The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is accepting applications for the 2026-27 High School Apprenticeship Challenge, which subsidizes paid high-school internships at eligible Massachusetts life sciences employers and research institutions.
Deadline: MLSC does not publish a fixed final application deadline for host organizations. Funding is first-come, first-served and is committed only after an intern offer request is approved. Eligible internships must take place between May 1, 2026 and April 30, 2027.
Funding: MLSC reimburses eligible host organizations up to $4,080 per intern, based on $17 per hour for six weeks of full-time work. Companies may receive subsidy for up to two interns, for a maximum stated company reimbursement of $8,160. Research institutions may subsidize up to 35 interns in the program year, or up to $142,800 at the stated per-intern maximum. Reimbursement is made after the internship and required documentation are completed.
Eligible host organizations: Massachusetts-based life sciences organizations and eligible service providers/research institutions. Internships must occur at a Massachusetts commercial site; hybrid positions must be at least 40% in-person. Organizations must be registered to do business in Massachusetts and provide current Certificates of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and Secretary of the Commonwealth, a signed W-9, and EFT authorization. Except for research institutions, subsidy eligibility is limited to organizations with 100 or fewer FTEs in Massachusetts and no more than 250 employees worldwide.
Employment and reimbursement rules: Interns must be direct W-2 employees of the host organization and cannot be placed through a recruiting or third-party staffing agency. Payroll taxes and payroll-service fees are not reimbursable. An internship subsidized under this program cannot also be subsidized by another Massachusetts state entity such as MassTech or MassCEC.
Submission: Host organizations create an MLSC application-portal account and submit the organization application. Once approved, hosts receive access to the candidate database and must submit individual offer requests for MLSC approval before funding is reserved. Program contact: internship@masslifesciences.com.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 76/100. School Funding Score: 82/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. This is a workforce wage-subsidy program, not a clinical-device or equipment grant, so Atlas is not forcing a Nonagon N9+ use case. QC Healthcare Fit: 10/100 conditional.
Dr. Miltie direct-host fit: 65/100 conditional. A direct host pathway would require a real Massachusetts commercial worksite, Massachusetts registration and current good-standing certificates, compliance with the employee-count limits, and the ability to employ eligible high-school interns directly as W-2 employees. Those conditions are not currently verified, so no Dr. Miltie host pursuit or external outreach is being advanced.