03-05-2024

The Research Council of Lithuania launches a call for Lithuanian and foreign student summer internships

The Research Council of Lithuania (RCL) launches the annual Student Summer Internship Competition and Lithuanian and foreign students are invited to apply for internship places at universities and research institutes. Students from Lithuania and all around the world can choose internship places from the competition - selected places offered by science and study institutions. The internships will take place from July to August, and students will receive a € 2,000 grant (€ 1,000 per month). In addition to grants, the RCL will allocate funds for the implementation of internships. A total of € 750,000 is planned for this program this year.

The Summer Internship Competition for students is the longest- running RCL programme aimed at providing students with the opportunity to conduct scientific research, acquire new knowledge, deepen analytical and scientific skills, develop scientific writing and presentation skills, get acquainted with the Lithuanian scientific community and scientific infrastructure, and also gain professional skills. Since 2005, the RCL has supported around 2,700 students during the summer, with 198 students from Lithuanian and foreign research institutions funded last year. The RCL funds student internships in all fields of science and art: natural, technological, medical and health, agricultural, humanities, social sciences, performing and screen arts, visual arts.

Students can choose internship places from the list of topics

According to Gintaras Valinčius, the Chairman of the RCL, one of the priorities of the RCL is to promote the growth of human potential in science through targeted inclusion and support instruments for students and early career researchers. Therefore, by organizing this competition, the RCL provides students with opportunities to test their abilities as future researchers at the very beginning of their scientific activities. "This year, it is pleasing to see the abundance and diversity of topics proposed by the future internship supervisors during the first stage. A total of 454 topics were submitted for selection, from which RCL-appointed experts selected 183 topics. Such engagement of the scientific community is gratifying and confirms that the competition is not only relevant and necessary but also that the Lithuanian scientific community is active and has great potential to share experiences with young people. The topics submitted for this year's competition stood out for their attractiveness and relevance, indicating that internship supervisors paid great attention to what would interest and attract future interns," says G. Valinčius.

This year, the RCL introduced an innovation – doctoral students can also be internship supervisors. When selecting internships, one of the priorities was the topic proposed by the PhD student. "This year, 28 PhD students have been selected as supervisors. This is a good opportunity and a new chance for young researchers who have chosen a career in science to try their hand at supervising small research projects in the arts and sciences," emphasised Valinčius.

Foreign students are also invited to take part in internships in Lithuania

According to Valinčius, one of the most important goals of the LMT is to create a new attractive research environment in Lithuania, not only for our young scientists. A great attention is also paid to the international student community, attracting young talents from foreign countries and creating favourable conditions for them to realise their scientific ideas here in Lithuania. Last year, 18 foreign university students from the United States, Ukraine, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, the United States, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and the United States took part in summer internships at Lithuanian research and study institutions.

What you need to know when applying

The programme is open to all undergraduate, postgraduate, and integrated studies students, with the exception of those in their final year of study at the time of application.

Students will choose a supervisor for their field of study from a list of selected subjects and may apply for a maximum of 2 internship places. Subsequently, supervisors will choose up to one student per proposed placement topic, in order to maximize the quality of the knowledge and experience imparted during the placement.

For foreign students or students who carry out their summer internship in a Lithuanian research institution located in a city other than the intended summer internship location, additional funding for accommodation is provided.

To participate in the summer internship competition organized by the RCL, applicants must submit a CV, a certificate of study results, a cover letter and a choice of up to 2 topics of interest before 29 May 2024. Applications can be submitted via the RCL system https://projektai.lmt.lt/#login.

After the internship, RCL will organize a conference where students will present the results of their summer internship.

Read more about summer internships and how to get funding for them here.

List of funded topics in the fields of science, technology, medicine and health and agricultural science.

List of funded topics in the humanities, social sciences and arts.

More information about the call:

Researcher Support and EU Investment Unit

Programme Coordinator Ilona Monstavičienė

Phone: +370 604 53 802

E-mail: [email protected]

Media contacts:

Research Council of Lithuania

Public Information Specialist