VIP Applications Open for Spring 2026!

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

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

This opportunity is open to UMD undergraduates who have completed at least two semesters 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 14 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 (New!) 

• Baby Brains (New!)

• Beyond Co-Intelligence: Partnering with Artificial Intelligences to Reimagine Our Future (New!)

• Biosensors

• Engineering on the Edge of Space

• Exoskeleton Explorers: Arthropod-Inspired 3D Printed Robots

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

• Quantum Machine Learning (New!)

• Research/Research

• Researching Innovative Tools for Meaningful Digital Engagement

• TestuGO: A Bluetooth Navigation & Exploration App

• Wind TERPines

• Wood Vault (New!)

If you are interested, please submit your application by Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 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. son