The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Internship Challenge
Opportunity Description:
Investing in the next generation of life science professionals is at the core of how we fulfill our mission. The Internship Challenge enhances the talent pipeline for the Massachusetts life sciences industry by creating hundreds of new internship opportunities each year for college students and recent graduates interested in life sciences careers. The workforce development program connects employers with prospective interns through an online platform and enables eligible companies to pay their interns for up to twelve weeks by subsidizing intern wages.
Since the program’s inception in 2009, the MLSC has funded more than 5,000 internships with more than 920 companies for students from 250 different academic institutions. Nearly 40 percent of interns that completed college were offered employment directly following their internship. The Internship Challenge has grown to be the largest state-sponsored STEM internship program in the U.S. and serves as a model for similar programs across the country.
Internships can be part or full time and can take place throughout the 12-month program year, which runs from May 1 through April 30 of the following year. The MLSC will reimburse eligible companies for pay rates of up to $17 per hour for a total reimbursement of up to $8,160 per intern.
As part of its commitment to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the life sciences workforce, MLSC also partners with Project Onramp and the UNCF Ernest E. Just Initiative to support internship opportunities for underrepresented students.
Primary Responsibilities:
The MLSC expects that interns maintain a professional demeanor throughout their internship and comply with all host company policies. It is also expected that interns complete all weeks of their internship as initially agreed upon with their host company. If an intern cannot fulfill his or her commitment to the internship, providing sufficient advanced notice to their supervisor is required. Companies reserve the right to terminate the internship at any time and for any reason.
Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements:
- Must meet at least one of the following:
- Massachusetts resident (able to provide proof of residency)
- Attend(ed) an accredited college or university located in Massachusetts (able to provide enrollment verification)
- Attend(ed) an Historically Black College or University (HBCU)
- Must meet one of the following:
- 2-year/Community College/Certificate students must be enrolled in an Associate’s Degree or Certificate program or have completed one within the past calendar year. Continuing Education students are also eligible.
- 4-year college or university students must have or will complete(d) at least their freshman year the semester before the internship starts, or have graduated within the past calendar year.
- Graduate students must be enrolled in a Master’s Degree program or received their Master’s Degree within the past calendar year. Ph.D. and M.D. students are not eligible.
Application Process:
The MLSC accepts applications through its website year‐round – there is no application deadline. Applications will only be accepted online, and must include a resume and cover letter (in PDF format).
Once submitted, applications are made available to companies reviewing candidates and will remain in our database for up to six months. Applicants have the ability to log in at any time to withdraw or update their application.
To register for an applicant account, go here.
Students and companies already registered can log in here to access the application.