My Child Does Research in a University Lab, Do They Need Outside Help for Regeneron STS?

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

Often, yes. A university lab gives your child a bench and real data, but the professor runs the lab, not the STS application, and an outside mentor can help with the parts the lab rarely has time for: the paper, showing what is truly the student’s own, the disclosures, and getting ready to defend the work.

Your child still does all of it. A mentor guides; the student owns the question, the data and the writing.

Lab research is allowed, and judged closely

Regeneron STS permits research done alongside adult researchers at a research institution. Judges assess whether the work is substantially the student’s own, and the lab mentor’s permission is needed to submit.

Only independent, individual research is eligible. Team projects are not, and a team project cannot be split into individual entries.

Why the lab is not enough on its own

In our view, the lab gives the student data and a bench, but rarely time on the application. The PI and postdocs are running their own science.

That leaves your child to handle the STS-specific work largely alone.

What an outside mentor adds

The paper. The research report is a maximum 20-page original scientific paper. A lab report or the lab’s manuscript is not an STS paper. The student has to write their own, for a reader outside the field.

Ownership. The hard part is separating the student’s own question and contribution from the lab’s larger project, and saying it plainly. A mentor helps the student find that line and write it down.

Disclosures. 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. Outside help is disclosed, plainly.

Defending the work. Judges probe whether the student can explain why each choice was made and what they would do next, without a script. A mentor runs that practice until the answers come easily.

How it works alongside the lab

A good outside mentor works with the lab, not against it. That means no new experiments without the PI, no changes to the lab’s data, and every bit of help disclosed.

The lab mentor still matters for the application too. STS requires a Project Recommendation along with the Educator Recommendation and the High School Report.

Timing for this year

The 2027 application closes November 5, 2026 at 8 PM ET, and recommendations are due by the same deadline, no exceptions. Research done during any year of high school is eligible, so earlier lab work can count.

If your child also plans a science fair, note that ISEF-affiliated fairs require the Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (2C) for work done in a university lab.

We mentor students who already have a lab and need help turning that work into their own application. See our research mentorship, or read what to do in the final weeks before STS.

FAQ

Can my child enter Regeneron STS with research from a professor’s lab?

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

Can my child submit the lab’s paper or report for STS?

No. The STS research report is an original scientific paper of up to 20 pages. Your child needs to write their own paper about their own contribution, not reuse the lab’s manuscript.

Do we have to disclose outside help on the STS application?

Yes. All support received with the research project and the application must be disclosed, and entrants and mentors must disclose participation in paid programs.

Will an outside mentor interfere with the lab’s work?

It should not. A good mentor runs no new experiments without the PI, never changes the lab’s data, and focuses on the paper, the application and interview practice.

Who writes the recommendations?

STS requires an Educator Recommendation, a Project Recommendation and the High School Report. Recommendations are due by the application deadline, November 5, 2026 at 8 PM ET.