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About the internship
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, offers Scientific Internships throughout the year to students and recent graduates in the natural sciences, computer sciences, mathematics and related disciplines. An intern is appointed for 2 months to 1 year, works inside one of ISTA’s 90+ research groups under a professor or staff scientist, and is paid under an employment contract — a minimum salary of €1,583 gross a month. There is no application fee at any stage.
The route matters more than the paperwork. There is no central annual application form and no fixed deadline: you identify a research group, contact its leader or a staff scientist directly, and agree the dates with them. Candidates are selected by the head of the research group or the staff scientists, subject to funding for the salary and formal approval by ISTA’s Academic Affairs division. Because the volume of applications is high, ISTA replies only to selected candidates — so the email itself, and how closely your background matches the group’s work, is the application.
Eligibility
- A student or recent graduate of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the natural sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, or a related discipline.
- Available for at least 2 months to conduct the internship at ISTA.
- An interest in topics related to the work of at least one ISTA research group, and willing to share it with the group leader and team members.
- A good command of English (ISTA’s working language).
- PhD students at other institutions can also visit ISTA research groups for 2–12 months through the same route, and may be eligible for a higher salary range than the intern rate.
- Eligibility is assessed under ISTA’s Research Security policy — current and recent affiliations, research area and project description are considered, and ISTA does not host short-term stays of people affiliated with EU-sanctioned institutions.
Benefits
- Minimum salary of €1,583 gross a month under an ISTA employment contract.
- 2–12 months of hands-on research in a real ISTA research group, with access to shared facilities including advanced microscopy, high-performance computing clusters and cleanrooms.
- No application or processing fee at any stage.
- Visa assistance once an offer is made, for interns from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland.
- Possible campus accommodation in ISTA apartments in Klosterneuburg, subject to availability and for a cost; Vienna is about a 25-minute bus ride away.
- Freedom to engage with more than one group — each intern has a primary host group, but interdisciplinary collaboration is welcomed.
Documents to prepare
- A CV in PDF format, listing relevant experience and education history.
- A short introduction to your background and your motivation to work with the group, in the email itself.
- Possible dates for the internship — the start date must be at least 2 months ahead.
- Note: academic transcripts and recommendation letters are not listed by ISTA as universal mandatory documents for the initial direct-contact email. A host group may request additional material later, and the formal portal step follows only if the group is interested.
How to apply
- Browse ISTA’s research groups and staff scientists and identify the group whose work matches your academic background and research interests.
- Email the group leader or staff scientist directly, including a short introduction to your background, your motivation to work with them, a CV in PDF format, and possible internship dates (start date at least 2 months ahead).
- You may contact more than one group leader at the same time — ISTA says this is quite common — but select laboratories that closely match your interests and explain your preferences.
- If the group is interested in hosting you, they or their assistant will contact you for further steps, requesting further information through ISTA’s application portal.
- Complete the portal registration at least 2 months before your intended start date; ISTA recommends applying at least 4 months ahead.
- For administrative questions about year-round Scientific Internships, the contact published by ISTA is predoc@ista.ac.at.
FAQs
No. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis, so there is no central deadline. Plan ahead: the portal registration must be completed at least 2 months before your start date, and ISTA recommends applying at least 4 months ahead of your desired start date.
Scientific interns receive an employment contract with ISTA and a minimum salary of €1,583 gross a month. You cannot be employed as a scientific intern at ISTA if you are employed or funded elsewhere.
The ISTernship Summer Fellowship is a centrally-run summer programme (May–September, 2–3 months) with its own application call — and it has been paused for the 2026 and 2027 application cycles. The year-round Scientific Internship is a separate route: you contact a research group directly and agree dates with them, for 2–12 months at any time of year. It is not affected by the ISTernship pause.
Yes, for the year-round Scientific Internship. Identify a suitable research group and contact the group leader or staff scientist directly. Do not contact professors for the ISTernship Fellowship — that programme uses a centralised call (and is currently paused).
Students pursuing or having obtained a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in the natural sciences, computer sciences, mathematics or a related discipline, available for at least 2 months, with a good command of English. PhD students at other institutions can also visit ISTA groups for 2–12 months through the same route.
A short introduction to your background and motivation, a CV in PDF format, and possible internship dates, sent by email to the group leader or staff scientist. Transcripts and recommendation letters are not listed by ISTA as mandatory for the initial email; the host group may ask for more later.
No. ISTA states that participation in the Scientific Internship Program does not improve or guarantee your chances of admission to the ISTA PhD Program; PhD applications are evaluated independently.
ISTA owns and operates apartments on its campus in Klosterneuburg, and interns may be eligible to stay in them, subject to availability and for a cost. Short- and long-term options are available; Vienna is about a 25-minute bus ride away.
Yes, in a different form: with external funding you may join a research group as a visiting student for 2–6 months. Visiting students are not employees and do not receive a salary from ISTA.
Verified 28 Oct 2026 against ISTA's official Scientific Internships page (phd.ista.ac.at/scientific-internships/, read in full, crawled 28 Oct 2026) and corroborated by the Harvard FAS careers listing and two independent guides: year-round Scientific Internships for students pursuing or having obtained a Bachelor's or Master's degree in the natural or computer sciences, mathematics or a related discipline; appointment 2 months to 1 year; candidates selected by the head of a research group or staff scientists, subject to funds and Academic Affairs approval; applications accepted on a continuous basis, no central deadline; contact the group leader or staff scientist directly; start date must be at least 2 months ahead; portal registration at least 2 months before the start date, apply at least 4 months ahead recommended; minimum salary EUR 1,583 gross/month under an ISTA employment contract; no processing or application fees; ISTA replies only to selected candidates; administrative contact predoc@ista.ac.at; PhD students at other institutions may visit for 2-12 months (possibly a higher salary range); Research Security policy screening applies; campus apartments subject to availability and cost; Vienna about 25 minutes by bus; visa assistance after an offer for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. CONFLICTS: (1) The widely repeated EUR 1,184/month stipend on aggregator pages (e.g. ehsaskafaalat) is OUTDATED — the official ISTA page now states a minimum salary of EUR 1,583 gross/month, and the 2026 guides corroborate EUR 1,583. (2) Several aggregators present the ISTernship Summer Fellowship as the live programme; the official ISTA page states the ISTernship programme has been paused for the 2026 and 2027 application cycles and will not take place — only the year-round Scientific Internships continue. The article leads with that distinction. Documents: transcripts and recommendation letters are NOT listed by ISTA as mandatory for the initial direct-contact email, so they are not presented as requirements. The official page does not publish an intern headcount or a housing price, so neither is stated.
