Traineeship call for applications

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:

3. Knowledge and Innovation Communities

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:

 3.1 Grant Implementation Unit

The Unit is responsible for the multi-annual Grant Implementation following the EIT Funding Allocation to the existing KICs as well as actively contributes to the setting up of new KICs in the framework of the Start-up Grant Agreement, including development of methodologies and guidelines and contribution to other strategic documents.

 The selected trainee will be assigned to any of the following sections to support implementing the portfolio of their tasks:  

a. Grant Assurance Section: Ensures compliance of grants provided to KICs of the EIT with the provisions stipulated in the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, and EIT specific rules. In particular, the section contributes to the financial assessment of KIC grant proposals and their amendments, assessment of the legality  

b. and regularity of the financial statements provided by KICs and eligibility of the costs declared as well as cooperation with external auditors and follow-ups on audit reports.  The section closely cooperates with external auditors and follows up on ex ante and ex post audit reports (e.g. Certificates on the Financial Statements).

c. Programme Management Section: Manages foremost the Funding Allocation (assessment of Business Plans and other grant proposals submitted by the KICs), the implementation of actions and assesses the Grant Reports (performance assessment) for 9 Knowledge and Innovation Communities, as well as responsible for the start-up grant management of the newest KIC. Programme Officers are responsible for the different waves of KICs and are managing the EITKIC relations operationally (programme management). Furthermore, this section is also responsible for managing the business intelligence by ensuring data quality and data analysis.  

3.2 Supervision and Monitoring Unit:

The trainee will support the Officers in fostering and monitoring the development of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in the context of the EIT-KIC Agreements, and in the improvement of overall governance as well as management and control systems of the EIT and KICs.  

The selected trainee will be assigned to any of the following sections to implement the portfolio of their tasks:  

a. Supervision Section: The section is contributing to the efficient and effective implementation of the process leading to the EIT Governing Board (GB) decision on the maximum financial allocation to the KICs, in line with the GB’s Supervision Framework. The section is monitoring closely the KICs' progress towards results and impact expected in line with the KICs’ Strategic Agenda and the EIT Impact Framework. Furthermore, the section is responsible for further developing the concept of KICs’ financial sustainability, and trace KICs’ progress towards the financial sustainability objective.

 b. Monitoring and Evaluation Section: The section is developing the EIT’s monitoring plan and overseeing its implementation, as well as leading on certain monitoring assignments, in particular in the areas of KIC governance structures, KICs’ project selection and portfolio management. Furthermore, it is conducting periodic reviews on KICs in accordance with the requirements of the legal framework. The section is also the focal point within the EIT for largescale evaluations and studies conducted by the European Commission. The section leads the selection of new KICs in pre-defined thematic areas.

Trainee assignment

•  Provide support with the implementation of EIT’s calls for grants; in the management and improvement of the EIT knowledge management systems; in the analysis of the outcomes, KPIs and deliverables from the KICs; in sharing best-practice and results of the EIT and KICs activities; 
• Contribute to the financial and operational management of KICs, such as assessment of KIC Grant Proposals and Grant Reports; to the implementation of the process leading to the EIT Governing Board (GB) Decision on the maximum financial allocation to the KICs; to the organisation of the EIT GB meetings, including contribution to high-level strategic analysis and other briefing materials;
• Support the KIC reviews conducted by the EIT and contribute to evaluations and studies carried out by the European Commission;

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.