State secures $4.53 million to extend UNLV paid STEM internship program through 2029

The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development has secured $4.53 million in new federal funding to extend its Talent Retention Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas through Aug. 31, 2029.

Administered locally as StepUp & StartUp, the initiative places science, technology, engineering and mathematics students into paid internships with Nevada startups and high-growth technology companies. Participating students earn $21 per hour while gaining practical industry experience, professional mentoring and pathways to long-term employment in the state.

State officials originally launched the Talent Retention Program in 2023 using T-Mobile settlement funds administered by the Nevada Attorney General’s Office. During its first three years of operation, the UNLV program supported 597 paid internship placements involving 313 students and 80 employer partners across engineering, computer science, mathematics, information management systems, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, healthcare technologies, software development, cybersecurity and renewable energy.

Karsten Heise, senior director of strategic programs and innovation at GOED, said the program was created both to keep scarce engineering and science talent in Nevada and to support early-stage founders operating on tight budgets while students seek paid work to finance their education.

“Most recently, we have been witnessing very promising growth of deep-tech startups, and through this program we will be able to provide those highly specialized and technology-intensive firms with exactly the engineering and science talent they are seeking,” Heise said.

One participating employer is Vena Vitals, a Las Vegas medical device startup developing wearable continuous blood pressure monitors out of its laboratory at Roseman University’s Bioscience Collaborative. CEO and co-founder Ray Liu said the company has hired four UNLV interns through the program and transitioned two of them into full-time roles after graduation.

“The program has helped us build a strong talent pipeline by allowing both our company and the interns to evaluate each other for a potential fit before committing to a long-term salaried position,” Liu said. “This is especially meaningful for a startup like ours because it mitigates the risks of recruiting and hiring solely based on interviews. As a result, we give interns real-life projects that they own, and we really put them through the wringer.”

University officials noted that the initiative also connects emerging businesses with broader campus infrastructure. Zach Miles, UNLV vice president for economic development, said participating startups can work with the university’s Economic Development Office to access university technologies, specialized laboratories, funding programs and additional resources.

Rama Venkat, dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV, said employer demand has broadened significantly as the program has matured. While early requests focused heavily on software developers, computer engineers, cybersecurity professionals and information technology specialists, companies are increasingly seeking students with expertise in mechanical, electrical and civil engineering, manufacturing, product design, robotics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, data analytics and business information systems.

“These requests reflected the interdisciplinary nature of modern product development, where successful innovation requires teams possessing complementary technical skills,” Venkat said.

The next phase of StepUp & StartUp begins with the spring semester, with internships running from Jan. 19 to May 15, 2027. UNLV expects to place roughly 200 students across 60 companies over the next two semesters. Startups and technology-based companies interested in hiring UNLV STEM interns can contact [email protected] for more information.