Summer at the Research and project services - university trainee's experience

Research and Project Services has offered summer trainee positions to university students for the last three years. There is no formal training or education to become a research administrator, so we think it is important that our trainees see that you can become a specialist, for example in EU-funding or EU advocacy, with various backgrounds. We also want to highlight that there are many different job opportunities within the university. In the text below this year’s summer trainee Jerina Storlöpare talks about her experience working in Research and Project Services.

As my internship at the Research Support Services has come close to its finish line, I can really say that I have been enjoying my time here. As I reflect on my experience, I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to build new skills and knowledge to boost my future career path. I was greeted by a lovely team of experts, who shared their wisdom with me along with providing insights into their daily work routines. This internship offered me even more value on both professional and personal level than I expected. 

At first, there was loads of new information regarding different funding programs and all the details that come with them. Especially to someone who is completely new to the field, at first, it could seem like there is a lot to take in. However I did not feel like the information was just endlessly poured onto me; instead, I felt like I had the chance to learn about the different funding opportunities gradually while assisting the team on different tasks and while working on my own projects. Most of the learning happened naturally while preparing qualitative analyses on the evaluation reports since I got the chance to take a deep dive into those. While making the analyses I could really see my skills and knowledge improve gradually, through trial and error. And if I had more time, there would still be a whole lot more to learn! 

The tasks were varied, which I enjoyed. I had the opportunity to communicate important information to colleagues and researchers through channels like the intranet, Twitter and our Research and Funding newsletter. Updating the newsletter was a fun task since it also has a visual aspect, and I got to play around with the editing program. I also got to help others in the team by preparing various materials for them and helping them with events and such. I even got to be a part of a training video series, which was an exciting and interesting task to complete. And I was surprised to see that the University has such a nice set for video production, since I had not seen that before myself. 

I was very pleased that the team took me with them to a variety of events and meetings, where I would learn a lot about their work and get used to the new environment. It was very useful to participate in ERC (European Research Council) proposal writing info right at the beginning of my internship, because I had the chance to hear about the proposal writing process and what kinds of problems can come with it. I also got to participate in facilitation training. I was not too familiar with the subject before, but I was really impressed by that training, and it will certainly be helpful considering my upcoming studies in International Business Management, and my future career.  

The discussions I had with my colleagues were certainly inspiring and gave me ideas for my own career path. I felt kind of lost with it before and now I can gladly say that I am excited to see where my own journey takes me, since this internship broadened my horizons. I learned a lot of valuable skills while working here, but I think this was the most significant improvement on a personal level for me.   

Overall, I have been very pleased with my time here, and I am sad to go, but luckily, I am not going far since I am going to continue my studies here at the University. 

Special thanks to everyone who helped me throughout my internship journey!  

Jerina Storlöpare 
University Trainee (2023)