This webpage is for companies interested in becoming an internship partner.

Are you a company and want to 

• strengthen your R&D capacity with high-level STEM talent 
• work on a well-defined research problem with academic depth 
• connect to Leiden University’s scientific ecosystem 
• engage early with potential future employees 

• and become part of a growing high-tech innovation network? 

Then join us as an internship partner for our High-Tech master specialisation! 

About the specialisation

The High-Tech Innovation (HTI) specialisation connects fundamental science to real-world technological challenges. Our students combine deep disciplinary expertise with interdisciplinary insight and innovation skills. As part of the programme, every student completes a 30 EC (6-month, full-time) research internship in collaboration with an industrial or scientific partner. 

HTI students originate from MSc programmes in Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Computer Science. In addition to their core discipline, they are trained in cross-disciplinary problem-solving, systems thinking, and innovation management. They are analytically strong, quantitatively skilled, and capable of translating complex scientific questions into practical technological solutions. 

About the internship

An HTI internship is not a regular traineeship, but a full academic research project that results in a Master’s thesis. Projects must contain a clearly defined research question and require scientific analysis, modelling, experimentation, or method development. Routine implementation or operational tasks are not suitable. The internship should enable rigorous methodology, critical reflection, and high-quality reporting. 

Your company will provide a content supervisor (preferably MSc/PhD level or senior R&D professional), access to relevant data or systems, and weekly supervision. The university will assign an academic supervisor to also safeguard scientific quality and alignment. 

Interested in hosting an HTI intern? 
Contact us at hightech@science.leidenuniv.nl, our internship coordinator Loraine Gilsing will contact you.