Description
Open call for new Summer Science Program curricula
SSP International, Inc’s flagship program, the Summer Science Program, is seeking innovative, immersive summer enrichment curricula designed to reach highly motivated high school students. These will maintain the Summer Science Program’s rich history of challenging but supportive educational and research experiences but in a new topic area.
In 2026, SSPI will select one new Summer Science Program curriculum for development, aiming for a pilot program to run in 2027. The authors will partner with SSPI to develop, test, and launch this new curriculum, with funding available for development, testing, and program operations.
For a program to be piloted in the summer of 2027, we must receive the completed Letter of Intent (LOI) by Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET, and (for those selected) the full proposal by Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Time permitting, early submissions will be reviewed and returned with comments. Required LOI and proposal elements and submission instructions are provided below. We welcome requests for clarification and other questions which should be addressed to newcurricula@ssp.org.
About SSPI’s Summer Science Program: The Summer Science Program is one of the most prestigious science enrichment programs in the world. A 34-day residential program that has operated annually since 1959; the Program attracts thousands of applicants from across the world. It provides highly motivated high school rising seniors with an intensive, hands-on immersion into interdisciplinary, collaborative research. Find more information on our website.
Topic areas: While we welcome the submission of curricula in any STEM discipline not already offered by SSPI, we will give strong preference to proposals in the following disciplines:
- Organic, synthetic, physical, or green chemistry
- We welcome proposals to adapt a previous Synthetic Chemistry program
- Materials Science
- Atmospheric science, atmospheric modeling, and climate science
- SSPI's current Summer Science Program curricula cover the following topics: astrophysics (orbit determination), biochemistry (enzyme characterization and inhibitor design), bacterial genomics (directed evolution and bioinformatics), and cell biology (cell cycle disruption by CRISPR).
Requirements
LOI submission and evaluation:
Submissions may be made by an individual or a team (maximum of 3). Institutional endorsement is not necessary at this stage. Funding will be conditional on a license agreement giving SSPI ownership of the curriculum and derivatives thereof.
The evaluation of LOI will be based on the key elements described below and the program’s adherence to the Required criteria section in the full proposal document. Strong preference will be given to proposals where the author(s) are willing to develop and lead the program for more than one summer.
LOI – Submission, key elements, and evaluation:
To submit a LOI within this RFP:
- Address each of the key elements below in a maximum of two single-spaced pages (11 pt font or larger, one-inch margins). You may submit at most two additional pages of illustrations, figures, or tables.
- Please also attach a CV or biosketch for each author (these do not count towards the page limit).
- Email a PDF file of the completed documents to newcurricula@ssp.org
Key elements of this LOI:
- Name of the proposed curriculum and brief executive summary (3-4 sentences).
- Name, title, institutional affiliation, and contact information for each author.
- Identify which individual(s) from the team will serve as the required academic faculty during the pilot program (June – August 2027).
- Provide an overall description of the project, including the central question to be addressed and examples of group sub-projects. The research project should be experimental, not theoretical, and feasible for a novice scientist to complete the required laboratory work in ~75 hours.
- List the general and specific field(s) of STEM involved; if non-STEM disciplines are involved, identify them as well.
- Provide information about any limiting reagents including equipment that might not be available at small liberal arts colleges (not R1s), expensive consumables, and/or hazardous materials; a full equipment and consumables list is not required, but proposals should aim for yearly costs to run at or below $500 per participant.
- If this program has been run as, or will be modified from, a course-based research experience (CURE) at a university, please describe where/when this was run, how many students it served at a time, and provide the syllabus (not included in page count). SSPI has had success adapting CUREs to the Summer Science Program framework, so we consider this to be a strength.
- Describe your personal experience with this project/experiment, including whether you developed the project yourself, or one closely related to it.
Evaluation of the LOI:
The competitive selection process provided for this LOI will focus on:
- the proposed research topic and potential interest for Summer Science Program applicants
- feasibility for expansion at Summer Science Program host campuses where advanced equipment availability may be limited
- potential financial limitations of the proposed research
- potential for multi-year data collection, publishing potential, and the potential to develop novel research questions over time within the project framework
- feasibility to adhere to SSPI’s Required Criteria for Summer Science Program projects, as outlined in the (invited) full proposal document for Summer Science Program projects.
- the authors’ collective experience developing successful course-based undergraduate research programs, summer research programs, or other offerings relevant to entry-level research
SSPI staff and reviewers will select at most three LOI from stage one to invite for the full submission process. Authors will be notified by August 28th, at the latest.
Timeline considerations:
- October 2026 – March 2027
- Development work following a backwards course design, with a focus on experimental flow and timelines before moving into lectures, problem sets, and active-learning activities.
- Twice-monthly updates and/or meetings with SSPI staff required to ensure progress, support, and alignment with Summer Science Program practices, policies, and procedures.
- December 2026
- Updated consumable and equipment lists to be provided to SSPI.
- January 2027 – March 2027
- Experimental and protocol testing, with adjustments made to proposed consumables list and equipment as needed.
- April 2027
- Final consumables and equipment lists provided to SSPI staff.
- Required training weekend for all Summer Science Program faculty.
- June 2027 – August 2027
- Trial program with Summer Science Program participants.
- One or more development team members are required to serve, pending SSPI approval, as Full or Associate Academic Directors.
- September – October 2027
Upon invitation, the development team, specifically the on-campus member(s), will complete revisions of curricular materials including changes to consumables, equipment, lectures, labs, etc.
Funding:
SSPI will approve of a single proposal by Monday, October 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET, and provide funding for the development, testing, and licensing of the curriculum, as described below:
- A maximum of $20,000 for development staff pay, split between the development team members.
- For experimental/protocol testing, specific estimates are required in the full proposal (< $5,000). Estimates should be sufficient to cover consumables and reagents necessary for testing and can include limited support for student salaries (< $2,000). Supplies remaining after testing will be shipped, as feasible, to a SSPI host-campus.
- Limited funds (< $3,000) may be allocated by SSPI after program completion to optimize protocols, address noted issues, and generally update materials for the 2028 iteration.
- A contract will be provided outlining the deliverables, pay distribution, and timelines.
For more information visit www.summerscience.org.
