WHAT IS WURP?

WURP (Winter Undergraduate Research Programme), as the name suggests, is a new centralized process for project allocation for research enthusiastic undergraduate students. It encourages students to take up hands-on research experiences over their winter break and later into the spring semester under IIT Bombay professors and their teams during the semester. We have two sub-programs under WURP:

  • iSURP 2023
  • CORE 2023



WHAT IS iSURP?

The flagship project program under WURP 2023, the In-Semester Undergraduate Research Program (iSURP) is a program that facilitates the process of students taking up interdisciplinary projects under the professors during the winter break and these projects will continue during the Spring Semester of 2024. This helps students to undertake projects in their own departments and also helps in launching inter-departmental projects in their areas of interest.



WHAT IS CORE?

CORE stands for Curriculum Oriented Research Experience and the main objective of the program is to provide an opportunity to second and third-year undergraduate students to apply the knowledge they gain from academic courses to research and real-life industry problems. The vision behind CORE is to encourage students to give research a chance and while doing so, not get demotivated by lack of understanding/knowledge of higher-level concepts.

WURP 2023 SELECTION PROCEDURE

Deadline: 11:59 PM, Sunday, 19th November 2023.

Stage 1:

Application for iSURP and CORE projects. Please fill in your general motivation to apply and your previous work experience in the application form. Further, for some iSURP projects applicants are required to do a literature review assignment.

20th November 2023 to 27th November 2023

Stage 2:

Assignment and SOP shortlisting by the WURP Team as well as professors. These questions will help the professors and Team WURP gauge whether a student is driven and will see the project through. Project-specific assignments will help professors gauge students’ interest.

28th November 2023 onwards

Stage 3 :

Professors might request for interviews (virtual) or tests for shortlisted candidates.

All dates mentioned are tentative and may differ from project to project.

Why WURP?

PROJECTS


iSURP 2023 CORE 2023

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I apply for projects? +
  • Go to the WURP Portal and click on the APPLY NOW tab in the top right corner. Next, choose whether you’d like to apply for iSURP or CORE based on the projects you have looked at.
  • You will be redirected to the respective registration Google form.
  • In the iSURP form you will need to enter your details, top 2 preferred project IDs, SOP’s link, and assignment’s link.
  • In the CORE form, you will need to enter your details, your preferred project ID, the SOP link, and whether you have completed the course or not.
How many iSURP and CORE projects can I apply for? Will I be able to update my choices after choosing the projects once? +

In iSURP, you can apply to a maximum of 2 projects from any area. Specify the preference order 1 and 2. Update your choices by the following steps:

  • Go to the WURP Portal, click on the APPLY NOW tab, and select iSURP 2023 in the top right corner.
  • If you have filled out the form once, you will get the option to edit your response.
  • You can now update all your choices and submit new SOPs.

In CORE, you can apply to a maximum of 2 projects from any course. Follow the same steps, as above.

What should I write in an SOP? +

Statement of Purpose should reflect the motivation with which you are filling the application for the project you wish to do. It is used by the professor to judge if you are enthusiastic enough to learn and work for the entire duration of the project. Please write a separate SOP directed towards each project in case you are applying for 2 projects.

Is it necessary for me to have finished the specific course to qualify for participation in the CORE project? +

Whether you need to finish the specific course before joining the CORE project depends on the project itself, which you can check in the project details section. However, we suggest applying only if you've completed the course because it will make your project experience easier.

What is the duration of the iSURP and CORE projects? +

The duration mentioned on the projects is tentative. The project may likely extend even further. The duration of iSURP and CORE projects is a mutual decision between the professor and you. You can put forth your convenient dates during the interview and the professor can comment on his/her availability. Ideally, it is one and a half to three months, starting during winter break and extending into the spring semester. The projects will tentatively begin in mid-December.

Is the assignment necessary to take up the iSURP project? +

Yes, wherever mentioned the assignment is mandatory and an important selection criteria while selecting students for iSURP 2023.

Can I apply for both iSURP and CORE projects? What happens if I am chosen for both of them? +

Yes, you are allowed to submit applications for up to two projects in iSURP and two projects in CORE as well. If you are selected for more than one project, we will request your preference. However, we strongly advise against students taking on multiple projects simultaneously.

What would be the penalty if I leave the project in between? +

Any student who fails to perform satisfactorily in the project and/or leaves the project without the consent of the professor-in-charge will be blacklisted in all further initiatives by UGAC. They will not receive any certification for the program.
Note: We have compiled a “blacklist” of students based on their performances in SURP 2023 and they will not be eligible to apply for WURP 2023.

Where will I be able to see the WURP 2023 results? +

The applicants will receive the link to the WURP 2023 dashboard where the selection status for each project will be updated regularly. The applicants will receive the link to the dashboard via email.

In case of any query, what is supposed to be done? +

Please contact ISAA EnPoWER or any of the WURP team members whose details you can find on the contact tab in the top right corner.