Traineeship call for applications
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The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent EU body set up in 2008. We enhance Europe’s ability to innovate by nurturing entrepreneurial talent and supporting new ideas.
Our mission is to:
- Contribute to the competitiveness of Europe, its sustainable economic growth and job creation by promoting and strengthening synergies and cooperation among businesses, education institutions and research organisations.
- Create favourable environments for creative thoughts, to enable world-class innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive in Europe.
The EIT is an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme running from 2021-2027. Horizon Europe promotes excellence and provides valuable support to top researchers and innovators to drive the systemic changes needed to ensure a green, healthy and resilient Europe.
The EIT is launching a call for application for its traineeship programme for a period of six months for an intake beginning of 2025. The trainee will support the daily operations of the Directorate & Administration; Innovation, Education & Communication; and the Knowledge and Innovation Communities Departments at the EIT.
The place of employment will be Budapest, Hungary, where the EIT Headquarters are located. For the case of the Communication & Engagement Unit, there is a possibility for one of the trainees to be assigned to work from the EIT Liaison Office in Brussels, Belgium. More information about the EIT and its activities can be found on: http://eit.europa.eu.
Job Profile:
The EIT is looking for a trainee to provide support one of the following Units in its tasks and projects as well as in its day-to-day operations:
2. Innovation & Education, Communication & Engagement
2.1 Innovation Ecosystem Unit
In the Innovation Ecosystem Unit the trainee, in the area of strategy and impact, will support its activities for the development of EIT strategies and policies. The trainee will support the Innovation and Education Officers in managing the key pillars of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) including Cross-KIC activities and EIT coordinated initiatives (like HEI Initiative and Deep Tech Talent Initiative) and dedicated grants. The selected trainee will be assigned to any of the following sections to implement the portfolio of their tasks:
a. Innovation Capacity Section: Manages foremost the Innovation portfolio, the Business Creation portfolio, Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership Activities, the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS) and EIT Global Outreach and coordinates cross-KIC initiatives and related synergies.
b. Entrepreneurship Education Section: Manages foremost the entrepreneurial education portfolio, such as EIT Label assessments, EIT Label Action Plan, the EIT HEI Initiative, the Deep Tech Talent Initiative and the EIT Alumni and will coordinate cross-KIC initiatives and synergies with other EU and other initiatives.
2.2 Communication & Engagement Unit
In the Communication & Engagement Unit, the trainee will help boost the visibility of the EIT’s achievements and opportunities by contributing to the development of compelling communication actions and to relations with stakeholders (members of the EIT Community, EU institutions, EU Member States, etc.). The trainee will support the organisation of events and meetings, the development of engaging content and materials for press and social media, the management of digital tools (EIT website and social media) and the dissemination of results and good practices from the EIT Community. A trainee supporting the EIT Liaison Office in Brussels may be assigned to Brussels. The selected trainee will be assigned to any of the following sections to implement the portfolio of their tasks:
a. Communication Section: The Communication Section is responsible for EIT’s external Communication actions and particularly the following areas: relations with press & media, development of compelling and engaging content and materials, management of digital media (EIT website and social media), EIT branding and messaging and dissemination of results and good practices from the EIT Community.
b. Public and Community Affairs: The Public & Community Affairs Section is responsible for EIT’s engagement with priority stakeholders, both internal and external and particularly the following areas: institutional and strategic relations, relations with EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, relations with the EIT Alumni, event organisation (including EIT’s flagship event INNOVEIT), support to EIT Ambassadors (EIT Governing Board Members and EIT Management Team). The EIT Liaison Office in Brussels is integrated in the Section, therefore the trainee may be assigned either in Budapest or Brussels for the traineeship period.
Trainee assignment
- Contribute to the development and implementation of activities enhancing the EIT’s impact on education and entrepreneurial skills; in particular to providing support in developing the EIT Label model, in executing annual EIT Label assessments; in the implementation of the new initiative to support the entrepreneurship and innovation capacity building of European higher education;
- Contribute to the development of the EIT’s innovation and business creation agendas; to the daily administrative management of the EIT-led activities, as well as to the development and implementation of its specific activities, including communication and visibility aspects (website and social media content creation, management); or the relevant strategy papers and concept notes, incl. background research;
- Support in performance assessment of KIC Business Plans and Reports in the areas of education, business creation and innovation; in activities related to the implementation of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS) and EIT Global Outreach; in the implementation of the EIT’s bilateral Memoranda of Understanding; and in the administrative tasks and activities of the unit in the day-to-day monitoring of operations;
- Support the monitoring of press reviews, relevant EU policies, EU institutional websites, and overall positioning of key EIT stakeholders in the areas of EIT’s work;
- Contribute to the drafting of compelling content, including briefings, articles and reports;
- Support the creation of creative materials for all the EIT’s tools and channels and the uploading of content to the EIT website, including the Knowledge Centre;
- Help prepare and distribute EIT newsletters
- Support the organisation of events, workshops and meetings and attend conferences and meetings and prepare summary reports and minutes thereafter. The assessment of applications will be based on the following criteria:
- Knowledge in education and/or entrepreneurship and/or innovation policy, innovation systems or innovation management (either gained through studies or initial work experience) is considered essential for the Innovation Ecosystems Unit; • Knowledge of communications and marketing including media relations, website and social media management (either gained through studies or initial work experience) is considered essential for the Communications and Engagement Unit;
- Knowledge of EU policies, in particular, EU innovation policy and decision-making processes (either gained through studies or initial work experience) is considered an advantage;
- Studies or initial work experience in an international or multicultural environment is considered an advantage;
- Initial work experience in providing support to projects, including experience with event organisation, is considered an advantage.
2. Requirements: Eligibility criteria
2.1 Nationality
Candidates shall be selected from nationals of the Member States of the European Union (EU), the Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA), the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), and from candidate countries. In addition, a limited number of nationals from countries other than those listed above can also be accepted but should not exceed 20% of the total intake of trainees for the year. Candidates from countries other than those listed above in particular should explain in their motivation letter how they will contribute to the EIT's objectives.
The EIT is supporting those Ukrainian residents (recent graduates and young professionals) affected by the war in Ukraine, therefore their applications are also encouraged.
2.2 Qualification
Candidates must have completed, by the closing date for applications, the first cycle of university education and obtained a full degree or its equivalent (Annex I of the Rules governing the Traineeship Scheme of the EIT). Candidates must provide copies of diplomas (or of relevant official certificates), of all university or postuniversity studies declared in their application. For declared ongoing studies an official declaration from the relevant university must be provided. Applicants whose university or post-graduate diplomas are not issued in one of the official EU languages must provide a translation of these documents into English, the working language of the EIT. If recruited for a traineeship, presentation of all diplomas declared and, if applicable, official certified translations will be required.
2.3 Languages
To fully benefit from the traineeship and to be able to follow meetings and perform adequately, being the working language of the EIT, candidates must have very good knowledge of English corresponding to at least level B2 as defined by the CEFR7 (Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Candidates will be required to provide the appropriate justification (i.e. diplomas, certificates, proof of having studied in the language in question, etc.) regarding the knowledge of languages declared on the application form, other than the mother tongue.
2.4 Other conditions
Applicants are required to have a general behaviour compatible with the security requirements of the EIT and to be physically fit to perform the tasks.
2.5 Prior employment
The EIT wishes to offer to as many people as possible the opportunity of in-service training. Therefore, traineeships are only open to candidates who have not:
- Benefited already or benefit from any kind of traineeship (formal or informal, paid or unpaid) within a European Institution or body (Annex II of the Rules governing the Traineeship Scheme of the EIT); or
- Had or have any kind of employment within a European Institution or body, delegation or representation office, including anyone who is or has been an assistant to a Member of the European Parliament, an intra-muros consultant or researcher, a temporary staff member, a contract staff member, an auxiliary staff member or an interim staff member of any EU Institution, body, delegation or representative office;
- Had or have any paid or unpaid traineeship or have had employment or other contractual relationship with the existing Knowledge and Innovation Communities (i.e. the legal entity and partners of EIT Digital, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Health, EIT Raw Materials, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Urban Mobility). Candidates shall inform the EIT of any change in their situation that might occur at any stage of the application process.
2.6 Conflict of interest of applicants
Applications will be rejected if it is established that the applicant is in one or more of the following situations of conflict of interest:
- The applicant had or has prior employment as listed above;
- The applicant is a close family member of an EIT staff member or an EIT Governing Board member;
- The applicant is in any other situation that could cast doubt on his/her ability to participate in the traineeship, or that could reasonably appear to do so in the eyes of an external third party
3. The selection process
3.1 How to apply:
Please consult the Guide for Applicants on the EIT website at https://eit.europa.eu/collaborate/careers which contains detailed instructions to help you submit your application correctly.
Only applications submitted through the EU CV Online system will be accepted.
To apply, you must register in the EU CV Online system via the link provided on the EIT website, and follow all instructions concerning the various stages of the procedure. In order to facilitate the selection procedure we accept applications submitted only in English (the working language of the EIT).
Before applying, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria. The assessment of applications (in order to be placed on the shortlist) will be based on the application submitted.
Please clearly indicate in the motivation letter of your application:
1. Which profile(s) you wish to apply for;
2. How you meet the criteria for the profile(s) you wish to apply for;
3. How you applied the above behavioural skills in your educational and/or work experiences so far.
Failing to submit a motivational letter and indication of the profiles selected may result in the disqualification from the selection procedure.
It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy Internet traffic or a problem with the Internet connection could lead to your online registration being interrupted before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline has passed, you will no longer be able to register.
On completion of your online registration, you will receive on screen a registration number, which you must note. Once you receive this number, the registration process is finished. This will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application. Please note that if you do not receive a number, your application has not been registered.
An acknowledgement of your application will be sent to the e-mail address indicated in your application. It is your responsibility to verify that you provide the correct e-mail address.
Deadline for applications: 14 February 2025 (13:00 CET)
Skills common to all profiles in the departments above:
- Very good interpersonal and communication skills;
- Ability to take initiative;
- Very good writing and speaking skills in English;
- Good MS Office skills (Excel, Word);
- Ability to work well in teams, particularly in a multicultural team.
Information
Hungary,
Trainee
European Agency
5 days ago