The Dutch organisation offers graduates the chance to undertake internships at companies in the Eindhoven region

On 28 November 2017, the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia (CIC) organised a meeting with Brainport Development which was attended by representatives of the Catalan universities, including the URV with a representative of the International Center, so they could learn about the organisation and its offer of internships for graduate students.

Brainport Development is a regional economic development organisation working with representatives from industry, knowledge institutions and public authorities (the triple helix) to strengthen the Brainport Eindhoven technology region. Due to its highly innovative and successful High Tech Systems & Materials (HTS&M) industry, the Brainport Eindhoven region is one of the cornerstones of the Dutch economy and an important international player. The HTS&M sector employs more than 60,000 people in nearly 7000 companies in this relatively small region (750,000 inhabitants).  The region’s predominant industries and potential future clusters are 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, smart manufacturing, industry 4.0, robotics and plastics.

The International Center currently handles all student applications for internships with Brainport Development and has sent the professors who are interested in sending students on internships information on graduate internships lasting a minimum of three months that can be funded by the Erasmus+ programme.

In addition, on 30 January, the URV was visited by Tinus van de Pas, project manager of the Brainport Development internships, to raise awareness of the organisation and to explore the needs in different areas of study. He met interested students and teaching staff responsible for internships or for courses that could benefit from internships. He also visited some laboratories. He will make a return visit in May or June.

At the URV, the internships will be of particular interest to graduates from the School of Engineering, the School of Chemical Engineering, the Faculty of Oenology and the Faculty of Chemistry, among others. Any enquiries for more information on this initiative should be directed to the International Centre of the URV.