Through this RFP, MPCA seeks to support a Minnesota facility or organization with a grant to underwrite the cost of a summer 2023 Green Chemistry and Engineering Internship, to achieve a purpose or outcome which advances the process or practice of green chemistry and engineering within the host company or organization. The intern’s time can be applied to improving one or more of a company’s products or components, or to developing tools which support wider use or sales of products with green and safer chemistries. Drawing on their technical training in college, the intern will spend about 10-12 weeks with an approximate start date of May 1, 2023, working within the company or organization, learning various ways that green chemistry and engineering practices and purposes can be applied within a commercial or institutional setting.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit MPCA’s Green and Safer Product Chemistry webpage to view examples of possible projects and summaries of past grants.
Applications must be received electronically by the MPCA no later than 4 p.m. Central Time on Friday, March 31, 2023.
Questions and answers
Applicants who have any questions regarding this RFP must email questions to grants.pca@state.mn.us, with subject line: “Green Chemistry & Engineering Internship Q&A”. Staff will gather questions and post answers on the SWIFT Supplier Portal on an at-least weekly basis. The last day and time a question may be submitted is 4 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. The last Q&A will be posted by 4 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
MPCA personnel are not authorized to discuss this RFP with applicants. Contact regarding this RFP with any MPCA personnel may result in disqualification.
Eligibility
Eligible companies and organizations should develop, produce, purchase, supply, assist, or otherwise play a role in determining the chemical composition or engineering of a product, products, or packaging, or one or more components of a product, products, or packaging. Eligible applicants include any such company or organization and must have a facility located in Minnesota, which will host the intern. Applicants may be headquartered outside of Minnesota, including outside the United States.
Eligible projects will include components and learning opportunities related to the use of green chemistry and engineering practices applied to design or manufacture of a specific product or packaging. Project must be complete by December 31, 2023.
Eligible grant costs are limited to the costs of researching, developing, or implementing a green chemistry and engineering intern project in Minnesota. Through the Project Workplan form, applications should include a complete description of the costs that grant funding will be used for.
Available funds
Grant(s) of approximately $12,000 will be awarded to one or more entities.
Investment of matching resources is required; however, no specific amount or percentage is required. Applicants should quantify their match in their application and proposed budget.
How to apply
The request for proposals (RFP) can only be viewed through the online SWIFT portal. The RFP is called an “Event” within the SWIFT system.
- Go to the online SWIFT portal.
- Click on "Bidding opportunities".
- Find the event name “MPCA-Green Chemistry & Engineering Internship” or event ID 2000013659.
- Click "View Bid Package" to see the RFP and forms.
Proposals are only accepted through the SWIFT portal. Applicants are encouraged to get established in SWIFT in advance of the application deadline to avoid problems.
- Register as a bidder in the SWIFT Supplier Portal.
- Choose "Register for an Account” and then “Register as a Bidder.”
Applicants that are already registered in the SWIFT system as a supplier (previously known as a vendor) can use their supplier ID and do not need to register as a bidder. The Supplier Portal now requires Multi-factor Authentication to sign in, and registered suppliers may have to change passwords. We also suggest clearing your browser cache.
Visit the SWIFT Supplier Portal under “Informational Tips” and “Supplier Portal Help” for more information. For questions about applying through SWIFT, please contact the Vendor Assistance Help Desk at 651-201-8100, option 1.
More information
Leaders in Minnesota business are pursuing reformulation of existing products and design of new products using the principles of green chemistry and green engineering. MPCA has supported this movement since 2009, through grants, policy, and assistance.
While the process to establish a host organization goes on, MPCA staff will also work with green chemistry and engineering partners across North America to recruit students or recent graduates from universities and colleges, helping create a pool of candidates from which the company or organization awarded this grant will select for interviews and an eventual offer for their position. In general, intern candidates are required to be:
- A current graduate student OR recent recipient of a bachelor's degree (less than six months since graduation).
- Specialized in a scientific/technical discipline — chemistry, engineering or a related cross-disciplinary emphasis is preferred.
- Eligible to receive payment for work in the United States during the summer term (citizens, residents, non-residents with applicable visas).
- Paid by the host company/organization, at a rate which at a minimum fully expends the awarded grant funds in the project period agreed to by the student and company/organization (e.g., 12 weeks at 40 hours per week at $25 per hour).
- Compensated at a rate which is fair and competitive given employment conditions local to the host facility and commensurate with the intern’s education and experience.
- Available May through August 2023, at a minimum.
The grantee may also use their own intern recruitment and hiring programs and practices, as long as they result in candidates well-positioned to succeed in the purpose of the grant project.