The following Dear Colleague letter was recently released by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Dear Colleagues,
A new NSF supplemental funding opportunity is now available: Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN)
Please see https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18102/nsf18102.jsp for details.
Due Dates: Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time, but no later than:
-- May 1, 2019 (for available FY 2019 funds)
-- May 1, 2020 (for available FY 2020 funds)
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From the Dear Colleague Letter:
The Nation's global competitiveness depends critically on the readiness of the Nation's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce, and NSF seeks to continue to invest in programs that directly advance this workforce. As part of this effort, a supplemental funding opportunity is available in fiscal years FY 2019 and FY 2020 to provide support for non-academic research internships for graduate students to support career opportunities in any sector of the U.S. economy.
NSF's 2018 Science and Engineering Indicators report reveals 79 percent of master's level STEM graduates and 57 percent of doctoral degree holders work in industry or government. It is therefore important that graduate students supported by NSF grants be provided opportunities to develop skills that prepare them to be successful for a broad range of academic and non-academic career paths. In addition to deep and broad preparation in their technical areas of expertise, skills and knowledge regarding communication, innovation and entrepreneurship, leadership and management, and policy and outreach are becoming increasingly valuable to enter any sector of the workforce.
The PI of an active NSF award may request supplemental funding for one or more graduate students to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences that will augment their preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting. To be eligible, graduate students must have completed at least one academic year in their graduate programs and be making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees.
View this opportunity online.