Summer research school for high school students
The summer research school for high school students is Karolinska Institutets initiative to introduce Swedish high school students to research during the summer. Each year approximately 100 high school students apply to the summer research school and up to 20 are accepted to partake.
The decision on whom to gets accepted to the summer research school is based on excellency in natural and technical sciences based on high school grades, recommendation letters from teachers who teach them in high school, and personal letters showing exceptional interest in natural and technical sciences.
Summer research school for high school students 2025
The summer research school for high school students held at Karolinska Institutet intends to introduce Swedish high school students to research and what it is like to be a researcher. The students that apply to the summer research school are often students that excel at natural sciences in high school and show a particular interest in science as a discipline. Students that partake in the summer research school often continue their education at university in programmes such as medical school at Karolinska Institutet. Some students end up doing Ph.Ds themselves later on.
This page is intended to give more information to potential supervisors. If you're a high school student intending to apply, please visit this page in Swedish found here:
Structure of the summer research school for high school students 2025
The main part of the summer research school is the research project being done during a five week span in June and July, flanked by an introductory week and a presentation week. During the research project part of the summer research school various social activities are also held for the high school students.
The dates for 2025 are the following:
- Introductory week: 17th of June to 20th of June
- Time span for research project: 29th of June to 2nd August
- Presentation week: 28th of July to 1st of August
How do you become a supervisor in the summer research school for high school students?
To become a supervisor in the summer school for high school students you need to be an active researcher at Karolinska Institutet or affiliated to Karolinska Institutet. The minimum requirement for you to become a supervisor is that you're a Ph.D. student. Hence in addition to Ph.D. students, postdocs, senior scientists, principal investigators, and the like are welcome to become supervisors.
To become a supervisor you need to be in contact with either Kim or Jen, whom are the ones responsible for the summer research school. Before contacting either one makes sure that you have coordinated with your research group leader on whether it is possible for the lab to host a high school student in the summer. Contact information for Kim and Jens can be found at the bottom of this page.
What is expected of you as a supervisor in the summer research school for high school students?
When supervising a high school student in the summer research school you need to be present in the lab and supervising the student during the time that the student is in the lab. However, during the five weeks set aside for the research project the students are allowed to take a one-week vacation during the research project period and hence you can coordinate this vacation of one week during the period of 24th of June to 26th of July.
On top of being present in the lab and actively supervising the student you should also make sure the student has been informed about various safety requirements that might be specific for you laboratory in addition to helping them get an access card and similar things.
During the summer research school the students have various assignments, on top of the research project, that they are expected to complete. The only one of these that you as a supervisor are expected to help with is the final presentation of the research project. This final presentation will be a presentation about the research project that they have done, including background, methods, and results, and hence the student will need help with structuring and practicing the presentation.
What do you get as a supervisor in the summer research school for high school students?
As a supervisor you are entitled to a bench fee of 20 000 SEK per student you supervise. This can be used to fund trips to international conferences or maybe to buy a new computer for lab work. One is allowed to supervise two students at the same time, which doubles the bench fee that one receives.
In addition to the bench fee one gets to supervise a highly engaged and excited high school student during the summer and get to show them what it is like to do research and to be a researcher. If the supervisor is a Ph.D. student the fact that one has been a supervisor can help with completing the goals required for a Ph.D. in the form of teaching of communicating with the public (goals might vary between departments at Karolinska Institutet).
What kind of research projects are appropriate during the summer research school for high school students?
Trying to figure out what kind of a research project is appropriate for a high school student can be daunting at first. However, one should keep in mind that the goal is to introduce the student to research by giving the student a chance to perform research. Hence, a project involving doing PCR, Western blots, and some phenotypic screens of some kind are completely fine. Maybe there is something that you've wanted to test, but haven't had the time?
However, the research project should be at least four weeks of full-time work and depending on the proficiency of the high school student you can gauge the level of complexity the project should have and adjust it as you go during the summer. Note that there are no requirements to get "results" as all kind of experiments, successful or not, are also results and often troubleshooting will teach the student a lot about what research is!
If you wish an assessment on whether your project is appropriate, please don't hesitate to contact the individuals responsible of the summer research school.
Before the start of the summer research school you will be asked to give a short summary of the project you're thinking of in order for pairing of students with supervisors is possible.
What is the language of the summer research school for high school students?
The students are informed about the fact that many parts of the summer research school will be in English. Hence, if you're not proficient in Swedish and are only comfortable working in English that is not a problem during the summer research school when supervising the student.
Who is responsible for the summer research school for high school students?
The summer research school for high school students is led by Kim Vestö and Jens Karlsson. We both have received our doctoral degrees from Karolinska Institutet and have have extensive experience in supervising students all the way from high school students to master students. With our experience in mind we can truly recommend being a supervisor for a high school student in the summer as it is one of the most fun things one can do as a researcher at Karolinska Institutet!
If you have any questions regarding the summer research school for high school students do not hesitate to contact us.