2016
Great Minds student internships

Dear Faculty Member

At IBM Research, we have a longstanding and strong commitment to encourage and mentor the next generation of top research talents. Every year, our twelve research Labs around the world host many visiting academics, scientists and students in the belief that it takes broad collaboration of the brightest minds to create innovations that make the world work better.

With the Great Minds initiative, we want to reach out to outstanding young research talent in the countries of central and eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We are inviting qualified students to apply for an internship at one of the IBM Research Laboratories in Zurich or Dublin in 2016 and to take this opportunity to work at world-class industrial IT research centers.

Since launching this initiative in 2007, we have hosted more than 60 students at our Laboratories for three to six-month internships. The experiences on both sides have been very positive. The student interns gain insights into real industry challenges and get hands-on experience that should be valuable to their university and faculty. They bring back knowledge of IBM’s advanced technologies as well as contacts throughout IBM Research.

The design of the competition will keep your efforts to a minimum. There are only two simple steps. First, please publicize the initiative using the posters and flyers we will supply to you. Second, you will need to receive the students’ applications and forward those of suitable candidates to the IBM University Relations representative in your country, together with a letter of recommendation by 29 February 2016.

Your letter of recommendation should state your personal view why the particular student is a strong candidate for this competition. Besides technical skills and talent, we would appreciate it if you also addressed the student's creativity, perseverance, teamwork, and enthusiasm about his or her field.

The competition is open to any full-time student enrolled in a Master's program in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Software Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Service Science at the time of application. IBM is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from both genders as well as minority groups. Students must have a solid command of both written and spoken English. Applicants must submit their current CV and a brief position paper as described here.

An IBM committee will choose the winners at its discretion. The internships will start in 2016 on a mutually agreed date. IBM will pay the winners a travel allowance as well as compensation that covers adequately the cost of living in Switzerland or Ireland, respectively. IBM will also obtain the necessary visa and work permits for the successful candidates.

Thank you very much for supporting this initiative. In doing so, you are giving your brightest students an opportunity that could significantly boost their future career prospects.

Yours sincerely,