The National Science Foundation will distribute $47 million for a four-year pilot that embeds Ph.D. students in private-company research settings to provide “practical experience” at dissertation sites. The pilot aims to address the growing share of STEM doctorates moving into industry roles rather than traditional academic career paths. NSF will fund the first year of participating students through universities, while NSF covers subsequent years through a model where private companies also contribute funding for at least one year of dissertation research. Industry partners are expected to provide at least $100,000 per student over the four-year program, including stipends and living-cost support. The initiative is spearheaded by the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), a nonprofit that began in 2006 under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. NSF said it expects to support more than 250 Ph.D. students over five years and links the program to recommendations in a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy report on overhauling the nation’s research portfolio.