Internship

Eligibility Criteria for Internship

• Applications are limited to nationals of NATO member States. Applicants from NATO Partner countries and others may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Candidates must be at least 18 years old.
• Candidate must be a current student or a graduate of a university or other higher education programme. No specific background is required, and both natural or social science majors are encouraged to apply.
• NATO Security Clearance is desirable, but not required.
• The official working language of the JCBRN Defence COE is English. Therefore, proficiency in English (CEFR C1) is required.

Internship Conditions

• All internships take place in Vyškov, Czech Republic.
• Internship will start in September 2025 and can last up to end of February 2026. Both start and end dates are flexible and may be altered based on the candidate request.
• The internship is not remunerated. Interns are personally responsible for costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses.
• The JCBRN Defence COE may facilitate private accommodation at a discounted rate within the military garrison.
• Interns cannot be considered as NATO employees, and are thus not covered by the provisions of NATO SOFA and the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.
• Interns are responsible for their own health and accident insurance and medical care.

Internship Topics and Assignments

• The Internships offered by the JCBRN Defence COE are traditionally research-focused, however practice-focused hands-on assignments are possible as well, based on the candidate background.
• If opting for a research-focused internship, the interns will be expected to produce a research paper in co-autorship with a JCBRN Defence COE staff member, who will also be assigned as their supervisor for the duration of their internship.
• Candidates are encouraged to provide their own research proposal together with the internship application. Alternatively, they may select or be assigned a research topic by the JCBRN Defence COE. Some of the topics that the intern may focus on in this case include, but are not limited to, the following research areas:
  • CBRN Defence and the Space and/or Cyberspace Domain
  • Leveraging Digital Transformation in CBRN Defence
  • The relevance of psychosocial knowledge for CBRN Defence Planning
  • The incorporation of Extended Reality into CBRN Training
  • Countering the Hybrid CBRN Threats – Role for JCBRN Defence COE
  • The Future of NATO’s Partnerships in CBRN Defence
• The practice-focused assignments may include ad hoc organisational or administrative team support tasks, as well as subject matter-related activities:
  • Advanced Distribution Learning and creation of micro-learning solutions for CBRN Defence Courses (Practical assignment for computer science or programming majors)
  • Analysis of communication strategies used within other NATO COEs and NATO
• Autumn 2025 interns will take part in the 2025 JCBRN Defence COE Annual Conference and will assist the organizing team with the preparation and execution of the event
• Interns may participate in other JCBRN Defence COE events or courses, when appropriate.

Internship Application Process

• Candidates for Internship will submit the formal Application by e-mail to postbox@jcbrncoe.org with the subject Autumn 2025 Internship Application, including their Curriculum Vitae, a brief motivation letter and their preferred subject of the internship.
• The JCBRN Defence COE will contact the candidate by e-mail acknowledging the receipt of application and if necessary requesting further clarification.
• Once the call for applications has been closed, the Selection Board will shortlist the best suitable candidate(s). Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in an online interview, and if successful the JCBRN Defence COE Director will provide final approval. After the final decision is made the selected candidates will receive an offer of an internship.

Deadline for Applications is April 13th 2025.