A research internship abroad — a summer at a Swiss lab, a winter camp in China, a traineeship at an international organisation — is one of the strongest additions to a master’s or PhD application. It gives you research experience, a reference from an international supervisor and often your first publication. This guide explains when to apply, where to look and how to stand out.
Two main seasons
- Summer internships (June–September): most applications open between October and January and close between December and March. Results usually arrive between February and April. Examples: ETH Zurich SSRF, DESY, UTRIP Tokyo, Mitacs Globalink, CERN.
- Winter programmes (December–February): applications usually close between July and November. Examples: winter camps in China, JINR START in Dubna, DAAD-funded winter courses in Germany.
- Year-round internships: international organisations (UN, UNICEF, OECD, IAEA, World Bank) and some institutes (OIST, KAUST) take interns throughout the year.
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