Pan-European Seal Programme - PES

PES icon

The University of Insubria has joined the Pan-European Seal (PES) Programme, an important initiative dedicated to post-graduate traineeships. 

This programme is organised by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO), two authoritative European Union agencies committed to promoting the culture of Intellectual Property and Patents.

The PES Programme, which involves more than 100 universities across Europe, offers final-year students, recent graduates, PhD candidates and recent PhD graduates the opportunity to take part in paid one-year traineeships at the international headquarters of the two agencies. These traineeships allow participants to further develop their expertise in intellectual and industrial property and represent an excellent springboard into the world of work.

The programme is structured into two distinct pathways:

  • Pan-European Seal Traineeship Programme, promoted by EUIPO
  • Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme, promoted by EPO.

Applicants may apply to only one of the two pathways.

Those interested in the EUIPO traineeship must complete the EUIPO traineeship application form.  
The University of Insubria will assess the applications and draw up a shortlist of suitable candidates, which will be forwarded to EUIPO.  
Only candidates included in the shortlist will be able to proceed independently with the formal application to EUIPO. 

Candidates interested in the EPO traineeship must register directly on the EPO website, within the deadlines indicated below.  
EPO will then request confirmation from the University of Insubria.  
Applicants who do not meet the minimum eligibility requirements or who have applied for the EUIPO traineeships will be excluded from the selection procedure.

For specific information regarding admission to the selection process, please refer to the details provided below:

Duration and place of the traineeship: a 12-month traineeship at the EUIPO offices in Alicante, Brussels and Luxembourg.

Benefits and allowance: EUIPO will grant the trainee a monthly allowance of approximately €1,200 if the placement is based in Alicante, or approximately €1,400 if the placement is based in Brussels or Luxembourg.

Eligibility requirements:

  • be a citizen of the European Union;
  • have obtained a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD from the University of Insubria no more than 24 months prior to application (from January 2024). Final-year students and PhD candidates who will obtain their qualification by the start of the traineeship, scheduled for September, may also apply;
  • have knowledge of at least one of the five working languages at EUIPO (Italian, Spanish, English, French and German), at a minimum level of B1 according to the CEFR;
  • have an interest in and/or experience in one of the following areas: Data Analysis; Communication, Marketing and Audiovisuals; Information Technology; Law; Finance and Economics; HR Learning & Development; EU & International Cooperation; Project Support; Facility Management; Administrative Support & Events Management; Translation and Computational Linguistics;
  • have attended at least one of the two courses offered by EUIPO on the EUIPO Academy Learning Portal: “EUTM in a Nutshell” and/or “EU Design in a Nutshell”. To attend these courses, applicants must use the “PES User” profile.

How to apply: 
To apply for the University pre-selection, candidates must complete the relevant MS Form no later than 18 February 2026.

The list of candidates pre-selected by the University will be published on this page.

Only candidates pre-selected by the University, whose names will be communicated to EUIPO, must also submit their application via the online application system, no later than 31 March 2026, under penalty of exclusion from the selection process.

Subsequent stages of the selection procedure and all related communications with applicants will be managed entirely by EUIPO staff.

Timeline

  • 2 February 2026 Launch of the PES Traineeship Programme 2026/27
  • 7 January – 18 February 2026 Submission of applications for University pre-selection via the MS Form. The list of admitted candidates will be published on this page.
  • 27 February 2026 Deadline for the University to submit the shortlist to EUIPO
  • 1 – 31 March 2026 Submission of applications by shortlisted candidates via the EUIPO Online Recruitment Tool. 
  • May – July 2026 Selection process carried out by EUIPO
  • 16 September 2026 Start of the Programme
  • 31 December 2026 Deadline for reserve candidates and communication of results to participating universities.

Download the attachments to find out more:

Duration and place of the traineeship: a traineeship lasting between 12 and 36 months at the EPO offices in Munich, The Hague, Berlin and Brussels.

Benefits and allowance: EPO will grant the trainee a monthly allowance of approximately €2,300 for the first year, and €3,300 for the second and third years.

Eligibility requirements:

  • be a citizen of one of the EPO member states;
  • have obtained a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD from the University of Insubria. Final-year students and PhD candidates who will obtain their qualification by the start of the traineeship, scheduled for September, may also apply;
  • have an excellent command of at least one of the following languages: English, French or German, which will be assessed during the interview with EPO;
  • have an interest in the following fields: Science and Engineering; IT; Business Administration; International Relations and Communications; Law (including Patent Law); Economics and Finance;
  • selected candidates will be required to complete, by September 2026, the following online courses: Introduction to the European patent system; Using CPC in classification; The EPO as a PCT authority.

How to apply: 
Interested candidates must submit their application directly via the EPO website, within the deadlines indicated below.  
EPO will send the University of Insubria the list of applications received in order to validate the candidate’s affiliation with the University. Candidates who are already included in the shortlist for EUIPO traineeships will be excluded from the list.

Timeline

  • 16 February – 9 March 2026 Submission of applications by interested candidates via the EPO Online Recruitment Tool. 
  • 16 March – 23 March 2026 Confirmation of the list of candidates by the University
  • March – June 2026 Selection process carried out by EPO
  • 15 September 2026 Start of the Programme

Download the attachments to find out more:

EPO PES Advert
Info day e Virtual Visit

Below are the events organised by EUIPO and EPO to learn more about the PES Programme: