Exciting Paid EU Traineeship Opportunity: March 2026 Call for expression of interest is now open for Scientific Trainees

Ednah Carrick September 24, 2025

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Closing Date: Not Specified

Exciting Paid EU Traineeship Opportunity: March 2026 Call for expression of interest is now open for Scientific Trainees

March 2026 – Call for expression of interest: Scientific Trainees

As the science and knowledge service of the European Commission, the mission of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is to provide independent, evidence-based knowledge and science, supporting EU policies to
positively impact society. The JRC is located in 5 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain).

The place of traineeship will be one of the following JRC sites: Geel (Belgium), Ispra (Italy), Karlsruhe (Germany), Petten (the Netherlands) or Seville (Spain).

Thematic areas

The JRC science and knowledge activities cover a variety of areas, including agriculture and food security, health, industry and space, energy, natural resources, mobility, creativity and an inclusive society, civil security for society, environment and climate change, nuclear safety and security, crisis management, population dynamics and migration, digital transformation and data, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence as well as innovation and growth.

For the March 2026 call, the JRC seeks to recruit approximately fifty (50) scientific trainees, in different thematic areas relevant for the organisation. The thematic areas are clustered in 11 fields shown below.

If the candidate’s profile fits in more than one field, the applicant is encouraged to choose as first option the one in which they are more specialised.

The programme welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on those who possess a strong scientific foundation and interest. Trainees will have the chance to engage in a variety of tasks, including both desktop work and laboratory activities, tailored to the needs of each
project.

Requirements of the Call

Candidates must meet the requirements by the application deadline for the EU traineeship.

Eligibility requirements:

Nationality:
Open to nationals of Member States of the European Union and of countries associated to the Research Framework Programmes. The recruitment of candidates from non-Member States (under Research Framework Programmes), may require additional compulsory administrative procedures imposed by the national authority of the country hosting the JRC site and in accordance with internal rules and regulations.
Degree:
To be eligible, candidates must possess at least a standard three-year higher education degree, equivalent to a complete bachelor’s cycle (university education – 180 ECTS1 credits).
Additionally, candidates must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Have been awarded their last university degree no more than five years prior to the
  closing date of the call for applications for traineeships; or
- Be currently enrolled in a Master’s degree or Ph.D. (or equivalent) programme.
Languages:
To fully benefit from the traineeship and effectively participate in meetings and tasks, also
considering the JRC’s role in the global scientific research scene, candidates must have a
thorough knowledge of the English language (minimum C1 level, according to the Common
European Framework for Languages – CEFR).
In addition, candidates from EU Member States must have a very good knowledge (minimum
B2 level, according to the CEFR) in another Community language.
Previous experiences:
The JRC wishes to offer the opportunity for a traineeship to as many people as possible.
Therefore, applications are not considered eligible from those candidates who for more than
six weeks, within a European institution, body or agency:
have already benefited or benefit from any kind of traineeship (formal or informal, paid or unpaid);
have had or have any kind of employment, including anyone who is or has been a temporary staff member, a contract staff member, a contract staff member for auxiliary tasks, a grantholder or an assistant to a Member of the European Parliament;
have had, nor currently have, experience as an external service provider, a member of the interim staff, a seconded national expert or as a visiting scientist.