Global Internship Program

IARU universities can now submit proposals for the Global Internship Program (GIP).

The GIP aims to provide IARU students with the opportunity to gain valuable international work experience by conducting research and projects in another member university.

GIP internships are only available to students enrolled at IARU universities. 

Such internships enable students to gain real insights into their host university and provide an exciting platform to build cross-cultural understanding. 

Call for 2023 internships:

GIP Template Form 2023

Examples of GIP Opportunities for writing proposals

Universities can now submit proposals for the International Alliance of Research Universities’ Global Internship Programme (GIP) for 2023. Universities can apply for up to $3,000 (US) per internship opportunity.

 The GIP is an opportunity for IARU-member universities to host a talented student from another of the world’s leading research-intensive universities, whether in a research or professional services environment. This year, to provide extra support, each internship is eligible to receive up to $3,000 in the first instance. A proposal could request more funding than this, but to be accepted such proposals would be subject to approval by IARU’s Senior Officers and contingent on budgetary capacity. Funds are provided to universities to help meet the costs of running the internship, but universities often choose to pass on this funding to interns to help with travel, accommodation and subsistence.

What kind of internship could I offer?

An internship placement could be organised in a research setting, so that a student has the chance to contribute to an ongoing programme of research in a subject they are studying. Alternatively, an opportunity could be created in a professional setting, where the intern is part of a university team working on research strategy, student recruitment, or international partnerships, to name a few possibilities. Universities are very welcome to offer virtual internships, as happened during the pandemic, as these are accessible to a greater number of students. In all cases, it is hoped that in addition to gaining real-world experience of university research and professional services environments, interns and hosts are enriched by the experience of working with colleagues from around the world.   

How do I write a proposal?

You can find a selection of opportunities from 2019 attached. It may be helpful to consider the following when designing your internship:   

• Placements in which the intern is assigned a mentor and are centred around the completion of a discrete piece of work or a single element within a wider project tend to deliver the greatest value for both intern and host.
• What you expect the intern will have learnt/achieved by the end of their stay.
• What kind of student you would like to host e.g. graduate level, subject areas (if applicable). Note that internships cannot be limited to students from specific universities within IARU.
• What additional support or benefits might be offered to the intern e.g. help with securing accommodation, the ability to attend lectures, access to facilitates, work space, equipment etc.
• The length of the internship. Internships typically run for a few weeks, but could also last a month or more. Internships can happen at any time in 2023.
• Please also note that funds are given to each internship programme, not on the basis of the number of students accepted onto that programme. An internship with places for two students, for example, would not be eligible to apply for $6,000.  

How do I submit a proposal?

1. Download and fill out the attached template proposal form and submit it to the Secretariat by Monday, 14 November. Please remember to include an application form for applicants to fill out, since each university runs its own application process.
2. The Secretariat will check that the proposals provide the necessary information. If we receive more applications than we are able to fund, priority will be given to the applications that were submitted first. More than one internship opportunity can be advertised at a single university.
3. Successful proposals will automatically be posted to the IARU website by the end of November and circulated via key contacts for dissemination.

If you have any questions, please contact the IARU Secretariat at Cambridge (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information.