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Summer Undergraduate Research Programme (SURP)
Summer Research@CUHK
The Summer Undergraduate Research Programme (SURP) provides an opportunity for undergraduate students from overseas universities to undertake research attachments for eight weeks at CUHK during the summer. Students will be actively engaged in research under the supervision of a CUHK faculty member and earn three credits upon successful completion of the programme.
8 weeks |
160+ research topics |
180 students |
Sign up for an innovative summer research experience! |
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Begin your summer research experience with CUHK |
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| Eligibility | A Global Cohort |
| Full-time senior undergraduate students currently registered at an overseas and non-Chinese university with good academic standing.
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Up to 180 international undergraduate students will be hosted. Admission rests with the CUHK host supervisors.
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| Dates & Schedule | Credits & Transcripts |
| SURP will take place during 21 June – 15 August 2026 for eight weeks. Students are expected to devote at least 20 hours per week to the research project. Supervisors will discuss the actual time commitment with their students upon admission.
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Students will be registered in a 3-credit CUHK course titled ‘Independent Research on International Studies’ to conduct a research project. A transcript will be issued to their home institution upon successful completion. Final decision on credit transfer will be determined by the home institution.
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| Diverse Research Topics | Language |
| Over 160 research topics are offered by CUHK host supervisors. Please visit HERE for more information.
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Research work and reports will be conducted in English. However, different projects may have different language requirements as set out by the supervisors.
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| Cultural Activities | Living on Campus |
| Participants will be immersed in the local culture through a series of orientation, social and cultural activities.
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On-campus housing will be arranged on a shared room basis. |
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Watch the video to find out what our past host supervisors and participants say about SURP!
Enjoying CUHK’s scenic campus
One of my best experiences during SURP was spending time on CUHK’s stunning campus. The beautiful natural surroundings, peaceful atmosphere, and breathtaking views of Tolo Harbour created an inspiring environment that made both studying and daily life truly enjoyable!
Mahtab SEYEDMIRZAEI
Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran I SURP 2025
Field research and cultural immersion
One of my most fulfilling moments during SURP was being out in the field, immersed in nature, collecting real time data while understanding carbon dynamics firsthand and understanding how small data points connect to the bigger picture of global change. Understanding the role of wetlands is also important in today’s era where tackling climate change is the need of the hour. It also gave me insights on the blue carbon economy and its potential influence on conservation efforts and carbon pricing.
Apart from professional growth, even personally, this has been a great experience for me to live independently and figure out life in Hong Kong. CUHK has been extremely supportive in this journey. I also deeply appreciate the efforts put in organizing weekly tours and cultural activities for us students, to make everything more holistic and fun.
Kavya IYER
Anant National University, India I SURP 2025
Immersive research and cultural experience
SURP provided me with a platform to experience what research would be like as a student who has never done any lab work before. I really appreciate this opportunity to immerse myself in Hong Kong and experience the vibe at CUHK as a summer visiting student.
Xuhan CHEN
National University Of Singapore, Singapore I SURP 2025
Hands-on clinical and laboratory experience
During the SURP programme, I got to experience hands-on experience in the clinical setting and also handled laboratory tasks like extracting PBMC and performing DNA extractions. The staff of the department I was part of was friendly and supportive, where I could go and ask for support any time during the day.
Patrick TOH
University College London, UK I SURP 2025
Reinforced my passion for tax research
Under the insightful guidance of Professor Bryan Druzin, I deepened my understanding of the Network Effects and Lock-in Dynamics created by the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. This experience has reinforced my passion for tax research, and I’m eager to continue exploring this dynamic field in the future.
Andrew Rhys James LITTLEJOHN
University of Southampton, UK I SURP 2024
Enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable!
This opportunity allowed me to immerse myself in an innovative experimental paradigm that seamlessly blended neuroscientific technology with linguistic theory. I was fortunate to collaborate with a dedicated research team, transforming theory into practice within a dynamic lab environment. This experience was both enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable.
To Chit Yu
University of Cambridge, UK I SURP 2024
Understanding what ‘research’ truly involves as a process
This is my first time doing research, and my main takeaway is understanding what ‘research’ truly involves as a process. I thoroughly enjoyed my project, particularly the fieldwork and sample processing, while also having enough time to explore the city.
Selima CHAN
Brown University, US I SURP 2024
Shed light on what research looks like
Working in the lab, gaining some field work experience and talking to a lot of PhD students helped me to understand how much there is to learn in the field of science. It had definitely motivated me to continue my studies in academia further and shed light on what research looks like. I had a lot of fun in Hong Kong and learned a lot from my lab mates.
Smaksh MAHAJAN
Utrecht University, Netherlands I SURP 2024
Valuable learning experiences
Joining the Summer Undergraduate Research Programme (SURP) turned out to be a truly wonderful decision. Those two months during the summer break were filled with both valuable learning experiences and exciting adventures. Working in a professional research environment provided me with a chance to develop new skills.
Gurbaaz Singh DHALIWAL
Vellore Institute of Technology, India I SURP 2023
