Traineeships at the leading European IP organisations

Duration:

• One-year, on-site programme.
• Possible Exchange Programme with the EPO for one more year.

Location:

• EUIPO headquarters in Alicante, Spain.
• Limited traineeships also offered at the EUIPO offices in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Grant/salary:

• Monthly grant of 1,200 EUR (Brussels/Luxembourg: 1,400 EUR).

Graduates in what majors may apply:

• Law, IP Law, Industrial/Product Design, Data Protection, IP and Knowledge Management (IP Research, Online Training), Political Science and International Relations, Linguistics, Economics and Business Administration/Entrepreneurship, Information Technology (e.g., Business Analysis, Software Engineering, Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence), Communication and Visual Design, Facility Management (e.g., Logistics Management), Human Resources.

For more details, including testimonials by former trainees and frequently asked questions, please visit the Pan-European Seal page at the EUIPO website Opens in new window .

To read about the office, please visit the EUIPO - About Us page Opens in new window .

Duration:

• One-year, on-site programme with a possible extension up to three years.
• Possible Exchange Programme with the EUIPO for one more year.

Location:

• EPO headquarters in Munich, Germany.
• Limited traineeships also offered at other EPO sites.

Grant/salary:

• Salary of about 2,300 EUR net per month in the first year (about 3,300 EUR in the second and third year).

Graduates in what majors may apply:

• Law (incl. Patent Law), International Relations and Communication, Economics and Finance, Business Administration, Information Technology, Science and Engineering.

For more details, including testimonials by former trainees and frequently asked questions, please visit the Pan-European Seal page at the EPO website Opens in new window .

To read about the office, please visit The EPO at a Glance page Opens in new window .

Shortlisting requirement:

• To be eligible, students must be shortlisted by their university either for the EUIPO or EPO traineeship.

Language requirement:

• EUIPO: At least B1 level in one of the office’s official languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish).
• EPO: Excellent knowledge of one of the office’s official languages (English, German, French).

Nationality requirement:

• EUIPO: EU Member States, with a limited number of students from candidate countries and third counties allowed.
• EPO: Member States of the European Patent Organization Opens in new window .

Necessary documents:

• Once shortlisted, students must submit an online application to the office of interest, attaching their CV (for the EUIPO – in the Europass Opens in new window format), a motivation letter (explaining their interest in the chosen office), and at least a provisional university certificate while a degree certificate with all grades is not issued.

Course requirement:

• EUIPO: Completion of one online course before the application is submitted.
• EPO: Course completion after the applicant is admitted into the programme.

• Shortlisting is conducted annually in February by the IP Law (IPL) Programme team at Hanken.
• To be shortlisted, students must be in their final year of master’s studies and graduate before the traineeship begins in mid-September. The offices will not accept students who have not obtained their diploma by the specified time.
• Factors influencing the shortlisting decision include:
  • Students demonstrating high academic merit by submitting their study transcript and motivation letter.
  • Successful candidates having already completed almost all courses, typically with only the Research Seminar and master’s thesis remaining, which can be finalized in spring or early summer.
• Requirement for non-IPL-Programme students – successful completion of two specified courses:
  • 37047 ‘IPR is the New Black’ course Opens in new window (registrable and completable at any point during any teaching period) and
  • one of the IP courses for at least 5 credits graded on the 0-5 scale (e.g., 37049 ‘Information Governance and Trade Secrets Law’ Opens in new window , 37028 ‘International and Comparative IP Law’ Opens in new window , or 37014 ‘Fundamentals of IP Law’ Opens in new window ).
• If there are restrictions on the number of shortlisted candidates, priority will be given to IPL programme students, followed by Commercial Law students, and then all other students. It is worth noting that there have been no such limitations recently.
• To be considered for shortlisting, it is necessary to contact Professor Nari Lee, IPL Programm Coordinator, and provide one's study transcript and a motivation letter explaining the interest in pursuing a traineeship at either EUIPO or EPO. Please check the deadline for such notifications in relation to the ongoing call.

• Early to mid-February: Deadline for students to notify Hanken about their interest in the programme (shortlisting requirements must have been fulfilled by this moment).
• Late February: Deadline for Hanken to notify EUIPO/EPO of the shortlisted candidates.
• March: Deadline to apply for the traineeship directly through the EUIPO/EPO website.
• June/July: Results announced (after interviews with selected candidates by the office of interest).
• Mid-September: Start of the traineeship.