This project develops and implements a research administration internship program for undergraduate students at five institutions in Maryland and Delaware – a region with high research activity and high demand for research administration professionals. Students represent a large, well educated, but as-yet largely untapped pool to meet the workforce needs in research administration, a field facing a scarcity of trained candidates in the pipeline. Through this “grow your own” internship approach, students have a viable career pathway into research administration that also helps build capacity in research administration at their respective institutions. In addition, the project charts a course for a sustainable, replicable, and scalable internship model that other institutions can follow – particularly mid-sized, smaller, and emerging research institutions – as they aim to build their workforce and remain competitive in increasingly complex research environments. Over the long term, the broader impacts of the project include enhancing research infrastructure, building capacity in research administration, and strengthening research competitiveness for institutions across the U.S. The comprehensive internship program provides students with hands-on training and practical research administration skills through placements in research offices and centers across participating universities, thereby supporting research administration for the institution. Students also gain broader p