The Partners for the Future program, established in 1990, brings Long Island high school students into Cold Spring Harbor laboratories and gives them a taste of the real world of biomedical research. The program is open to all Long Island high school students entering their senior year; each high school science chairperson may nominate three students from his or her school during their junior year. Twelve student semi-finalists are interviewed by Laboratory scientists and the six or more winners go on to spend a minimum of ten hours per week, September through March of their senior year, doing original research under the watchful eye of a scientist mentor. At the conclusion, the winning students give oral presentations of their research projects to an enthusiastic audience of the students' scientific mentors, Lab administrators, parents and teachers.

Please note: Nomination forms are sent in early February to all high school science chairpersons only. There is no application form and no preliminary information that is sent directly to students or parents. All nominations are due by late March (exact date is noted on forms).

While the students learn a great deal about molecular biology and state-of-the-art research techniques, the main advantage of the program is in exposing the students to day-to-day life in a working lab. Debunking the mythical scientist-in-a-lab-coat image, the students are introduced to a world of relatively young scientists and their interactive support staff in a relaxed, problem-solving atmosphere.