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PAN-European Seal Traineeship Programme
for graduates of the University of Geneva

Opportunity to apply for a 12-month traineeship in Alicante at the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) or in Munich at the European Patent Office (EPO)  (starting in September 2024)

The University of Geneva has joined the Pan European Seal Program (PES) and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Patent Office (EPO) and with the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Under the PES Traineeship Program, selected UNIGE graduates (i.e. graduates with a bachelor degree, a master degree or a PhD degree from UNIGE) can apply for a 12-month remunerated traineeship at the EPO (in Munich) or at the EUIPO (in Alicante) starting mid-September 2024.

1. General Conditions (Who can apply ?)

  • Candidates must first be pre-selected by UNIGE (see 2 below);
  • The traineeship opportunity at the EUIPO and the EPO is open to young graduates from different fields (see the list of educational background expected from applicants for the EUIPO and the EPO respectively under 4. below);
  • Candidates must have completed successfully their Bachelor or Master degree by the time of the traineeship. Candidates must have obtained their UNIGE degree (Bachelor or Master) no more than two years prior to the date of application for the traineeship;
  • Candidates must speak at least one of the official languages of the institution at a minimum level of B1 (EPO : German, French and/or English / EUIPO : English, French, German, Italian, and/or Spanish).

    NB: Candidates cannot apply for a traineeship at both institutions: they must consequently choose to apply for a traineeship either at the EPO or at the EUIPO being noted that the EUIPO gives priority to applications from EU Member State (though a limited number of trainees from non-EU countries may be selected).

2. How and when to apply?

The selection process is divided in two phases (see indications 2.1 and 2.2 below).

2.1 : Pre-selection by UNIGE

Interested UNIGE graduates that are candidates for the PES Traineeship Program must first be pre-selected by UNIGE and must apply to paneuropeanseal(at)unige.ch by February 26, 2024 at twelve noon (Swiss time / CET) and the application must contain all the documents identified below. UNIGE will notify the candidates about their selection in the week of February 26, 2024.


The applications for pre-selection by UNIGE shall contain all the following documents:

  • A letter of motivation in English, including the preferred area(s) of expertise (based on the list under 4. below), the indication of the institution at which the applicant would like to do the traineeship (i.e. EUIPO or EPO) and the evidence of the candidate’s expertise/interest in this/these area(s);
  • A curriculum vitae in English;
  • A copy of the UNIGE degree (bachelor or master) - or if the degree has not been officially granted yet a provisional confirmation of the obtaining of the degree - and a copy of documents showing the grades of the candidates for the degree.

Should you have any questions regarding the UNIGE application process, please contact : paneuropeanseal(at)unige.ch.

2.2 Online application on EUIPO or EPO website :

The candidates who will be pre-selected by UNIGE will then have to file applications online on the respective online platforms of the EUIPO or the EPO. Please verify carefully which documents must be submitted depending on the institution (e.g. the EUIPO will request a certificate(s) of completion of at least one of the following courses: EUTM in a Nutshell and/or RCD in a Nutshell).

Applications must be submitted at the latest by March 31, 2024 (for EUIPO) and by March 15, 2024 (for EPO). The EPO/EUIPO will consider the applications of all shortlisted candidates. Suitable candidates will then be invited to an online interview. The decisions of admission of candidates will be notified by EUIPO / EPO. In case you are selected by the EPO, candidates will be asked to complete the following courses before the start of the internship:

  • Introduction to the European patent system (epo.org)
  • Using CPC in classification
  • The EPO as a PCT authority  

The traineeship will start mid-September 2024.

Should you have any question regarding the submission of your online application, please contact Pan_European_Seal(at)euipo.europa.eu (EUIPO) or paneuropeanseal(at)epo.org (EPO).

3. Additional sources of information

EPO  :

Email: paneuropeanseal(at)epo.org  

 

EUIPO :

Email: Pan_European_Seal(at)euipo.europa.eu

 

4. Expected educational background/areas of expertise of UNIGE candidates

4.1  For a traineeship at the EUIPO:

  1. Law;
  2. IP law (including industrial design);
  3. Data Protection;
  4. IP & Knowledge Management (e.g. IP research, Online Training);
  5. Political Sciences & International Relations;
  6. Linguistics;
  7. Economics & Business Administration/Entrepreneurship;
  8. Information Technology: (Data Analysis, IT Security, Business Analysis, Software Engineer, Customer Service Solutions, Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence);
  9. Communication & Visual Design;
  10. Facility Management: (Architect, Civil engineer, Logistics Management); and
  11. Human Resources.

4.2. For a traineeship at the EPO:

  1. Science and engineering;
  2. Human resources and business administration
  3. Law;
  4. Economics and finance;
  5. International relations and communication;
  6. Information Technology.