FAQs: ACS DICR Internship Program for College Undergraduates

The goal of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship Program is to encourage undergraduate college students who are part of an underrepresented minority group in the biomedical field to pursue a career in cancer research by providing them with a mentored research experience. We anticipate that exposing students to cancer research, mentoring, and career-development activities will ultimately advance diversity and inclusivity in the cancer research workforce – driving greater innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Yes. Specific populations are underrepresented in science, including for receiving grant funding.

These groups are collectively called populations underrepresented in science:  

• Certain racial and ethnic groups
• People with disabilities
• First-generation college graduates
• People from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds 

For more information, see Get the Facts | Diversity in Extramural Programs. 

For 10 weeks, undergraduate-student interns:

• Engage in hands-on research
• Are mentored by accomplished investigators and experience the day-to-day world of cancer research while participating in research projects
• Work in a collaborative environment with other scientists in cancer research labs or in clinical or community settings at leading research institutions, such as teaching hospitals, universities, medical schools, and cancer centers 

Throughout the year, interns also actively engage in planned, longitudinal career-development and networking activities. 

Each institution will propose a start date for their internship program; however, we anticipate the funded institutions will start their internship program sometime between May and June.

ACS will monitor the program on an ongoing basis. Institutions will use surveys to collect baseline and longitudinal data.

• The de-identified, aggregated collected data will help us identify the successes and need for potential modifications of the program, including but not limited to:
• Gauging the amount of elicited interest in pursuing a career in biomedical research or other health science
• Identifying the percentage of interns who stay within the field at each institution
• Determining if there are any system-imposed barriers to achieving excellence in inclusivity

A formal program evaluation will occur every 5 years.  

To apply and be eligible for funding, institutions must:

• Be in the US and have undergraduate and graduate degree-granting programs, professional degree-granting programs, or be an eligible nonprofit institution with a current letter from the Internal Revenue Service conferring nonprofit status.
• Have evidence of an active cancer research program with a track record of extramural funding and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Have documentation of the appropriate resources and infrastructure to support the proposed grant, including its financial management and management of its research subjects.
• Have experience with pathway programs and have held an ACS institutional grant (ACS IRG, CHERC, ACS DICR SHE, Post-Baccalaureate Fellows), NIH R25, or similar grants.

ACS DICR Internship institutions may request support for 4 to 8 ACS DICR interns per year.

Interested institutions may email DiversityResearchTraining@cancer.org. The ACS DICR team will invite eligible institutions to apply for the ACS DICR Internship Program through ProposalCentral. 

The deadline for ACS DICR Internship applications is April 1.

 The ACS DICR Internship peer review committee convenes in June to review all submitted applications.

Institutions apply April 1 and receive notice of funding decisions in July. The start date for the project period is January 1.

Institutions are funded for up to a 3-year project period with $132,000 for direct costs only. Institutions may apply for a lower award amount depending on the number of interns they propose to train. 

The award includes a $5,000 stipend to support each of the 4 to 8 interns selected. The award also includes discretionary funds for the PI to use for the benefit of the interns, such as team-building activities or for offsetting housing or travel costs.

To be eligible for funding, applicants for Principal Investigator/Program Director must:

• Be a full-time faculty member and have attained the rank of Associate or Full Professor (or equivalent) at an eligible academic institution in the United States or an eligible nonprofit.
• Have a track record of extramural funding, mentoring junior investigators, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and administrative/leadership experience (such as deputy director or director of a program, center, or department).

No. ACS funds a single institution and single PI. Although we do not allow multiple PIs, institutions may have other doctoral-level faculty help lead the program.

Internship eligibility is guided by the NIH definition of underrepresented minorities in science.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be:

• Rising college sophomores, juniors, or seniors who are part of a URM group with an interest in any STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) 
• In good academic standing with at least a 3.0 GPA
• Full-time students and cannot be enrolled in summer courses concurrent with the internship

No.

No. Admission to the ACS DICR Internship programs requires an application to an institution with an active DICR Internship Program funded by the ACS. See a list of current ACS DICR Internship institutions. 

The internship is a paid work experience. Students who are selected receive a weekly stipend of $500 for 10 weeks, totaling $5,000 for the summer internship. 

No academic credit is awarded for the completion of this summer program.