EUNICE INTERNSHIP & RESEARCH PORTAL (EIR) FAQs

The EIR-EUNICE Internship & Research portal https://internships.eunice-university.eu is a dynamic online platform designed to promote mobility driven by research, training, and innovation. It connects students, researchers, companies, universities, and other stakeholders both within and outside the EUNICE network.

The website updates and replaces the original EUNICE Traineeships Portal. It retains the main features of the original portal but offers some important improvements. The difference with the original portal is that the updated 2024 portal is open not only to students but also to graduates and researchers. It will offer networking opportunities for international cooperation project applications as well as internships at companies and mobility for research; and it will have a stronger emphasis on entrepreneurial opportunities.

The companies offering internship opportunities on the portal (EIR-internship) are more than 300, including global multinational private sector companies, SMEs, NGOs. 
We are continuously expanding our collaboration efforts to connect with more high-quality companies, aiming to increase the number of opportunities available and make them more diverse. There are now almost 200 prestigious private sector companies registered on the portal.

An internship is a method of on-the-job training to gain practical technical knowledge and skills that you need for your future professional career. You can think of an internship as temporary full-time employment. It can be 3 weeks, 3 months or longer. An internship should offer genuine project work, a structured work plan, proper supervision in the workplace and by an academic supervisor, mentoring and feedback. An internship is not to be confused with casual work, casual work experience, work-shadowing or source of cheap labour. It should be a high-quality learning experience. In the EIR portal, other than opportunities for an internship at companies, you can also look for a research internship at a laboratory and or research centre associated with one of the EUNICE partner universities.

The EIR targets a wide range of individuals and organizations:
Students: For internships in companies, university departments, and research centres.
Researchers: To foster collaboration and mobility opportunities.
Companies and Institutions: To connect with talent, research projects, and innovation.
Societal Stakeholders: Including any other organizations engaged in research and development.

Yes, the EIR is not limited to EUNICE partners. It also facilitates collaboration and mobility with institutions outside of the EUNICE network, both within the EU and beyond.

The primary goal of the EIR is to foster mobility and collaboration driven by research, training, and innovation. By connecting students, researchers, companies, and societal stakeholders, the platform promotes knowledge exchange and the development of new opportunities across the network.

The EIR provides active and interactive support by connecting key players from academia, the public sector, and industry. It helps them collaborate on international calls for joint projects, such as those under Erasmus Mundus, the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of Horizon Europe, and other national, regional, or European strategic partnerships.

The EIR supports applications for various prestigious international programmes, including:
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees
Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of EIT
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under Horizon Europe
Strategic partnerships in national, regional, and European programmes

The EIR facilitates project scouting by actively advertising specific calls for joint projects. Registered users (students, researchers, companies, and societal stakeholders) who subscribe to alerts will be notified about relevant opportunities that match their interests and expertise.

Any registered user of the platform, including students, researchers, companies, and societal stakeholders, can receive tailored alerts about international project calls. Users simply need to sign up for notifications based on their areas of interest.

Users can enroll for alerts through the EIR platform, ensuring they receive timely notifications about specific funding calls or collaboration opportunities that align with their research, technology, or innovation goals.