Decemberf 15, 2008

Purdue, TechLift and The Burton D. Morgan Foundation launch Ohio internship program

The program will provide subsidized summer internship opportunities for students to work at technology companies that are clients of Techlift. The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, based in Hudson, Ohio, is providing partial funding for the program as part of its mission to support and promote entrepreneurship nationally. 

Purdue students can work in small entrepreneurial companies involved in Ohio's key technologies: advanced materials, biosciences, information technology, electronics and advanced energy. The program also will give technology entrepreneurs the opportunity to employ students at an attractive subsidized rate, furthering their business results and evaluating talent for future needs.

"Purdue has a tremendous reputation for academics and in leadership in entrepreneurism," said Chris Mather, president of TechLift. "We are extremely pleased to work with the Discovery Learning Center in Purdue's Discovery Park and The Burton D. Morgan Foundation to link talented Purdue students with northeast Ohio's technology entrepreneurship resurgence."

In addition to working 400 hours at a technology company, students will attend JumpStart and TechLift events to learn more about entrepreneurship, venture capital and technology commercialization, Mather said. They also will meet periodically with other students in the program to compare notes and experiences. 

Gabriela Weaver
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"Purdue has been recognized as a national leader in framing entrepreneurship around its educational mission," said Gabriela Weaver, interim director of the Discovery Learning Center. "Expanding our programs like this broadens student opportunities both geographically and into a very interesting and exciting technology entrepreneurship environment."

The Interns for Entrepreneurship program is available to all Purdue students from the 21-county northeast Ohio region. Weaver said the goal is to fund five to seven interns for the Ohio program's initial class in summer 2009.

To be eligible, companies must be registered and supported by TechLift and define an appropriate and challenging internship experience. Interested companies should contact TechLift at techlift@jumpstartinc.org. 

By next spring, the program also will include outreach visits by Purdue staff to several northeast Ohio universities to share best practices in encouraging student interest and experiences in entrepreneurial companies.

"The foundation is pleased to have played a role in connecting the Purdue University Interns for Entrepreneurship program with entrepreneurial technology companies in Northeast Ohio," said Deborah Hoover, president of The Burton D. Morgan Foundation. "The region's entrepreneurial resurgence has created a wealth of promising opportunities for students to gain valuable experience as well as identify job possibilities for the future."

The Ohio internship program expands Purdue's successful Interns for Indiana initiative, which was launched by the Discovery Learning Center in 2005. Through that program, primarily funded by the Lilly Endowment, 347 Purdue students have been matched with internships at 140 Indiana startup companies and have provided more than 146,500 combined hours of labor.

Purdue's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship is housed in a $7 million facility funded through The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, which was established by the late Burton D. Morgan, a 1938 Purdue graduate in mechanical engineering who started 50 businesses.

About TechLift

TechLift is a JumpStart Program that provides high-value services to technology entrepreneurs in northeast Ohio, including intensive business assistance, access to capital and educational programs. TechLift's goal is to make northeast Ohio a more attractive region to start and grow a technology company. The program was funded by a $15 million grant from the Ohio Third Frontier Project's Entrepreneurial Signature Program, and supported by matching funds from public and private organizations in northeast Ohio. 

About Discovery Learning Center

This interdisciplinary research center, launched by Purdue in 2003, is advancing research that revolutionizes learning in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) and organizes undergraduate student internship programs for all of the Discovery Park centers.

About The Burton D. Morgan Foundation

The mission of The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, a private foundation established in 1967, is "to strengthen the free enterprise system by investing in organizations and institutions that foster the entrepreneurial spirit." The foundation carries out the legacy of founder and entrepreneur, Burton D. Morgan, (1916-2003) who believed ardently in America's free enterprise system. The Burton D. Morgan Foundation is the second largest foundation in Summit County. Grants are awarded three times each year to non-profit organizations, primarily in northeast Ohio.

Writers: Phillip Fiorini, Purdue University, (765) 496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu

Clyde Hughes, Purdue University, (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu

Kelly South, NorTech, (216) 241-8458, ksouth@nortech.org

Sources: Chris Mather, (216) 241-9204, cmather@nortech.org

Gabriela Weaver, (765) 496-3055, gweaver@purdue.edu

Deborah Hoover, (330) 655-1630, dhoover@bdmorganfdn.org

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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