Host a fellow

Why become an Innovate for Maine Company?

Mission

Innovate for Maine has a simple mission: to help Maine companies thrive through impactful project assistance and to open students’ eyes to rewarding career opportunities in the state of Maine while gaining valuable real-world experience. We’re proud to say that we’ve matched more than 310 innovative Maine companies with more than 365 Maine college students since our inception in 2012!

Talent

Innovate for Maine recruits students passionate about innovation and gives them the skills necessary to succeed. You can count on a fellow who will be committed to your success and capable of strong work to support your goals. With fresh ideas and cutting-edge tech skills, fellows bring new perspectives that can help companies accelerate projects and growth. UMaine’s innovation experts guide and mentor both the student and the company to promote success.

ConvenIENce

All aspects of fellowship administration from recruitment and screening to training, placement and payment, are handled by the University of Maine. Fellows are employees of the University of Maine and will report regularly to a UMaine supervisor in addition to the company contact. Companies hosting fellows also have regular check-ins with a dedicated contact at UMaine. While Innovate for Maine supports businesses of all sizes, this administrative support can be especially helpful for early-stage startups and small businesses that may not have dedicated HR staff. A flat fee for the program covers the fellow’s salary and all administrative costs for Maine companies that qualify. Fellows are available for full-time (400-hour), part-time (200-hour) or project-based (less than 100-hour) placements.

Workforce Development

You chose to build your business in Maine and you know better than anyone how important it is to build Maine’s workforce for the future. Many companies have gone on to hire their fellows after the program. More broadly, Innovate for Maine shapes the employees and entrepreneurs who will help Maine grow and thrive in the years to come.

KEY DETAILS

Selected companies are those that demonstrate an interest in innovation, a desire for scalable growth, and will provide fellows with a meaningful learning experience. This cohort of Innovate for Maine will be primarily funded by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development to support the many Maine startups and small businesses. If your company meets the eligibility requirements below, services could be offered at no cost or 50% of the cost based on the eligibility requirements below.

If you’re a a non-profit, you can host an intern with us, but the project must have the student working with a Maine small business or start-up. Non-profits also do not qualify for our subsidies, so they must pay out of pocket. If you’re not certain your company qualifies, we encourage you to reach out to us before completing the application – contact program manager, Emma Wilson (emma.wilson@maine.edu), with questions.

Subsidy Eligibility

For-profit Maine company with:

  • <50 employees qualify to work with us at no cost.
  • 50 employees qualify to work with us at half the cost (see below)

If your company doesn’t qualify for no-cost assistance (check eligibility) Innovate for Maine fees are as follows:

  • Summer Full-Time (up to 400 hours), $9000
  • Summer Part-Time (up to 200 hours), $5,400
  • Summer Project-Based (up to 100 hours), $2,700

Learn more on our FAQ page.

Innovate for Maine Fellows have the ability to:

  • Conduct market research and customer interviews or surveys
  • Generate ideas to solve problems and improve processes
  • Write marketing messages and develop new channels to communicate with customers
  • Run “fail fast, fail cheap” experiments to determine innovation feasibility
  • Leverage technical skills to design and build prototypes

Learn more on our FAQ page.

Student fellows can work full time (a 400-hour placement), part time (a 200-hour placement), or on a project basis (a 100-hour placement). When they finish working will depend on the type of placement and the fellow’s schedule. Most fellows working a full-time schedule with 40-hour weeks will complete their internship during the first or second week of August. All internships must be completed by the end of the third week of August. Learn more on our FAQ page.