learning hours, in schoolA Level 3 qualification
Online one-on-one mentorshipAny student, any school10 weeks online with a PhD mentorA first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue

Nuffield Research Placements

Nuffield Research Placements give sixth form students a summer research project with a professional researcher in a university, company or research organisation. The programme is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and has been managed by STEM Learning since 1 October 2020. It is aimed at young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including students eligible for free school meals and students who would be the first in their family to go to university.

Placements are for Year 12 students studying STEM subjects and run in the summer holidays after Year 12. Regional coordinators match students with hosts, so the length and format vary by region. In the North West, for example, the placement itself is two to three weeks, and the whole experience with pre-placement modules lasts four to six weeks.

Best for: Year 12 students who meet the eligibility criteria and want time in a working research environment.

Keep in mind: Placements are short and the project is set by the host. A Nuffield report is valuable, but it is not usually a paper submitted to a journal.

In2STEM by In2scienceUK

In2scienceUK's In2STEM programme (formerly the In2science summer programme) is open to Year 12 and S5/S6 students and offers in-person STEM placements, workshops, skills sessions and panel discussions. The charity works with young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and its eligibility criteria are set out on its own eligibility page.

Best for: Students from state schools who meet the criteria and want a first look inside a lab or research team.

Keep in mind: Like Nuffield, it is targeted, short and placement-based.

The Big Bang Competition

The Big Bang Competition, run by EngineeringUK, describes itself as the UK's biggest STEM competition for young people. It is free and open to students aged 11 to 18. Entries for the current cycle are open and close on Friday 12 March 2027 at 4pm. The top titles are UK Young Scientist of the Year, UK Young Engineer of the Year and UK Young Technologist of the Year. In 2026, finalists were announced ahead of an awards ceremony at The Big Bang Fair in June.

Best for: Students with a finished project who want national recognition. A strong research project entered here is the closest UK equivalent to a state science fair in the US.

CREST Awards

CREST Awards are managed by the British Science Association and come in three levels: Bronze (around age 11 and up, about 10 hours), Silver (around age 14 and up, about 30 hours) and Gold (around age 16 and up, about 70 hours of open-ended, student-led investigation). The British Science Association says CREST Awards are recognised by universities and employers and can strengthen UCAS personal statements.

Best for: Students who want a structured project award that teachers can run in school. A Gold award shows sustained independent work.

The Extended Project Qualification

The EPQ is a stand-alone Level 3 qualification that many sixth forms offer alongside A-Levels. The AQA version requires 120 guided learning hours, combining taught research skills, supervision and extended independent work. Students choose a topic, plan and carry out the project, keep evidence of each stage, and give a presentation to a non-specialist audience.

Best for: Students who want a research project inside the school timetable, assessed and graded.

Keep in mind: An EPQ is supervised by a teacher and assessed by an exam board. It is not peer reviewed, so on its own it does not count as a publication. Many students use an EPQ topic as the starting point for a mentored paper.

Research with a university academic

UK academics do sometimes take on motivated sixth form students, usually through a direct email. Pick one recent paper of theirs, say specifically what interests you, and ask for a defined project. Our guide on how to email a professor about research has templates that work.

Online one-on-one mentorship with publication

For a student who does not meet the targeted schemes' criteria, or who wants a peer-reviewed paper rather than a placement report, online mentorship is the route that works from any school, state or independent, anywhere in the UK.

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 their chosen field, with sessions scheduled around UK school terms and exam seasons.

What is included:

  • A 1:1 PhD mentor matched to the student's subject.
  • 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, useful for both UCAS and US applications.

87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at science competitions. No research experience is needed.

The UK is also a conference destination for YRI Fellows. Elliot Wong, a sophomore from Sacramento, had his biomedical engineering paper accepted at BioMRH 2026 in Glasgow, with proceedings published in Springer's Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems.

How research helps UK and US applications

For UCAS, the personal statement asks why you want to study a subject and what you have done about it. A research paper answers both with evidence: the question you chose, the method you used and what you found. It also gives interviewers at Oxford, Cambridge and other universities a concrete topic to discuss.

For US universities, a published paper is one of the few credentials that reads the same across school systems. Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard. Families aiming for Ivy League schools can also look at the Top 1% Profile, a 6 to 9 month program for 8 families a year.

A timeline for UK students

  • Year 10 and 11: Try a CREST Bronze or Silver project. If the interest is there, start a mentored project and aim for a first paper before GCSEs finish.
  • Year 12: Apply to Nuffield or In2STEM if eligible. Start the EPQ or a mentored paper. Enter the Big Bang Competition with a finished project before the March deadline.
  • Year 13: Write the UCAS statement around your research. Submit and present. There is little room for a new project in A-Level year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What research opportunities are there for sixth form students in the UK? Nuffield Research Placements and In2STEM for eligible Year 12 students, the Big Bang Competition, CREST Awards, the EPQ, direct work with a university academic, and online mentorship programs such as the YRI Fellowship.

Who can apply for a Nuffield Research Placement? Year 12 students studying STEM subjects, with the programme aimed at students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those eligible for free school meals or who would be first in their family to go to university. Contact your regional coordinator through STEM Learning to confirm eligibility.

Does an EPQ count as a publication? No. It is a qualification assessed by an exam board, not a peer-reviewed paper. It can be an excellent starting point for one.

Does research help with Oxford and Cambridge applications? It gives your personal statement and interview substance. It does not replace strong grades and admissions test results.

Can a UK student publish a research paper before university? Yes, with a mentor and a focused question. See how to publish a research paper in high school and examples on our published work page.

How the YRI Fellowship helps UK students

If the goal is a first-author paper that strengthens UCAS and US applications, the YRI Fellowship is built for exactly that. 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, a mentor letter of recommendation and free help until the paper is published.

Tuition is $2,997, or 3 payments of $999, with scholarships considered case by case. See pricing, read student stories, and apply to the YRI Fellowship. Decisions come within 48 hours.

Sources

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
XLINKEDINEMAIL