Program Tags: Accepting Applications

Program Overview

Investing in the next generation of life science professionals is at the core of 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.

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. The MLSC reimburses eligible organizations at pay rates from $17 to $20 per hour for a total reimbursement of up to $9,600 per intern.

As part of our commitment to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the life sciences workforce, the MLSC also partners with Project Onramp and the UNCF Ernest E. Just Initiative to support internship opportunities for underrepresented students.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources

Companies and prospective interns must first create an account in our application portal in order to submit an application:

• Intern Registration
• Company Registration

Students and companies already registered can log in here to access the application.

FAQs for Interns

FAQs for Host Companies

Skills Handout

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

The Internship Challenge embodies our belief in the power of experiential learning to cultivate a workforce pipeline.  As the longest-running program at the MLSC, the Internship Challenge has expanded the pool of prospective employees who have practical experience, increased opportunities for mentoring, and enabled more students from across the Commonwealth to explore careers in the life sciences industry.  This initiative has reached every region of our state to the benefit of a diverse pool of talented young people. 

The program creates new internship opportunities for college students and recent graduates by enabling small companies, of 100 employees or less, to hire paid interns. Since the program’s inception in 2009, the MLSC has funded more than 5,800 internships with over 1,040 Massachusetts organizations for students from 280 different academic institutions. Nearly 40 percent of interns that completed college were offered employment directly following their internship.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have further questions regarding the application process, please email: internship@masslifesciences.com.

Program Overview

The High School Apprenticeship Challenge facilitates and funds paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students throughout Massachusetts. The program creates more than 100 new internship opportunities each year by subsidizing intern wages for small life sciences companies and research institutions to enable them to hire paid interns. The program also offers a pre-internship lab training program for some school districts that provides rigorous biotechnology/biomedical and professional skills development.

The MLSC reimburses eligible host organizations up to $4,080 per intern, based on $17 per hour for six weeks of full-time work. Internships can be part-time or full-time and must take place between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025.

The program seeks to create paid work-based learning opportunities for underrepresented youth, supplement life science education with rigorous out-of-school-time (OST) training, foster relationships between economically disadvantaged schools and life sciences employers, develop students’ professional workplace skills, increase awareness of life sciences careers, and build a diverse STEM workforce pipeline.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources

Companies and prospective interns must first create an account in our application portal in order to submit an application:

• Intern Registration
• Company Registration

Students and organizations already registered can log in here to access the application.

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

Since the program first launched in 2016, the MLSC has supported over740 internships at more than 115 organizations. Interns have represented more than 160 Massachusetts high schools and nearly 500 students have participated in MLSC-sponsored OST lab training programs designed to better prepare them for internships. The program has been offered in Boston, Brockton, New Bedford, Worcester, and Cambridge (also serving students from Chelsea, Revere, and Everett).

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have questions regarding the application process, please email: internship@masslifesciences.com.

Program Overview

The Data Science Internship program focuses on increasing the availability of data science talent in the life sciences. The program creates new internship opportunities for qualified candidates, including those at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate levels, by enabling research institutions and companies to hire paid interns for up to six months. The program connects employers with prospective interns through an online platform and reimburses eligible companies (100 or fewer employees in Massachusetts; no more than 250 globally) and research institutions for intern wages. Companies with greater than 100 FTEs in Massachusetts are also encouraged to use the portal to search for unsubsidized interns.

The program is intended to provide opportunities for intern exposure to advanced data analytics and data science applications to the life sciences. Prospective interns must demonstrate proficiency in advanced analytics skills and technologies based on their work experience and/or academic training. Internships can be part- or full-time and can take place for companies any time during the 12 month program year, which runs from May 1 through April 30. For research institutions, there is no specific program year. Data Science internship candidates submit an online application, including their resume and cover letter. There is no application deadline since internship placements are rolling. Approved employers will review applications and contact candidates directly if they are interested in hiring them for an internship.

Through this program, the MLSC also seeks to increase access to internships for those traditionally underrepresented in the data science field, particularly those identifying as women, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources/Application

Companies and prospective interns must first create an account in our application portal in order to submit an application:

• Intern Registration
• Company Registration

If you already have an account, please log in here to access the application.

Research Institutions are asked to email DataScience@masslifesciences.com to register.

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

The Data Science Internship program is designed to address the rapidly increasing demand for data science talent by expanding the pool of qualified applicants by facilitating practical experience and eventual employment in life sciences careers in Massachusetts.

The program contributes to the development of a robust and diverse life sciences workforce by providing new opportunities for students pursuing data science and related majors, engaging research institutions and industry in recruiting from a global talent pool, and increasing awareness of career pathways in life sciences. Since the program launched in 2020, more than 100 companies and research institutions have hosted over 200 interns.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have questions regarding the application process, please email: internship@masslifesciences.com.