When area bioscience companies announced a new internship program last year to develop and attract talent, the initial goal was to have 100 paid participants this summer.
The program has proven to be a popular one.
Last week, about 170 interns started working in the new program, called SPRINT, which stands for “Student Program to Ready Interns for Next-generation Talent.”
The program is open to students attending Connecticut colleges and universities and to students with ties to Connecticut. The participants this summer met for an official kickoff networking event on June 9.
Mark Argosh, chair of the Governor’s Workforce Council, said the life sciences industry is currently one of the most exciting in the state.
“We want to see Connecticut have one of the largest life sciences sectors in the country and we also want it to be an engine of opportunity,” Argosh said.
The New Haven Regional Bioscience Collaborative was formed in 2021 as part of the Governor’s Workforce Council, with industry leadership and support provided by the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Its goal is to promote the Greater New Haven area as a bioscience hub.
About 25 companies are participating in the internship program, including Alexion, Artizan Biosciences, Arvinas, Azitra, BioHaven Pharmaceuticals, BioRez, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cybrexa Therapeutics, Halda Therapeutics, IsoPlexis, Pfizer, Rallybio, ReNetX Bio, Trevi Therapeutics and 4Catalyzer.
The internships are for a variety of areas within the industry, from research to marketing to finance.
Jennifer Good, co-founder, president and CEO of Trevi Therapeutics, said there were more than 5,000 visitors to the program’s website, with people looking for internships.
“We ended up hiring over 170 interns,” she said. “That puts us on par with New York and Boston, which is really incredible for Connecticut.”
Erika Smith, CEO of ReNetX Bio, said, “A year ago, we had a vision about how we can bring talent to the region and how we can work to really make sure that there is a pipeline of opportunities coming into our companies.”
Vlad Coric, CEO of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, told the interns, “For our industry to thrive and continue to alleviate the burden of disease, we need you. We need talented individuals who early in their career can learn about our industry and advance the field with us.”
For more information about the internship program, visit www.LifeSciSprints.com.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
