Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's Internship Challenge
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Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's Internship Challenge
One of the greatest challenges facing the new biotech economy is advancing on the foundation of a solid workforce. One of the strongest supporting factors for developing and enhancing an industrial cluster is the steady production and recruitment of skilled applicants for employment. This issue has become increasingly apparent in today’s economic climate where unemployment is reaching an unprecedented high and many potential employers are unable to fill key positions. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) has proposed a solution to this dilemma. The Internship Challenge will place 100 local college students with a company or research lab in their field of interest. The intern gets a mentor, and a glimpse of the life of a researcher and the host institution gets not just an open position filled for the summer but the chance to link with a professional for a lifetime. The launch of the first ever Internship Challenge will be held Monday June 1, at 10:00 a.m. located at Nine Cambridge Center in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA at The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
When starting a company there are a number of factors to consider including:
• Access to capital.
• Local incentives for industry.
• A community with a trained workforce.
• Space that will meet your company’s requirements.
• A product with a competitive advantage.
The availability of a skilled workforce is right below getting the funds to build your business.
The MLSC’s Internship Challenge is a workforce development program enhancing the ability of job market talent in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is at the top of life science clusters in the world with Institutions such as MIT, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts, Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute, and large life science firms such as Genzyme, InVivo Therapuetics, New England Peptides, and New England Biolabs. With so many highpoints in the local economy located in the spectrum of the life sciences, it is critical that Massachusetts ensures a steady output of trained, skilled professionals ready to meet the demands of tomorrow’s economy.
Since the announcement of the Center’s Life Sciences Internship Challenge in March, over 500 applicants have submitted requests for placement in the program. Additionally, more than 70 research institutions and companies have committed involvement in the program. As a result, more than 70 applicants have been placed with mentors for this summer. MLSC is holding a launch event for the Internship Challenge Monday June 1, at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge.
The Internship Challenge is open to any student that is a resident of Massachusetts or enrolled full time in a four year college or university located in Massachusetts and majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. The intern receives a $4,800 stipend for 8 weeks this summer while working with a host company that will provide a dedicated mentor, and meaningful internship opportunity. The need for increased internship opportunities was identified as a key finding in a recent study jointly released by MLSC and The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. It is the hope of the Center that this program will continue to inspire interest in the sciences and attract further industry development in the Massachusetts burgeoning life sciences industry.
The launch event will go from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Remarks will be provided by internship sponsors, including InVivo Therapeutics President & CEO Frank Reynolds, New England Peptide CEO Dave Robinson, NP Medical Inc. President Boris Levin, and Jane Staples, Director of Cooperative Education & Internship Programs at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. An expert panel will then answer questions submitted by the students. This session will be led by MLSC President and CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, with panelists including MLSC Scientific Advisory Board Chairman Harvey Lodish, former Vertex Pharmaceuticals President & CEO and MLSC Board member Joshua Boger, Cytonome Inc. CEO and MLSC Board Member Lydia Villa-Komaroff, and Carmichael Roberts, Partner at North Bridge Venture Partners specializing in investments in the life sciences.
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tasked with implementing the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act, a ten-year, $1 billion initiative that was signed into law in June of 2008. The Center’s mission is to create jobs in the life sciences and support vital scientific research that will improve the human condition. This work includes making financial investments in public and private institutions that are advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization as well as building ties between sectors of the Massachusetts life sciences community.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a leading, nonprofit research and educational institution that has defined the cutting edge of biomedical science, creating a legacy of research excellence and academic eminence since 1982. Wholly independent in its governance, finances and research programs, Whitehead shares a teaching affiliation with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), offering the intellectual, collegial and scientific benefits of a leading research university.
Additional articles on the subject.
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) www.masslifesciences.com
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research www.wi.mit.edu
The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council www.massbio.org
Xconomy www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/05/19/dr-sue-skates-where-the-puck-is-heading-in-life-sciences-waltham
*Updated 7/21/09
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