Request for Proposals (RFP): Michigan-based Industry AI Workforce Development Internships

Announcing a NEW competitive collaboration opportunity provided by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) in partnership with NASA. This program is open to any Michigan-based organization that provides workforce development / internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in artificial intelligence and other AI-related disciplines, including machine learning, data science, data engineering, advanced analytics and autonomous or intelligent systems. It requires a demonstrated ability by the organization to recruit undergraduate and graduate level students from State of Michigan higher education institutions for work-based internship opportunities and provides a 1:1 match up to $5,000 per student up to the maximum stated in this RFP. Awards will be made on a rolling basis, based on adherence to the instructions of this RFP and the availability of funds for as long as funds remain available.

About the Michigan Space Grant Consortium

The NASA-supported Michigan Space Grant Consortium’s mission is to develop and promote opportunities that advance the nation and our state’s STEM literacy, education, and workforce pipeline as well as strengthen and promote our state’s network of partners in academia, industry, state and local government. We accomplish this through a broad portfolio of competitively awarded funding opportunities that:

1. Attract students to STEM through unique learning opportunities that spark interest and provide connections to NASA’s mission and work.

2. Engage students in authentic learning experiences with NASA’s people, content and facilities.

3. Enable students to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration and discovery through challenges and work experiences required to equip them with the necessary skills and hands-on experience essential for professional roles that support NASA’s mission and the broader space economy in Michigan.

Program Details

View as a PDF

Award Amount

Up to $25,000 per contract. (up to $5,000 per intern with at least 1:1 match)

Duration Window

September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027

Individual proposals may be for any semester or time frame within the duration window not to exceed August 31, 2027.

Eligibility

To qualify for funding, organizations must be based in Michigan or include a branch or office within the State of Michigan conducting AI related activities. Budgets may include support for up to $5,000 per intern with at least 1:1 match for each not to exceed the maximum award amount of $25,000. Please note: NASA prohibits budgetary overlap with other federal funds provided for the same effort.

Undergraduate and Graduate level students selected for participation must be enrolled at an accredited college or university within the state of Michigan, have a STEM major or area of study, and be in good academic standing. Students selected will be required to (1) complete NASA STEM Gateway registration required by NASA, (2) submit personally identifiable information (PII) required for longitudinal tracking and evaluation purposes that we use to track long term outcomes of all the students MSGC has supported, including next education and employment steps and (3) provide a response to a brief exit survey upon completion of their internship that we use to report to NASA.

Who May Apply

Applications considered for funding MUST be submitted by an eligible representative on behalf of the organization/company. Adherence to the following submission guidelines is required for consideration of funding.

Guidelines

Application Format

1. Statement of Work (1 to 2 pages):

Please provide a response to the following sections, on company letterhead

a. Internship Start and End Dates (can be for any time within the duration window, not to exceed August 31, 2027)

b. Company Description including experience recruiting, selecting, and working with student interns, and from which of the following skilled workforce areas your organization will provide students with skills:

• • • • AI/ML
      • Data Science
      • Data Engineering
      • Advanced Analytics
      • Autonomous or Intelligent Systems

What specific technical skills and/or credentials will student interns leave with?

c. Internship Job Title(s) and Description(s)

d. List of student(s) First and Last name, Email address, Academic Rank, Institution, and GPA for each student identified.

2. Budget

Must be submitted on the MSGC Budget Template and can be for any amount up to the maximum of $5,000 per intern with no less than 1:1 match for each student indicated, not to exceed $25,000 in total direct support requested. Allowable budget items include salary, fringe benefits or stipends. Each student must be represented on a separate line. Please add rows if necessary.

Indirect Costs Recovery: The Space Grant Program’s policy prohibits recovery of management or indirect costs on internship proposals submitted to MSGC for funding.

Cost-Share: The primary source for the match should be indicated as the difference between the company’s total salary/stipend offer, minus MSGC’s support.

Budget Justification: Please include the Budget Justification in the space provided on the MSGC Budget Template marked ‘Budget Justification’. An itemized description for each line of the budget is required. Including student name, level of effort, job title, and calculation for their total salary or stipend.

Application Submission Instructions

All proposal documents are to be submitted using the following Google Form. Please direct all questions concerning this solicitation to mispacegrant@umich.edu or MSGG Assistant Director, Debra Warrick at warrickd@umich.edu.

Post-Award Expectations

If awarded, your organization and/or the student(s) supported will be invited to make an oral or poster session presentation about their experience as part of an upcoming annual Fall symposium hosted by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC).

Finally, please help us continue our mission to foster awareness of, education in, and research on space-related science and technology by acknowledging our grant number 80NSSC25M7087 in relevant publications and presentations resulting from activities funded in part by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. Organizations are welcome to use the MSGC and or NASA Partner Logo in communicating participation in this program (https://www.mispacegrant.org/connect/resources/)