Science Internship Fair

Business

Internship

Fair

Thursday, October 2026

09:00-14:00

PLNT, Leiden

09:00 – 12:30 Matchmaking Event

12:30 – 14:00 Vegetarian Lunch

About

Matching

There are different internships at LIACS, below you can find an overview of all the internships in the different programmes:

Business Development Internship — Business Studies

5-6 month internship
Students that follow the 2nd year master specialization Business Studies on top of their master program in: Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life science and technology, Mathematics, or Physics.
Example topics: Process optimization, Quality management, Developing new markets or products.
Final deliverable: Business Development report

Business Practice Internship — Business Studies

3-4 month internship
Students that follow the 2nd year master specialization Business Studies on top of their master program in: Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life science and technology, Mathematics, or Physics.
Final deliverable: Business Practice report

Research Internship — ICT in Business and the Public Sector

6-7 month internship
Students from the master program ICT in Business and the Public Sector (to be superceded by research internships in Computer Science & Business Studies by 2027)
Topics on the interface between Information Technology (software, artificial intelligence, information systems, …) and Business
Example topics: Adoption of emerging technologies in specific business processes, novel methodologies for development of digital products and services, impact of laws and regulations on information technology management.
Final deliverable: Master thesis (see https://theses.liacs.nl/iib for examples)

Research Internship — Computer Science

6-7 month internship
Students from the master program in Computer Science
Topics in any of the Computer Science specializations: Advanced Computing and Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Advanced Data Analytics, Business Studies, Education, Science Communication & Society, Data Science:, or Foundations of Computing
Example topics: Development and optimization of new algorithms, …
Final deliverable: Master thesis (see https://theses.liacs.nl/cs for samples)

What do you get?

Highly motivated, smart students with strong analytical skills and innovative knowledge.
Students are supervised by academic staff, that guides them on the scientific aspects, and can contribute with advanced scientific knowledge.

What do you need to provide?

Internship fee, possibly travel support.
Company supervisor, as host and problem owner or liaison to problem owners.
Embedding in a team, access to data, people, and a place to work.

Organization

FAQ’s

Which MSc programme is participating?

MSc students from Business Studies (in Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life Science and Technology, Mathematics, or Physics), Computer Science and ICT in Business for the public sector.

What’s the university Internship/NDA Policy?

All internship programs at Leiden University must follow the UNL model agreement, ensuring the collaboration between universities and businesses while safeguarding trade secrets and intellectual property rights. Non-disclosure agreements are not accepted. Internship providers have a two-week response period to request the removal of confidential information. Failure to respond allows for publication of the full report.

The UNL model internship agreement is established in consultation with the business community.
It considers the duty of care and educational task of universities, as well as the competitive position of companies.
The agreement is applicable to all higher education institutions in the Netherlands and is exclusively for internships within the country.
No additional Non-Disclosure Agreements or other agreements are accepted.
Trade secrets and intellectual property rights are adequately protected through the model internship agreement and the national collective labor agreement.
There is a two-week response period for the removal of confidential information in the thesis or presentation.
If the internship provider does not respond within this period, the internship report may be published in full, and the presentation will continue.
Exceptions to the agreement, such as longer embargo periods or confidential appendices, must be indicated in the internship agreement form.

Can I submit projects in Dutch?

All project submissions MUST be in English. If the project requires a Dutch-speaking student, then you can state that as part of the project requirements.

What are the project requirements?

Please take note of each MSc programme below and create your project proposal accordingly.

Business Development Internship — Business Studies

5-6 month internship
Students that follow the 2nd year master specialisation Business Studies on top of their master program in: Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life science and technology, Mathematics, or Physics.
Example topics: Process optimisation, Quality management, Developing new markets or products.
Final deliverable: Business Development report

Business Practice Internship — Business Studies

3-4 month internship
Students that follow the 2nd year master specialisation Business Studies on top of their master program in: Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life science and technology, Mathematics, or Physics.
Final deliverable: Business Practise report

Research Internship — ICT in Business and the Public Sector

6-7 month internship
Students from the master program ICT in Business and the Public Sector (to be superceded by research internships in Computer Science & Business Studies by 2027)
Topics on the interface between Information Technology (software, artificial intelligence, information systems, …) and Business
Example topics: Adoption of emerging technologies in specific business processes, novel methodologies for development of digital products and services, impact of laws and regulations on information technology management.
Final deliverable: Master thesis (see https://theses.liacs.nl/iib for examples)

Research Internship — Computer Science

6-7 month internship
Students from the master program in Computer Science
Topics in any of the Computer Science specialisations: Advanced Computing and Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Advanced Data Analytics, Business Studies, Education, Science Communication & Society, Data Science:, or Foundations of Computing
Example topics: Development and optimisation of new algorithms, …
Final deliverable: Master thesis (see https://theses.liacs.nl/cs for samples)

How do I upload projects?

Via this link you can upload your proposal

What if I just want to add a project to the project Marketplace but not participate in the fair?

This is possible and it’s free to simply have your projects listed on the Project Marketplace. You will still need an account and follow all of the steps in uploading a project. On the project submission form you can confirm your attendance at the fair, by checking this option for all submitted projects. If your organization is submitting multiple projects and none of them are for the event(s), please mark each of the projects as not attending.

Your uploaded projects will still need to adhere to the Project Requirements

What are the registration fees?

We believe in fair pricing to ensure accessibility for all, regardless of the size of your organization. The fees for each Science Internship Fair are tiered based upon the type of organization. When you register, we will assign the applicable tier. Please note that you cannot participate in the Fair without payment first.

€100 (startups, SMEs, government organizations, and non-profits), less then 50 people
€450 (small-medium Enterprise) 50-250 employees
€1000 (large Enterprise) more then 250 employees

If you do not wish to attend the event and instead only have your projects listed in the Project Marketplace, this is possible, and it is free.

What are the dates/deadlines?

The Science Internship Fair takes place in October 2026.

Registration is open with projects due in September 2026.

The registration fee is due in October 2026.

Students vote on the projects between September – October 2026.

Where is the event location and how to get there?

The Event is located at PLNT, Langegracht 70, 2312 NV Leiden.

Public transport
It’s a 10 min. walk from Leiden Central Station and a bus stop on 1 min. walk from PLNT

Bike
You can park your bike at the entrance and at the side of the building.

Car
PLNT does not have its own parking spaces for visitors. You can park your car at the Langegracht or Lammermarkt parking garages.

TIP: Reserve a parking spot in advance and get a discount. Read more on this page from the Municipality of Leiden.

What’s the format for the event?

Students will vote for the internship projects; these votes will serve as a measure for you to assess the level of interest in your projects and give you an idea of how many representatives to bring.

Organisations’ tables will be grouped together into different areas at the LAUNCH in PLNT. The students will be rotated through each area throughout the event – allowing for all students to interact with every participating organisation if they so wish.

The Science Internship Fair will take place on 30 October. If you join us for this day, a single registration fee covers your participation including lunch and your own space on the event location.

What happens after the event?

During the event, your representatives inform the students on what the next steps are. Whether it is contact via email, setting up appointments already to meet later, or for students to come for a presentation at your organisation at a later date. The format of follow-up is different for every organisation.

Matching/recruiting the students is between you and the students only. The event itself is a meeting point to help ascertain which students are actively interested and qualified for your project(s) and organisation.

Guidelines

All internships must follow the UNL model agreement, ensuring the collaboration between universities and businesses while safeguarding trade secrets and intellectual property rights. Non-disclosure agreements are not accepted. providers have a two-week response period to request the removal of confidential information. Failure to respond allows for publication of the full report. Exceptions can be requested in the internship agreement form.

For Business Studies the official guidelines (only for students) can be found here.

For Computer Science the official guidelines (only for students) can be found here.

Students

FAQ’s

What’s the Science Internship Fair?

The Science Internship Fair is an opportunity for students to meet with organisations and discuss their offered projects with the hope that you will match one of them.

In order to participate in the Fair you must vote for projects on the platform. Voting will not only assist you with figuring out which projects are of interest to you, they will also provide the organisations with the number of students interested in their projects. You will receive essential information on how to vote on projects via Brightspace.

Which MSc students can participate in the fair?

MSc students from Business Studies (in Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical sciences, Bio-pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Life science and technology, Mathematics, or Physics), Computer Science and ICT in Business for the public sector.

Where can I find the projects offered?

The Project Marketplace will be published and available for students in September. A link will be send via BrightSpace.

Who do I contact if I have any questions about the Science Internship Fairs?

For any questions regarding the Science Internship Fair, please send an email to internship@liacs.leidenuniv.nl

How does voting for projects/organisations work for the Science Internship Fairs?

Information regarding the voting will be send via BrightSpace, if you have questions, send a mail to internships@liacs.leidenuniv.nl

Can I attend if I have missed the voting?

NO, you cannot attend if you did not vote. You need to RSVP for Fair and vote for projects. Informeting regarding the voting wille be send via BrightSpace.

How should I prepare for the Science Internship Fair?

Please have your CV complete and bring it to the event. For more information please check this site. To prepare for the Science Internship Fair, we recommend that you do the following:

Treat each meeting like a job interview and be prepared to discuss the projects and research areas.
Wear professional clothes and have a clean/tidy appearance. Even though it is an online event we strongly recommend that your whole outfit is professional, you never know if you will need to stand up or not.
Prepare questions and do your research for each organisation you meet with – know what the organisation does and their mission.
Maintain eye contact if possible.
Be confident but not cocky, listen to their questions and be sure to answer them.
Be respectful.
Tell them which program you are in and how long your thesis is, they will need to know how long they will host you. This is not applicable for our MSc AI students as all attending organisations in the morning will know these details.

What should I do when I speak with an organization?

Here is what you should do during the meetings:

Introduce yourself and state when you would begin and for how long.
Refer to the representative by name.
Take notes and create questions referring to what the representative has said.
Ask your prepared questions and ask open questions.
Check that your ideas and assumptions of the organisation are correct.
Check that your ideas and interpretations of the project(s) are correct.
Agree upon further contact and method of contact.

What should my CV include?

Please check the information on the careerzone at Leiden University

What is the Internship/NDA Policy?

A detailed description of the policy can be found here.

The UNL model internship agreement is established in consultation with the business community.
It considers the duty of care and educational task of universities, as well as the competitive position of companies.
The agreement is applicable to all higher education institutions in the Netherlands and is exclusively for internships within the country.
No additional Non-Disclosure Agreements or other agreements are accepted.
Trade secrets and intellectual property rights are protected through the model internship agreement and the national collective labor agreement.
There is a two-week response period for the removal of confidential information in the thesis or presentation.
If the internship provider does not respond within this period, the internship report may be published in full, and the presentation will continue.
Exceptions to the agreement, such as longer embargo periods or confidential appendices, must be indicated in the internship agreement form.

For any questions, please contact internship@liacs.leidenuniv.nl

What should I do after the Science Internship Fair?

After the Science Internship Fair, we would recommend that you follow up:

Do you have enough information? If not, do some research.
Email or call the companies of your preference. Use the agreed upon contact method.
Make an appointment to meet at their office so you can visit the organisation and see the workspace, experience the atmosphere, and meet the employees.

What happens if I cannot attend the Science Internship Fair?

If you cannot attend the Fair you can still view all projects on Brightspace, information about this will follow. If you find a project you are interested in, contact the organization’s contact person on the project page directly after the event.

What if I can no longer attend the Science Internship Fair after I have voted or must cancel last minute?

If you have already voted and you cannot attend the Fair or if you are ill or cannot attend last minute due to other circumstances, please contact us immediately via internship@liacs.leidenuniv.nl.

Partners

LUdev

LUdev is a student-led software development organization affiliated with Leiden University. It assigns diverse teams of third-year bachelor students in Computer Science, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, and Informatics & Economics to real-world software projects.

Unlike traditional internships, LUdev offers a distinctive model of collaboration. Projects do not require continuous mentorship or full integration into an existing team. Instead, students typically work remotely, supported by, e.g., bi-weekly meetings. Most projects aim for the delivery of a minimum viable product (MVP), providing partners with tangible outcomes while allowing students to apply and expand their skills in a focused setting.

Our call for projects for the 2026–2027 academic year is now open. If you have an idea you’d like to see realised, or if you want to learn more about our approach and previous collaborations, we invite you to visit ludev.nl.

AI Collaboration
Centre

Partner with AI Experts at Leiden University: Unlock Innovation Together.

At Leiden University, we believe that meaningful innovation happens at the intersection of academic excellence and real-world impact. That’s why our AI Collaboration Centre exists—to build dynamic partnerships between businesses, public institutions, and our community of pioneering scientists.

Our dedicated team brings together experts from diverse professional backgrounds to streamline and support collaboration. From matching your organisation with top-tier researchers in Artificial Intelligence to navigating legal and administrative frameworks, we’re here to make partnerships productive and seamless.

Whether your focus is on developing next-generation medical imaging, discovering promising new drugs, or designing intelligent decision-support systems for government, law, or enterprise—Leiden’s researchers are working at the forefront. We connect you directly with specialists who understand your challenges and can co-create AI-powered solutions.

Across the university, AI and data science are embedded in a wide spectrum of disciplines. Active collaborations already span sectors like health, law, governance, and technical industry. What sets us apart is our foundation of deep scientific inquiry: The Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) not only applies cutting-edge AI but also leads in shaping the underlying methodologies and principles that drive the field forward.

Invest in innovation that matters. Collaborate with Leiden and help shape the future with science you can trust. For more information check our website.