Internships for Undergraduate & Masters Students - Spring 2026

ICFO offers the opportunity to undertake a Final Degree Project / Masters Thesis or to participate in a Research Stay with one of our Research Groups.

In this call we offer the following fellowships, which cover funding for up to 12-months.

Up to 6 x Student Research Fellowships

Up to 3 x SPIE@ICFO María Yzuel Fellowship Awards
An activity of the SPIE@ICFO Chair for Diversity in Photonic Sciences to attract, retain and promote talented women*.

Candidates will be considered for all fellowships for which they are eligible.

Projects may be undertaken with any Research Group. Research lines include, but are not limited to:

Atto-Science, Ultrafast Optics & Nonlinear Optics

Photovoltaics, Thermal Photonics & Solar Fuels

Optical Sensing & Optoelectronics

NanoPhotonics & NanoMechanics

Ultracold Quantum Gases

Quantum and Low-Dimensional Materials

Quantum Communications, Sensing & Simulation

Quantum Optics & Quantum Information

Nanophotonics, Condensed Matter Physics & Light-Matter Interactions

Medical Optics

Biophysics, Biophotonics & Super-Resolution Imaging

Interested students should browse the different research group profiles available on the ICFO website, https://www.icfo.eu/lang/research, to identify the groups that best match their interests.

Selected students will participate in ICFO’s rich scientific life, benefit from the experience of ICFO researchers, cutting edge facilities, industrial projects, the institute’s stimulating and interdisciplinary environment, and as receive high-level training as well as extensive admin and tech support. They will collaborate with scientists on research assignments tailored from available projects at ICFO, and will also acquire skills for communicating their research results.

In addition, internal Undergraduate and Master student opportunities might become available, for which we may retain candidates applying to this present call.

We welcome cis and trans women

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Use the following URL:
https://jobs.icfo.eu/?detail=1072

REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must be enrolled/registered to a bachelor or master’s program for the full duration of the internship at ICFO. Eligible areas include, but are not limited to, Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology.

Have a high working knowledge of English.

Selection of Fellows is based on merit and potential, measured in terms of academic records and personal achievements. Proactive attitudes, participation in community activities, and capacity for team-work are also taken into account.

ICFO is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are selected exclusively on merit and potential on the basis of submitted application material. No restrictions related to disabilities, citizenship or gender apply to ICFO positions. ICFO abides by the principles of openness, efficiency, transparency, supportiveness, and international comparability as stated in the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

CONDITIONS

ICFO encourages applications from masters students and advanced undergraduates interested in undertaking a research project with an ICFO group, or their bachelor or masters thesis.

The award covered by this program includes funding up to 12 months. The selected student is responsible for securing the necessary visa and insurance to cover the full length of their stay.

The start date is flexible, but must be no later than December 2026.

The stay will have to be formalized by a training agreement between the student’s home university/institution and ICFO. Please, note that any potential offer for a fellowship at ICFO is subject to the previous verification of viability of said training agreement.

For students living in Catalunya, the fellowship include a stipend of 300 euros monthly gross, for full-time dedication.

For students living in an EU country (not included Catalunya region), the fellowship include a stipend of 600 euros monthly gross, for full-time dedication. Eligible travel expenses are also covered.

For students living in a non-EU country, the fellowship include a stipend of 900 euros monthly gross, for full-time dedication. Eligible travel expenses are also covered.

Please notice that these Fellowships are not compatible with other full fellowships granted for the same purpose.

1st step: Submit your application

To apply for a fellowship, suitable candidates are requested to submit the following documents (in English):

A presentation/motivation letter stating research group (s) of interest and specific requests in terms of period and duration of the internship and answering the question: why this fellowship will benefit your career?

A Curriculum Vitae, including contact details, in English.

A scanned copy of the academic transcripts for the undergraduate degree and master degree (if applicable), in English.

Name and contact details of one potential referee who we may contact, should it be necessary.

The deadline for submission of the application material, is March 15, 2026.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to make sure all required application material (see above), is complete by the time of deadline, in order to be considered.

2nd step: Review process: ICFO Student Research Fellowships

In a first revision stage, applications will first be reviewed to assure that they meet the eligibility requirements and conditions and candidates will be notified accordingly.

Eligible applications will be evaluated and ranked by the Selection Committee.

Top-ranked candidates will then pass to a matching stage, in which h/she is invited to discuss their research interests and suitability for a potential project with ICFO Group Leader(s), as well as duration of the stay and other particular conditions. An interview, either in person or online, is a fundamental part of the procedure.

If the candidate and ICFO Group Leader(s) agree to a match, the candidate will receive an official fellowship offer from ICFO.

All applicants will be notified the decision in their case by mid-May 2026, at the latest.

2nd step: Review process: SPIE@ICFO María Yzuel Fellowship Awards

In a first revision stage, applications will first be reviewed to assure that they meet the eligibility requirements and conditions and candidates will be notified accordingly by the end of March 2026, at the latest.

In the second step of the selection procedure, shortlisted candidates will receive invitations for videoconference interviews with the selection committee and ICFO Group Leaders, planned to take place by the end of March 2026.

Top ranked-candidates following the selection committee interviews will receive an official fellowship offer from ICFO, provided that the candidate and ICFO Group Leader(s) agree to a match.

Fellowship offers will be made to the successful candidates shortly after the interviews, by mid-April 2026, at the latest.

At all stages of the process, candidates may contact ICFO Human Resources and Education via [email protected].

15th of March, 2026