Fall 2026 VIP Applications Open

Are you looking for a research opportunity for Fall? We are excited to share that applications are now open to join a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Team for the Fall 2026 semester. 

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) engage students of all backgrounds and disciplines in research project teams led by UMD Faculty Mentors. Undergraduates join a team of peer students, work towards common project goals, and gain hands-on experience while earning course credit for their work. Team members stay with their team for multiple semesters and progress from training to leadership roles. 

This opportunity is open to UMD undergraduates who have completed at least 2 semesters of higher education by Fall 2026 and are in good academic standing. Applications purposefully do not ask about GPA, grades, or prior academic experience. Students are primarily selected based on motivation, interest, and commitment toward the team they hope to join. 

Students may apply to join one of the 25 VIP Teams. 

• 3D-Printed Video Game-Playing Soft Robots

• <desc> lab: Digital Editing and Scholarly Communication Lab at the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities 

• Baby Brains 

• Belonging for Immigrants and Refugees with Disabilities (BIRD) (New!) 

• Beyond Co-Intelligence: Partnering with Artificial Intelligences to Reimagine Our Future 

• Beyond-Lithium Battery Materials (New!) 

• Biosensors

• Community Learning Garden (New!)

• Engineering on the Edge of Space (Only Accepting Returning Student Applications) 

• Exoskeleton Explorers: Arthropod-Inspired 3D Printed Robots

• F.I.E.L.D.S.: Food, Integrated Environmental, Animal & Laboratory Detection Systems (New!)  

• Go with the Flow! Empowering Hands-on Fluid Dynamics Education

• Impact Lab: Integrated Media for Policy, Agriculture, Climate & Technology (New!)

• Integrating Sociology in Technology, Engineering, and Policy (INSTEP) (New!) 

• Mini-Breadboard Data Center (New!) 

• Quantum Machine Learning 

• Research/Research

• Researching Innovative Tools for Meaningful Digital Engagement

• RetroComp (New!) 

• Sodium Fire Safety in Nuclear Power Plants (New!)

• TestuGo: A Bluetooth Navigation & Exploration App

• The Immersive Realities in Digital Humanities Workgroup (IRiDH) (New!) 

• Water Quality, Outreach, and Wellness - WOW, What a Team! (New!) 

• Wind TERPines

• Wood Vault

If you are interested, please apply by Friday, April 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. 

Applications will be reviewed in the order they were received. Additional information and answers to commonly asked questions can be found on the VIP Students website.