Internship programme for Belgian high-school students at CERN
from 24 October to 6 November 2021
The “High School Students Internship Programme (HSSIP)” at CERN exists for 5 years. It invites high-school students from CERN Member States to spend two weeks internship in this unique research centre, home of the LHC, the largest particle accelerator built in the world.
In 2021, Belgium has the chance to participate to HSSIP... for the first time!
If your are a student interested by science (physics and technology, but also engineering, IT, scientific research etc.) and if you want to spend two weeks in a renowned international environment, we advise you to apply. You will then dive in the fascinating world of particle physics, a top research field in which Belgium plays a important role.
Aerial view of the LHC and the LHC tunnel
Internship
Internship will take place between 24 October and 6 November 2021. There are 24 places for Belgian students, distributed across the three linguistic communities of the country. While giving a chance to everyone, the internships will be assigned to the most motivated students.
During the internship, various research projects, individual or in teams, will be lead by the students. They will be supervised by CERN staff, in Dutch, French or German, depending on the student's mother tongue. Visits and lectures on research at CERN will also be proposed, mostly in English.
The projects will be varied, from fundamental research in particle physics to cosmology, looking at accelerators, material science, communication and education. Social events will also be proposed to the members of the Belgian delegation.
Students working on their project
How do I apply?
First we need to know more about your interest in physics, technology, scientific research. engineering sciences etc. and why you would like to join this internship at CERN. The ideal candidate must be highly motivated and propose good arguments. They will be laid out in a motivation letter and a short video.
Beyond a certain interest in physics, you do not have to be committed to become a physicist or engineer later to apply. It is not requested to have participated to similar activities in the past either.
At the end of the application period, all applications will be studied and you will be informed if you have been selected for the internship. To avoid to take too much time on your school time, the internship will partially take place during the Autumn school holidays. If you are selected, you must participate to the whole programme.
As a member of the Belgian delegation, the knowledge of English is required and the knowledge of one of the official language of Belgium is an asset.
Applications must be registered on our online form exclusively.
The deadline for application is 1 May 2021. Selection results will be announced by the end of May 2021.
François Englert, Belgian laureate of the 2013 Nobel prize for Physics, talks with Belgian students
Practical details
- Internship is free for participants. CERN will cover the trip (return trip from and to Brussels), housing, meals and programme tours.
- Only students registered in 5th or 6th secondary grade in 2021-22 in a school in the Belgian territory and being minimum16 years old at the beginning of the internship can apply.
- A French-speaking and a Dutch-speaking teacher will accompany the student during the whole internship.
- Participants will sleep at CERN Hostel, located inside CERN domain.
- The questions related to the current sanitary situation (e.g. vaccinations, authorization to travel) will be monitored closely and programme practicalities will be adapted to (inter)national rules.
Any question?
- CERN: François Briard, be-hssip-admin@cern.ch
- For the French- and German-speaking students: Cédric Vanhoolandt, Université de Namur & Euro Space Society, cedric.vanhoolandt@unamur.be
- For the Dutch- and German-speaking students: Jean-Pierre Grootaerd, Universiteit Gent & Euro Space Society, jeanpierre.grootaerd@ugent.be
