The Study Zone helpdesk is situated in the Student Services Centre. We offer online and in-person support in preparing your submission to the Showcase. See how Study Zone can help.
Undergraduate Research Showcase
Entries for the 2024 Showcase are now OPEN
Looking to get your research noticed?
Make key connections for your career
Your chance to exhibit at a national conference
2024 Undergraduate Research Showcase
The Undergraduate Research Showcase (UGRS) is an annual exhibition of research that students have undertaken during their time at the University of Exeter. The 2024 Showcase will be an entirely online exhibition running from May to June, with an opportunity for all entrants to attend an in-person celebration and exhibition in early June.
All entrants will compete for prizes awarded by a judging panel to the best entries, ranging from Amazon vouchers to a £500 cash bursary to attend and present at an external conference of your choice.
All Showcase Entries - Deadline Extended to Friday 14th June
To enter your research into this year's Showcase, please use our online submission form. You are advised to familiarise yourself with the information and guidance on these web pages before completing a submission.
Recently completed a disseration or independent project?
We are really keen to showcase student projects completed this year. If you'd like to share your work, we'd love to hear from you! Please get in touch if you have any questions about converting your project into a submission.
Have any questions or need guidance with your submission?
If you are interested to take part, but want to know a bit more, or have questions about our eligibility criteria, and what might make a good submission, you can speak to the team during one of our online drop-ins hosted through Zoom at the following times. Please use this Microsoft Teams link to join in the drop-in at the designated time.
- Thursday 16th May, 11:00-12:00
- Monday 20th May, 11:00-12:00
- Wednesday 22nd May, 14:00-15:00
- Friday 24th May, 15:00-16:00
- Tuesday 28th May, 10:00-11:00
- Tuesday 11th June, 10:00-11:00
- Wednesday 12th June, 15:00-16:00
For more detailed advice and guidance about writing and presenting research effectively, please also check out the resources and support available from Study Zone.
The Undergraduate Research Showcase is a fantastic way to network with other students and promote your research to academics. It will develop your communication skills and help you get noticed on applications for funding and further study. If you are considering studying for a research degree, such as a PhD, this is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate experience in disseminating your contribution within an academic environment to the public and wider university community.
All entrants will receive a certificate of entry and be invited to present at the Undergraduate Research Showcase celebration reception in June.
In addition, participation in the Showcase can be counted towards your Exeter Award hours, which can help you to develop your employability as a researcher even further.
Winning poster entries will receive one of two funded places to attend and present at Posters in Parliament 2024.
All Showcase entries will compete for other prizes including Amazon vouchers and a £500 bursary to attend and present at an external conference of your choosing, such as the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) if accepted to present.
Do I need to be an undergraduate to submit?
No. Recent alumni who have graduated in the last year are eligible to submit research they completed as an undergraduate. If you graduated from your undergraduate degree in Summer or Christmas 2023, you are eligible to submit to the 2024 Showcase.
Do I need to include references on my submission?
Yes. Just like any university submission, it must include references. If submitting a poster or video, we ask that you include the references at the end of your submission. Examples of this can be found on the previous s ubmissions page. The submission form will also ask you to upload a separate document just for your references for all submissions.
Can I submit my research in different formats?
Yes. We welcome a variety of research formats. You are more than welcome to submit your research as a poster, an abstract and a video.
Does my research have to correlate to the subject I study?
No. Most commonly, students decide to submit research in the field they are currently doing their degree course in but that is not compulsory. As long as the research is conducted to university-level argumentation and is referenced correctly, we welcome students to research outside of their degree course.
I have never created a research poster or written an abstract before – where should I start?
Head over to the submissions guidance page for tips, templates and checklists. Make sure to also check out the previous submissions page to get a good idea of what a typical submission looks like.
You can also attend a Study Zone drop-in session for help with your submission.
Can I still submit if my research is incomplete?
We recommend that if you have not yet completed your work that you submit an abstract rather than a poster, as you can give your preliminary conclusions in this abstract. You will be judged just as fairly this way for the Showcase competition, and we often receive entries from students who have not finished their research (there are examples like this one on our website).
However, please note that external events such as Posters in Parliament and BCUR do require you to have completed your research by the time you will come to present at the event itself.
Can I submit research as part of a group?
Yes, you are allowed to submit research as a group. Please ensure that all names of students submitting are on the research (please see this previous example as a guide); multiple presenters will be allowed to present at any internal events we invite you to take part in. You can find more guidance on submitting as a group on the submission guidance page under the general guidance tab.
However, please note that we will only be able to send one representative per poster to those winning entries chosen to attend Posters in Parliament; you must consider who will attend if you are entering a group poster to be considered for this event.
“I think it’s really useful to participate in the [British] Undergraduate Research Conference if you get the chance, it’s a unique experience that’s different from anything you’ll do at university yourself, and it’ll set you up really well for the future if you want to continue into an academic career, or even if you just want to go into something that involves talking to the public. It’s a real core set of skills that will be useful for whatever you want to do.”
Ben Fisher, Biosciences
“The Posters in Parliament event has truly helped to break down the walls in accessing academia as an undergraduate student. Presenting in parliament has built my confidence in presenting to researchers and succinctly summarising my research to an expert judging panel. It was a privilege to see the incredible research by other students from universities nationwide, and it illustrated how our work as students could potentially impact future government policy. I am so glad that I attended Posters in Parliament and that I received a commendation by the judges for my work on Social Prescribing. I would encourage anyone to apply and to make the most out of a fantastic opportunity!”
Daisy Kirtley, BMBS Medicine and Surgery
"Coming to this conference (BCUR) has been a really great opportunity. It’s given us the challenge of having to translate our research, which is from quite a technical field, to non-experts. And an audience, some of which haven’t come from a background of science and medicine, and that in itself is a skill I think we can apply to our future careers in medicine. In terms of having to translate diagnoses and treatments to patients, being a really key aspect of communication with patients and ultimately affecting how they’re cared for."
Lucy Hoades, Medical Sciences