About

The NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (SIP) is one of the most prestigious and competitive federally funded research internships available to high school students in the United States. Administered by the National Institutes of Health's Office of Intramural Training and Education, SIP places students directly in the laboratories of NIH Principal Investigators (PIs) across 27 institutes and centers — including the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and others — for full-time research spanning May 11 through August 31, 2026. The program is free and pays a monthly stipend; students work alongside some of the world's leading biomedical scientists on active, ongoing research projects.

The program receives thousands of applications annually across all tracks and is highly competitive at every level; selections are made on a rolling basis, and spots fill well before the February 15 deadline. High school seniors are eligible if they are at least 17 years old as of June 1, 2026, and will turn 18 by September 30, 2026; those who are 17 at the start of the program must have a permanent home address within 40 miles of an NIH campus. The application deadline is approximately February 15. A critical and often overlooked aspect of the process: admission alone is not sufficient. After submitting their application, students must proactively identify and contact NIH PIs whose research interests them, send personalized outreach emails, and interview — virtually or in person — before being placed. Students who wait passively after applying are at a significant disadvantage. The NIH provides databases to help identify relevant PIs and strongly encourages students to begin this outreach well before the deadline.

Research opportunities span biology, chemistry, engineering, epidemiology, psychology, mathematics, physics, computer science, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical sciences, and other health-related fields. Students attend the NIH-wide Summer Seminar Series, professional development programming, and a Graduate and Professional School Fair, culminating in NIH Summer Poster Day in early August where interns present their work to the broader NIH research community.

For a high school student serious about biomedical research, SIP offers an unmatched combination: federal institutional credibility, PI-level mentorship, a paid stipend, and research infrastructure that no university-based program can replicate.