Can Research Done in a Professor’s Lab Be Submitted to Regeneron STS?

By Dr. Harman Brah, MD · Judge, California Science & Engineering Fair

Yes. Regeneron STS permits research done alongside adult researchers at a research institution, such as a professor’s lab, as long as the work is substantially the student’s own.

Two more conditions apply: the mentor must give permission for the student to submit, and the project must be individual research, not a team project.

What “substantially the student’s own” means

Judges assess how much of the work belongs to the student. A lab is full of other people’s questions, methods and data, so this is where lab projects are won or lost.

The hard part is separating the student’s own question and contribution from the lab’s larger project, and saying it plainly.

The student should be able to explain why each choice was made and what they would do next, without a script. Judges probe for exactly that.

Get the mentor’s permission early

The mentor’s permission is needed to submit. Ask the professor or lab mentor well before the deadline, not the week of it.

The mentor is also often the natural person for the Project Recommendation, one of the three recommendations the application requires. Recommendations are due by the same deadline as the application, no exceptions.

For the 2027 competition, that deadline is November 5, 2026 at 8 PM ET.

Individual only

Only independent, individual research is eligible. A team project is not, and it cannot be split into individual entries.

In a lab, this matters. If a student worked as part of a group, they need a distinct piece of the research that is theirs alone.

The lab’s paper is not the STS paper

A lab report or the lab’s manuscript is not an STS paper. The student writes their own original scientific paper, up to 20 pages, for a reader outside the field.

The student does the work here too. A mentor can guide; the student owns the question, the data and the writing.

Disclose the help

The application requires disclosure of all support received with the research project and the application. Entrants and mentors must also disclose participation in paid programs.

An outside mentor should work with the lab, not around it: no new experiments without the PI, no changes to the lab’s data, and the help is disclosed.

Timing

Research done during any year of high school is eligible, so earlier lab work can count. STS is for students in their last year of secondary school in the US and its territories.

If the same project goes to an ISEF-affiliated fair, work done at a university lab needs the Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (2C), displayed at the booth.

Learn how we guide students through this at https://admissioninsight.org/science-fair-research-mentorship/, and see what to finish before the deadline in https://admissioninsight.org/regeneron-sts-2027-final-weeks/.

FAQ

My child did research in a professor’s lab. Can they still enter Regeneron STS?

Yes. Research alongside adult researchers at a research institution is permitted. Judges look at whether the work is substantially your child’s own, and the mentor must give permission to submit.

Does the professor have to approve the STS submission?

Yes. The mentor’s permission is needed to submit the research.

Can a group project from the lab be entered?

No. STS accepts only independent, individual research, and a team project cannot be split into separate entries.

Can my child submit the lab’s paper as their research report?

No. The research report is the student’s own original scientific paper, up to 20 pages, written for a reader outside the field.

Does outside help have to be disclosed?

Yes. The application requires disclosure of all support received with the research and the application, and paid programs must be disclosed by both entrants and mentors.