The ISTernship is a summer fellowship program at ISTA that offers research opportunities to outstanding bachelor’s and master’s students interested in biology, computer science, data science, mathematics, physics, neuroscience, chemistry, and interdisciplinary areas.

Selected ISTerns work on a project conducting research under the supervision of one of ISTA’s research groups.

ISTerns will be welcomed to ISTA in one orientation session and will learn more about ISTA and the PhD program. A series of events take place to enrich the experience of ISTerns on campus. The program also includes a poster session where ISTerns present their work to their peers, faculty, and the ISTA community.

The duration of the ISTernship program is agreed between ISTern and research group after the selection process is completed.
The period of duration of the ISTernship program is at minimum 2 months and maximum of 3 months taking place between May 15 and September 15.

No. English is the language used for communication at ISTA.

Selected ISTerns and members of their host research groups will decide on a project to work on together. In your application, you should indicate the name of a research group that you wish to work with. The research groups that will be participating in the 2026 will be made available in December 2025.

Applicants should not contact professors before or during the application phase.

If you notice that you have made a mistake in your application or you want to make amendments, please send an email to isternship@ista.ac.at. We can then reopen your application for you to make any changes and you can resubmit. However, please note that we cannot guarantee a timely response in peak times and all required updates must be done by the application deadline, therefore we encourage applicants to double-check their application components before submitting it to prevent mistakes.

If your institution is associated with a university and is not listed as a separate institution in the database, you will need to indicate the university listed in the database.

The search function should enable you to find the correct name used for your institution in the database. Please make sure to enter the entire institution name first, so that you can see all the options from the dropdown menu.

ISTA uses a third-party institution database (ROR), and unfortunately, we are unable to add institutions to the list. If your institution is not listed in the ROR list, no problem. Please refer to the instructions below:

1. 1. In the field “Institution” please enter any institution from the same country available in the list.
   2. Go to the section “Additional Information” in the field “Additional information you would like us to know about your application” to indicate the correct name of your institution.

Please note this will not affect your application in any way. We are aware of the limitations of the institutions’ database.

We welcome applicants from across the world.

Current students and recent graduates* with bachelor’s or master’s degrees (or equivalent) from all disciplines of the natural sciences, mathematics, computer sciences, physics, chemistry and any related interdisciplinary areas are eligible to apply.

That means applicants who graduated before May 15, 2025, are not eligible to apply for the program. 

Students accepted to or enrolled in a PhD program by the start of the summer (May 15th, 2026) are not eligible to apply.

ISTernship applicants can also apply for ISTA’s PhD program, however, if they are invited to an interview for the PhD program that would make them ineligible.

All short-term mobility programs between ISTA and Russia have been suspended. As a result, any applicants currently enrolled in universities located in Russia are ineligible to apply for the ISTernship call.

Applicants should use our application portal to apply for the ISTernship Fellowship.

Our application portal will open for applications for the ISTernship – ISTA Summer Fellowship 2026 Intake in mid-December 2025.

Application Submission Deadline: February 5, 2026 (15:00 CET)
Reference Submission Deadline: February 5, 2026 (15:00 CET)
Deadline for change requests on referee contact information: February 4, 2026 (15:00 CET)

Application Submission Deadline: February 5, 2026 (15:00 CET)
Reference Submission Deadline: February 5, 2026 (15:00 CET)
Deadline for change requests on referee contact information: February 4, 2026 (15:00 CET)

Applicants are responsible for planning any change requests in referees’ information keeping in mind the time required for the referee to complete the reference form by the deadline of February 5, 2026 (15:00 CET). We are unable to accept requests for changes in referees’ data after the deadline of February 4, 2026 (15:00 CET).

To complete your application, you will need the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV):

We provide a template of CV (Word format) with sections that are relevant for the ISTernship Fellowship. You can download this template and modify it with your information as you see fit. You can also remove sections that are not applicable to your situation. Your CV can be uploaded to your application as a Word or PDF document.

This is a recommended template, and you can decide whether to use it. All applications will be reviewed equally regardless of which CV template is submitted.

Download the file here: ISTernship_CV_Template

2. Statement of Purpose:

The statement of purpose is a fundamental component of your application; it is a chance for you to stand out in the selection process. Please ensure you take time to craft a document that is authentic, unique, and that clearly states your motivation to apply for the ISTernship Fellowship. There are no specific rules on the format of the statement of purpose, however, you may want to consider the following:

• What is your motivation to participate in the ISTernship Fellowship?
• Why have you specifically chosen the professor(s)/research group(s) indicated in your application?
• What skills do you want to develop and/or what skills do you wish to learn during the ISTernship Fellowship?
• What impact will the ISTernship Fellowship have on your science journey?

3. University Transcripts/Diplomas:
From current degree and completed/previous degrees preferably in English.

4. Contact of 1 (minimum) or 2 (maximum) referees:
The referee(s) should be someone who taught or supervised your work in an academic setting.

1.   their names
2.   institutions, and
3.   email addresses

The referee(s) will be contacted directly by us (by email) and will be asked to submit a reference letter for you via the system. The reference letter is needed to complete your application. We do not accept reference letters sent to our email. Reference letters do not require official letterheads or stamps.

The letter of recommendation is a statement where the referee assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the applicant in terms of that person’s suitability for the ISTernship.

You need to indicate at least one referee in your application. These are people who have taught you or supervised your work and are, therefore, able to evaluate your academic and research performance.

Referees are contacted directly with a link to a recommendation form. Your application is complete only if at least one of your referees submits a letter of recommendation.

Please be aware that the deadline to submit the letter of recommendation is the same as the application deadline. Therefore, please give your referee(s) enough time to submit the letter.

No language certificates are mandatory for the application. You may upload a language certificate for English if you want to.

Updates on all complete applications will be sent from March 31, 2026.

Selected applicants will have 1 week to accept the offer.

The ISTernship program is very competitive and every year we receive several thousands of applications for 40-50 spots. However, some research groups and scientific staff may use the ISTernship applicant pool for other opportunities at ISTA.

All ISTerns receive a monthly scholarship payment. For 2025, the monthly scholarship payment was 1,150 Euros.

In addition, ISTerns receive a travel lump sum to cover some of all of their travel costs to ISTA based on the distance traveled.

ISTA has entered into an agreement with OeAD in order to facilitate administrative matters.

After accepting your offer to the ISTernship, you will receive the official scholarship document from OeAD. In case you need a visa for coming to Austria, OeAD will send a confirmation to the respective Austrian representative.

OeAD will disburse the monthly scholarship and travel allowance, and arrange an insurance after your arrival if necessary. Note: for visa applications, you will need to take out a travel insurance valid for 10-14 days. For further information, please see www.oead.at/scholars.

Based on availability, ISTerns who state they need housing support will be sent a housing offer either on campus or in Vienna. The housing options are dorm style rooms with shared kitchens. The rent is between 600-700 euros per month.

By public transport:

1. Take the U4 subway (green line) in the direction of Heiligenstadt until the last stop “Heiligenstadt”.

2. Take the ISTA Shuttle Bus or Bus 400 to the stop “ISTA”. The trip takes approx. 25 minutes.

The best way is to browse our website, the most up-to-date source for events and institute-related announcements. If you’d like to find out more about the PhD program at ISTA, please visit: http://phd.ist.ac.at

You’re also invited to “like” our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram, connect with us via LinkedIn, or via Bluesky to stay in the loop about ISTA and the whereabouts of our scientists!

You can contact the ISTernship Program Team via isternship@ista.ac.at

There is a variety of extracurricular activities such as sports, student groups and social clubs. Read more here.

You can choose to have breakfast or lunch at the cafeteria. Other options include a café/pub, a Starbucks corner, coffee kitchens in each building, and vending machines. See more about Dining here.

Selected ISTerns for the ISTernship Summer Program can live on campus in the guest house rooms (subject to availability) or in Vienna in accommodation provided by the OeAD. Both housing options are dorm options with shared kitchen spaces. The rent is between 600-700 euros per month.

If you would prefer to live independently or are already living in Vienna, you can chose to source your own housing. Please note that if you live independently but require proof of accommodation for visa reasons, you will have to provide this yourself. This option is not suggested for those with citizenship of countries from outside the EU/EEA/CH region.

The OeAD will provide ISTerns enrolled in the ISTernship Summer Program access to a subsidized health care option. Holders of European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) are covered while living in Austria. For those without insurance, we recommend taking out travel insurance for your first two weeks in Austria and then enrolling in the OeAD suggested health insurance plan for the duration of your stay at ISTA.

Please note, scientific interns and PhD students are enrolled in the public healthcare system.

If you are not from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you will need to apply for a visa in order to com to ISTA as an ISTern.

When you get an offer from ISTA, you will be sent information on how to apply for your visa from abroad. The OeAD will help with all visa related questions.