Traineeship at an international institution and an opportunity to get acquainted with the world of Intellectual Property

Are you interested in a paid traineeship at an international organisation?

The University of Iceland (UI), in cooperation with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), call for applications from UI students for paid traineeships. The traineeships last for 12 months and start mid-September each year. The traineeships are advertised at Tengslatorg. Deadline to apply for traineeships at EPO or EUIPO to the University of Iceland for the period 2024-2025 is 16 February 2024.

Promotional videos for the traineeships can be found on the websites of EPO and EUIPO.

For further information, please contact Oddur Sturluson, Head of Department of Innovation and Intellectual Property at the Division of Science and Innovation: oddstu@hi.is.

The Pan-European Seal Programme
The University of Iceland is a member of the Pan-European Seal Programme, jointly organised by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The programme’s overall objective is to foster a culture of IP, increasing the IP knowledge and awareness of Europe‘s university students and staff, and thus bridging the divide between universities and industry regarding intellectual property. Membership to the programme gives universities access to IP educational material and outreach and education support. The Icelandic Intellectual Property Office collaborates extensively with both EPO and EUIPO on Iceland‘s’ behalf and acted as intermediary regarding the University of Iceland’s membership of the Pan-European Seal Programme.

Paid traineeships
At EPO and EUIPO students could experience a unique professional experience and a universal education in Intellectual Property. In addition, there are other benefits that come with the traineeships, language studies being one. Those students interested in applying for the traineeships must first apply to the University of Iceland which will evaluate whether the applicant meets all necessary criteria and then nominates a set number of students who can then apply to the respective organisations.

Those who are studying in fields with the strongest IP links are especially encouraged to apply (science and engineering, IT, pharmacology & biotechnology, human resources & business administration, international relations & communication, economics & finance and law). After evaluating applications and deciding which applicants to nominate, the University notifies the applicants who can then apply at the official EPO or EUIPO websites. EPO and EUIPO make the final selection of applicants. More information on the application process can be found below.

Who can apply?

All University of Iceland students who:

a) hold a bachelor's/master's degree or are currently enrolled for PhD studies in a relevant field. The degree must have been obtained no more than two years prior to the date of application. Selected trainees must have completed their studies at the time of beginning of traineeship (including the submission of final dissertation).

b) have a good knowledge of one of the EPO‘s working languages (English, German or French), at a minimum level of B1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages.

This means the person should be able to understand the main points of current affairs discussions and job-related dialogue. The person should be able to interact with ease in most situations and describe experiences and events.

More information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages can be found here.

Regarding applications to EUIPO the same applies though there are five working languages (English, German, French, Italian and Spanish).

c) have concluded the required e-learning courses

When applying to EPO the courses must be concluded before beginning the traineeship.

When applying to EUIPO the courses must be completed before the submission of applications for the traineeships.

More information on the e-learning courses offered by each institution can be found below.

Please note that applicants can only apply to one of the institutions.

Application Timeline

16 February

Deadline for University of Iceland application

15 March

Deadline to apply to EPO

31 March

Deadline to apply to EUIPO

April and May

Applications evaluated. Applicants may be invited to a virtual interview during this period.

June

EPO and EUIPO offer successful applicants traineeships.

Mid-September

Traineeship Programme starts

Applications to the University of Iceland

All applicants must first apply to the University of Iceland which will then decide who will be nominated on behalf of the University. Those nominated must then apply electronically on the institution's website.

Traineeship at EPO: The University of Iceland will nominate as many as five students for the traineeships who have concluded basic or graduate studies, or are PhD students, in the fields of engineering, sciences, pharmacology or biotechnology. UI will also nominate as many as five students who have concluded basic or graduate studies, or are PhD students, in the following fields: business, law, economics, finances or international relations.

Fields of traineeships at EPO:

Science, Engineering and IT
Human Resources and Business
International Relations and Communication
Economics and Finance
Law

Traineeships at EUIPO: The University will also nominate five students who have concluded basic or graduate studies, or are PhD students, in the fields of law, Intellectual Property rights, knowledge management, political science, international relations, linguistics, economics, business, entrepreneurship, IT (Data Analysis, information security, business analysis, software engineering, service solutions), communication, facility management (e.g. engineering), and human resources.

EPO and EUIPO make final selections of applicants for traineeships.

Applications to the University of Iceland (e-mail to: inno@hi.is) must include:

Name
E-mail address and telephone number
Information on what field the student is studying in and how far along he or she is in their studies.
An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV) on the standardised EUROPASS-CV format in Word.
a Letter of motivation expressing the reasons for applying for the traineeship and whether the intention is to apply to EPO or EUIPO and in what field. The letter should be written in a way that confirms the ability of the applicant to write in English at least to meet the classification of level B1 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for languages
A degree certificate and/or diploma (a provisional declaration may be submitted pending the conferral of your degree), certified copy.

All information in applications, as well as accompanying documents, must be in English.

Deadline to apply to these traineeships to the University of Iceland is 16 February.

Applicants will be notified a few days after the deadline expires whether the University will nominate them. Those nominated can then proceed to apply formally to the respective institutions on their websites. The University of Iceland will notify EPO and EUIPO on the selected nominees no later than 29 February.

Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Erasmus+ programme since it might provide additional support for travel and subsistence.

Application to EPO

Please note that all potential applicants must first apply to the University of Iceland (see above) and only those nominated by UI can be considered for the traineeships. Those nominated must then apply electronically on the institution's website.

EPO is the second largest institution in Europe with over 7 thousand employees from more than 30 countries. Its headquarters are in Munich but it also has offices in the Hague, Berlin, Vienna and Brussels. EPO focuses mainly on patents.

The traineeship is 12 months from mid-September each year and takes place in Munich. Trainees receive a monthly payment of 2000 Euros (the trainee is responsible for declaring income in the trainee's place of residence. It is declared as foreign income and taxes are deducted as such). All other subsidies must be reported. An additional lump sum subsidy can be requested for travel, 250 Euros each way to and from the EPO at the beginning and end of the traineeship.

Applications to EPO traineeships for the period 2024-2025 can be submitted from 15 February to 15 March 2024

Here is a link to the EPO website on the Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme.

The application submitted on the EPO website must include all the same documents requested for the UI application. Though not mandatory, it could strengthen applications to include a formal confirmation of language skills from a learning institution as well as a letter of recommendation from a teacher or former employer in the relevant field.

Please note that applicants selected for the traineeship must conclude the following e-learning courses provided by the European Patent Academy before starting the traineeship:

Introduction to the European patent system (mandatory for all)
Using CPC (mandatory for students of Engineering and Sciences)
The EPO as PCT authority (mandatory for all those with non-engineering backgrounds)

Application to EUIPO

EUIPO is the largest independent subsidiary organisation of the European Union. It has about 1,200 employees and is based in Alicante. EUIPO focuses mainly on Intellectual Property such as trademarks and designs. The traineeship is 12 months from mid-September each year and takes place in Alicante. Trainees receive a monthly payment of 1200 Euros (the trainee is responsible for declaring income in the trainee's place of residence. It is declared as foreign income and taxes are deducted as such).

Applications to EUIPO traineeships for the period 2023-2024 can be submitted from 1 March to 31 March 2024

The application submitted on the EUIPO website must include all the same documents requested for the UI application as well as a confirmation of completion on either of those e-learning courses:

EUTM in a Nutshell
RCD in a Nutshell

Here is more information about the e-learning courses:
Learning Plan: EUTM and RCD Learning Plan for University Students

Though not mandatory, it could strengthen applications to include a formal confirmation of language skills from a learning institution as well as a letter of recommendation from a teacher or former employer in the relevant field.

Applicants to EUIPO traineeships cannot be benefiting from, or have previously benefited from, any form of traineeships at European Institutions (paid or unpaid). The applicant cannot be or have been an assistant to MPs, contract consultants, intramuros investigators or be or have been a temporary or permanent employee of a European Institution.

IP Educational material

A vast selection of IP educational material is now available to the students and staff of the Pan-European Seal Programme member universities. The material spans everything from single events to whole seminars concluding with certificates of completion.

The IP Link

e-learning centre of the European Patent Academy

Introduction to the European patent system

Using CPC

The EPO as PCT authority

"A year ago I was encouraged to apply for a traineeship at EPO, the European Patent Office. After familiarising myself with EPO, I got excited about the idea of getting to know an international organisation of this magnitude and was confident I would learn a lot should I get an opportunity to train there. The traineeship offered experience in my chosen field of studies at the University of Iceland and the chance to work with capable and experienced professionals in that field. So far, the traineeship has met all my expectations and, though Covid has impacted the process in the past months, the institution has been flexible and solution oriented. As I mentioned, the traineeship has delivered and not in the least Munich itself, which I have found a fantastic city. People from all over Europe are participating in the programme and actively schedule trips and events. I wholeheartedly recommend people to go for it and apply because getting to know the ins and outs of such a big organisation has been a really fun and rewarding experience".

Hinrik Atli Smárason