Applying to the NSF-INTERN: Non-Academic Research Internships

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Going through the Ph.D. process makes you knowledgeable about the ins and outs of academia, for better or worse. However, pursuing your Ph.D. does not automatically mean you will remain in academia. By choice, by force, or by happenstance you may pursue a career in research for industry labs, government agencies, start-ups, museums, think-tanks, or non-profit organizations. Going from an academic environment to a role within a different sector may be jarring, as all workplaces have a different culture and expectations. The NSF INTERN program provides graduate students with the opportunity to explore what is is like to work a non-academic research internships.

Graduate students (both masters and PhD) are eligible for this program after completing one academic year in graduate school. As this is a supplemental funding request, PIs must be supporting graduate students through an active NSF award, and that includes an active GRFP fellowship. If you decide to apply, START EARLY. Personally, I was thinking about this opportunity since starting my degree and I started my internship the last year of my Ph.D. I began to make arrangements about 2 years before my start date. Below I will outline my timeline, but my general advice would be to start as soon as possible in case you run into any issues. My application process was fairly smooth.

2 years+ prior

1. Do your research

There are so many options to consider. Really think about where you see yourself after graduate school. Even consider what opportunities your institution has and if your PI has any connections you could benefit from outside of the INTERN program. If you already have certain connections and are still open to other work sectors, maybe pursue the internship where you have the less-established connections.

2. Inform PI and committee with intent to pursue an internship

   
   

I think this is self-explanatory-- always keep your advisors updated. You can apply for supplemental funding for up to 6 months, which is a huge chunk of time. Come to your PI and committee with clear answers to the questions of: who, what, when, where, why, and how?

1.5 years prior

1. Reach out to potential INTERN hosts

At this point you may have one or many places in mind. In my experience, the NSF-INTERN program is not widely known. You will have to have informational meetings with potential hosts to explain your goals and to probe for their willingness to take on an intern.

I think this is one of the easier parts, because you are essentially an unpaid intern in their eyes! It is at no cost to host organization to take you on as an intern.

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2. Begin application

Begin your application well in advance of when you plan to submit it. There is no deadline for applications, but the target date is April 15th of every fiscal year.

I worked with the contracts and grants analyst at my university and it was extremely helpful. They may also already be familiar with the NSF INTERN process at your university.

3. Submit and wait

Admittedly, I submitted a little after April 15th and I received notification that I had been funded in July. My INTERN experience was set to begin in March of the following year!