The European Medicines Agency (EMA) Traineeship Programme (Fully Funded)

At the European Medicines Agency (EMA), we believe that great young minds add important value to our work. In return, they learn new skills and get a valuable work experience.

We run a yearly traineeship programme covering the areas of medicine regulation, life sciences, healthcare, chemistry, information technology, pharmaceutical law, human resources, finance, communications, public relations and library and information science.

Traineeship opportunities for the 2022/2023 programme, starting in October 2022, are advertised now! Search opportunities that fit your interest, and make sure you apply before 19 June 2022 23:59 CET. Do not miss the opportunity to work for every patient in Europe.  

What do we offer?

• A ten-month traineeship at the Agency’s premises in Amsterdam (1 October – 31 July)
• A full-time traineeship (40 hours a week) or a part-time traineeship (80% or 50% combined with Erasmus+ or similar programme or a PhD)
• A monthly stipend of €1,360 for a full-time traineeship (reduced accordingly for 80% or 50%) and a travel contribution upon joining and leaving the Agency
• A mentor responsible for establishing individual learning goals, supervising the trainee and monitoring their progress on a regular basis
• Guidance on career and development
• A development programme including learning about the Agency’s mission and activities, attending regular workshops, participating in meetings and access to Agency-wide competency development opportunities

What do we expect from you?

• An open-minded approach to working in a multicultural environment
• An interest in learning about the Agency’s working methods
• To contribute to the Agency’s daily work with a fresh perspective
• A proactive attitude

What can you expect from us?

• An interest in your background and ideas
• Support and guidance from your mentor throughout the programme
• The possibility to contribute to the Agency’s mission
• Helping you to grow professionally
• Creating learning opportunities for you
• Mentorship from world-class specialists

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply for the Agency’s traineeship programme, you must:Be an EU or EEA nationalBea recent university graduate (not longer than 12 months after graduation – to be eligible for traineeship programme 2022, you must have graduated between beginning of May 2021 and closing date for applications)or a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programmeor a PhD student.Have a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and a good knowledge of another official EU language (at least B2), as per the Common European Framework for Languages.

How to apply

Search our current traineeship vacancies on the View all jobs page, select the traineeship of intertest and sumbit an online application through the Careers portal.

For guidance on how to use the EMA Careers portal, see EMA Careers user guide.

Make sure you fulfil all eligibility criteria stated in the vacancy notice. If you don’t meet the criteria, EMA cannot progress your application.

Make sure you complete your candidate profile and application form as fully as possible, paying particular attention to the pre-screening questions and the ‘professional qualification’ section of the application form.

During the first stage of the assessment of your application, EMA uses your answers to pre-screening questions to assess how you match the requirements of the advertised position.

You can create a candidate profile at any time and use it to pre-fill any future applications. You can change information in your application until the deadline for applications.

You can log into the candidate portal at any time to track the progress of your applications.

EMA communicates with candidates via email, so please check your inbox and spam folder regularly.

Tips for your application

The application form includes questions asking you to confirm you meet all the eligibility criteria. If you answer ‘no’ to any of these questions, EMA will not be able to progress your application.

Substantiate your answers to the pre-screening questions by describing all your relevant qualifications and experience (if applicable), even if already mentioned in other sections of your application form.

Tailor the description of your skills to the requirements listed in the vacancy notice.

Make sure your answers are concise and respect character limits.

Check your grammar and spelling before submitting your application.

Make sure you submit your application before the closing date. EMA cannot accept applications submitted after the closing date.

What happens after I applied?

We will assess your application to see how well you meet the listed requirements. This will take approximately 2-3 weeks.

Candidates that best match the profile will be invited for a short remote interview with a hiring manager. They may also be asked to complete a written test. For information on how to prepare for these assessments see EMA’s guidance on how to prepare for assessments .

If you are successful, we will inform you again and send you a contract with a starting date of 1 October.

More information

If you want to more about our programme, read Traineeship Programme rules.

We have also compiled Frequently Asked Questions to help you.

You can always contact us.

Official website