This time of year, it is not unusual for good things to come in small packages.

So it is with the announcement of a new internship program created by the Slater Technology Fund. The numbers are not impressive during the spring semester, a half dozen undergraduate and graduate students will earn $3,000 for working 15 hours a week at the state's venture fund. But the numbers belie the potential benefits to the state and the students.

Funded by the R.I. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the interns will identify companies doing new research in the life sciences and biotechnology, and help to determine which ones should get funding. They also will work for short periods at Slater-funded enterprises, thus getting hands-on experience in how these science-based companies work.