Graduate admissions committees and professors looking for graduate students tend to see the whole process as an investment. One of the qualities they look for in their prospective students is the ability to do research. Clearly, the best way to demonstrate this ability is by actually doing research or showing that you have done quality research in the past. For undergraduate and Masters students in developing countries, opportunities to do quality research in their home countries might be fewer than many would like. Fortunately, some of the top research universities and institutes on the planet offer research opportunities that are available to international students. In this piece, we will be taking a look at some of the most promising research internships come summer 2023.
Here are the summer research internships we will be examining
- MITACS Globalink Research internship
- Max Planck Summer Internship Programme (IBI & IBC)
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing
- University of Tokyo Summer Internship Programme
- METI Internship Programme
- CERN Research Internship
- ETH Student Summer Research fellowship
MITACS Globalink Research Internship
The MITACS Globalink internship is one of the leading providers of research internships in Canada for international students. The internships provided cover a variety of fields of study from the sciences, engineering, humanities and the social sciences, in about 70 universities in Canada. Let’s examine some details about this program.
Details about the MITACS Globalink Research internship
- It accepts students from the following countries: Brazil, Tunisia, Germany, UK, US, Taiwan, Korea, Colombia, Mexico, India, Chile, China, Ukraine, Hong Kong, France, Australia, and Pakistan.
- The programme lasts for twelve (12) weeks, running from May to October every year.
- It is an all expenses paid internship, covering as it does travel, accommodation, and feeding for the duration of the programme.
- Applications to the MITACS Globalink internship can be made here, though at the moment, it is closed. Applications normally start in August and conclude in September.
- Alumni of the programme are eligible for the Global link Graduate fellowship if they choose to pursue graduate studies in Canada.
Visit their website here for more information.
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The Max Planck Summer Internship Programme at the Institute for Biological Intelligence and the Institute for Biochemistry.
Details:
To be eligible for a position at either of the institutes offering this internship, the applicant must
- Be at least in his second year or a Masters programme.
- Have a current CGPA of 3.7 on a scale of 4. Equivalent points on other scales are accepted as well.
- Have a recommendation letter from his university supervisor.
- Preferably be attending a university ranked in the top 500 in the World University rankings
- Have first research experience.
- Have a TOEFL score of 6.5 or an IELTS band of 6.5 at a minimum.
On application, the applicant would have to submit the following documents
- Official Transcript.
- Curriculum vitae.
- TOEFL/IELTS test report form.
- Letter of recommendation.
- Motivation letter. This one would be typed in directly into the input form provided.
Other details
- The internship lasts for ten weeks, from mid-June to end-September. Generally the start date is negotiated between the student and the host lab.
- The internship is fully funded; an 800 euros monthly stipend, travel cost reimbursements as well as accommodation.
- On application, one can indicate up to three research groups.
- Application dates are not fixed; they are announced whenever positions are opened. As at the time of writing, applications are not open for the year 2023.
Visit their website here for more information.
Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing Summer Internship.
The Max Planck Institute is Funded by the Max Planck Society as a non-profit research institute. Their goal is to understand the natural ageing process and to find out how to intervene and mitigate or even prevent age-associated diseases through the biology of ageing research.
Details:
- Applications for the internship start from Oct 15 to Dec 20 every year. Successful applicants would start getting their email notifications from the 15th of January – 30th of January. Visit their website for details
University of Tokyo Summer Internship Programme
The University of Tokyo Summer Internship Programme (UTSIP) is one of the leading undergraduate research programmes in Japan. It is designed to be a stepping stone into graduate programmes in the natural and social sciences.
Details:
- The programme lasts for seven weeks.
- The UTSIP provides health insurance coverage, financial aid and free accommodation to all participating students.
To be eligible for the internship, the applicant must be:
- Currently an undergraduate.
- Intending to attend graduate school at the University of Tokyo or at any institution in Japan on completion of undergraduate studies.
- Willing and able to participate in all programmes organized by the UTSIP
To apply:
- Go through the list of participating labs and professors on the UTSIP website and pick where/under whom you would like to do your research.
- Starting December 1st, you would be allowed to fill in the online application available on their website.
Submit the following materials:
- Cover letter; where you explain why you want to intern at the UTSIP and how you are qualified.
- Curriculum vitae
- Official transcript
- Recommendation letter from an academic advisor
- Proof of English proficiency
- Certificate of registration at your current university.
Visit their website here for more details and to register.
Available scholarships
METI Internship Programme
The METI internship programme is an internship programme run by the Japanese government together with partner firms in the private sector. While not exclusively a research internship, some of the participating firms might have a research focus and admit undergraduate. As the internship accepts international applicants, these firms will take international students as well.
Details
- The internship occurs in both summer and the winter. However, there are no fixed dates for applications, so we encourage you to visit their website here regularly for updates.
- Health insurance, and travel expenses are covered during the internship
To be eligible for the programme, the applicant must:
- Be willing to participate, interning four hours a day for the work week.
- Have requisite skills for the particular firm he applies to.
- Live in any of the OECD countries except the People’s Republic of China.
On application, the materials submitted include:
- Proof of English and/or Japanese proficiency.
- Recommendation letter from Academic advisor if an undergraduate.
- Certificate of graduation if a graduate.
CERN Summer Internships
CERN, the premier research institute in Europe and the birthplace of the World Wide Web offers several research internship positions at all levels of academic study. The internships targeted at non-doctoral students are the Summer Student Internship and the CERN OpenLab programme. The requirements for both are the same so, here they are:
- Prospective applicants must be either Masters students or , if undergraduates, must have completed at least three years of studies
- Proficiency in English, as all courses taught and interactions would be in English
Documents to be submitted are:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Official Transcript
- Two reference letters from Academicians that know you well.
The internship is a fully funded programme; with health insurance, travel allowance and a daily meal and accommodation stipend of 90 CHF provided for the 8 -13 weeks of the internship. While there are no open positions at the moment, visit CERN regularly to keep up to date with announcements.
ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship
The ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship at ETH Zurich runs a much vaunted research internship for international students at their computer science department, in their efforts to make Computer science research more diverse.
The research areas in this internship include: Data and Machine learning, Information and Systems security, Networked systems and parallel computing, Software engineering, Algorithms and Theory, Visual computing, and Pervasive computing.
Details:
Here is the eligibility criteria for the ETH summer student research fellowship:
- Currently an undergraduate or a masters student in computer science or related fields like physics, electrical engineering etc.
- Proof of English proficiency.
- Expected graduation in the year following the conclusion of the internship or later.
Documents to be submitted are:
- Curriculum vitae.
- Most recent transcript.
- Personal Statement.
The programme is fully funded; covering accommodation, living and visa costs. Applications to the ETH Summer student fellowship start in later this year, in November. Visit their website for more information.