Grants made at scale: implementing a regional research administration student internship program in maryland and delaware

GRANTS MADE AT SCALE: Implementing a Regional Research Administration Student Internship Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Integrative Activities awarded $1.66 million under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) on September 1, 2025, to develop and implement a comprehensive research administration internship program across five institutions in Maryland and Delaware. This four-year project (through August 31, 2029) addresses critical workforce shortages in research administration by creating a "grow your own" internship model that provides undergraduate students with hands-on training, practical skills development, and career pathways into the field. The program delivers experiential learning through direct placements in participating institutions' research offices and centers, complemented by a cross-institutional cohort component that includes professional development workshops, mentorship opportunities, networking activities, and involvement as co-researchers in regional and national conference presentations and research administration journal publications.

UMBC coordinates implementation across four sub-awardee institutions—University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State University, University of Baltimore, and Morgan State University—with each subrecipient assigning dedicated senior personnel and specialists to mentor student interns and manage program activities on their respective campuses. Participating institutions conduct quarterly collaborative meetings, attend relevant professional conferences to disseminate project findings, and participate in external evaluation activities to assess program design and impact. The project establishes a replicable, scalable model for workforce development in research administration that enables mid-sized, smaller, and emerging research institutions to build institutional capacity and remain competitive in increasingly complex research environments while supporting the broader national research infrastructure.

Abstract

This project develops and implements a research administration internship program for undergraduate students at five institutions in maryland and delaware ? A region with high research activity and high demand for research administration professionals. Students represent a large, well educated, but as-yet largely untapped pool to meet the workforce needs in research administration, a field facing a scarcity of trained candidates in the pipeline. Through this ?grow your own? Internship approach, students have a viable career pathway into research administration that also helps build capacity in research administration at their respective institutions. In addition, the project charts a course for a sustainable, replicable, and scalable internship model that other institutions can follow ? Particularly mid-sized, smaller, and emerging research institutions ? As they aim to build their workforce and remain competitive in increasingly complex research environments. Over the long term, the broader impacts of the project include enhancing research infrastructure, building capacity in research administration, and strengthening research competitiveness for institutions across the U.S. The comprehensive internship program provides students with hands-on training and practical research administration skills through placements in research offices and centers across participating universities, thereby supporting research administration for the institution. Students also gain broader professional and academic experience via a cross-institutional, cohort-based component of the internship, which includes professional development, research activities, on-campus and external mentorship, and networking. Students are included as CO-researchers on presentations and workshops at regional and national conferences and papers for research administration journals. Through these initiatives, student interns engage in scientific participation while gaining familiarity with the processes, obtaining relevant workforce experience, and developing strong networks in the growing field of research administration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.