NSF is pleased to provide you with information about funding support to enhance professional development opportunities for graduate students that is available to Graduate Research Fellows and Honorable Mentions, through supplements to current NSF grants.  These supplements provide graduate students with the opportunity to augment their research assistantships with additional non-academic research internship activities and training that will complement their academic research experiences.

INTERN (Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students Supplemental Funding) provides graduate students with an opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that will augment his/her preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting, including the following:

• Industry laboratories or industry research and development groups;
• Start-ups, such as (but not limited to) those funded through the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program;
• Government agencies and National Laboratories;
• Policy think-tanks; and
• Non-profit organizations.

The period of support is up to six months for an internship, and there can be two supplemental requests, for a maximum of 12 months per student.  The supplement can provide up to $50,000 per student per six month period.  Funds may be used to support travel, tuition and fees, health insurance, additional stipend and temporary relocation costs for the graduate student.

More information on INTERN (Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students Supplemental Funding) can be found here: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17091/nsf17091.jsp.