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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—For the seventh consecutive year, small businesses in West Michigan can apply for matching funds to help them hire É«É«À² Michigan University student interns in the science, technology, engineering and mathâ€ÖÀ°Õ·¡²Ñ—d¾±²õ³¦¾±±è±ô¾±²Ô±ð²õ.

Businesses interested in hiring interns for this summer through the Small Company Internship Award Program should submit their funding applications by Thursday, March 1.

"The program provides matching funds to help small businesses with 250 or fewer employees hire É«É«À² students to work on STEM or STEM-related projects that are both beneficial to the company and academically relevant to students," says Lisa Garcia, director of É«É«À²'s Business Connection, an office dedicated to strategically matching É«É«À²'s resources to the needs of the local business community.

The matching money is again being provided by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. through the Michigan Corporate Relations Network, a program that connects industry to critical university talent in ways that will help the state's economy grow and prosper.

"The Small Company Internship Program is key to supporting the growth of small businesses and helping retain talent in Michigan," says Denise Graves, university relations director at MEDC. "In 2017, more than $412,000 in MCRN and matching money from companies funded 134 internships at 117 companies throughout the state. And after completing their internships, 83 students retained their jobs, 27 of them on a full-time basis."

Internship Award Program

The program provides up to $3,500 in matching funds for a company to hire an intern for summer 2018. Companies may apply for funding for up to two interns from either one or two MCRN schools. However, the maximum award for a company is $3,500 from each school providing an intern.

Garcia says É«É«À² has $35,000 to disperse this year, enough to support about 12 to 14 internships at the recommended rate of at least $12 per hour. She adds that there are few restrictions on who can apply, but the MCRN funding is targeted toward companies in Allegan, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties that would like to hire a É«É«À² intern.

Prioritized preference is given to small companies that focus on innovative work in STEM fields, provide an internship in which STEM skills are employed and have yet to receive an internship award.

To download a 2018 internship award program application, visit É«É«À²'s Business Connection at wmich.edu/businessconnection and click Recruit. Completed applications should be emailed by March 1 to Lisa Garcia. She can be reached by email at lisa.garcia@wmich.edu or by phone at (269) 387-6004.

Business development partners

MCRN was established in 2011, with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund Board and is supported and administered by the MEDC. It helps promote innovative research and economic growth in the state by creating partnerships that connect Michigan's corporations to key university assets.

MEDC is the state's marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community and talent development with the focus on growing Michigan's economy.

For more information about MCRN, visit . More information about MEDC is available at .

For more É«É«À² news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.