ImPACT internships are 160 hours long.  How those hours are distributed is up to the internship host and the intern. Some hosts prefer a full time arrangement for 4 weeks, and some prefer a part time arrangement over 2-3 months.

Biomedical, biological, and life science PhD graduate students who have passed their qualifying exam are eligible to apply for ImPACT.  Faculty mentor consent is required prior to apply.  Internship partners can define minimum intern qualifications.

UNC pays for the administration of the ImPACT program as well as the intern’s salary at their current graduate student stipend rate.

The student’s health insurance continues during the internship and they are covered under UNC’s Worker’s Compensation plan.

Internships can take place any time of the year that is convenient for all the parties involved.

Trainee interest is broad and spans the following areas:

• Business Development and Entrepreneurship
• Technology Transfer
• Science Policy
• Industry Research and Development
• Teaching Intensive Careers
• Outreach, Research/Program Administration
• Science/Medical Writing

ImPACT began in 2014 and since then close to 150 interns have been matched with more than 40 local employers including Beckton Dickinson, Cato, RTI, Rho, Roivant, Chiesi, AgBiome, Bayer Crop Science, NC Biotech Center, Parion, and others.  For a list of internship current and past partners please go to http://tibbs.unc.edu/unc-impact-program/unc-impact-program-intership-partner-list/.

The internship application process consists of two phases – 1) an internal UNC application wherein trainees are chosen by the ImPACT leadership team, and 2) selection of a phase 1 winner by the internship provider.

It is mainly the trainee’s responsibility to set up the internship and phase 1 winners are aware that an internship placement is not guaranteed. ImPACT will work with partners to facilitate a beneficial pairing, but the internship host has final say in the decision.

An internship agreement, called the Scope of Work document, will be prepared for each internship to outline the expectations of the intern, the start and end dates, and the anticipated learning outcomes. The internship provider, the trainee, and the trainee’s UNC research mentor are all signatories.

Internships need to meet the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) criteria for internships:

• There needs to be clearly defined learning objectives related to the intern’s career goals and the experience must have a defined beginning and end
• The skills or knowledge learned should be transferable to other employment settings.
• There must be supervision by a professional with expertise in the field who provides routine feedback
• There must be resources, equipment, or facilities provided by the internship host that support the learning objectives/goals