Please note that this roster is not linked to a specific internship position; it welcomes applications for internship openings in 2026.
The WIPO Internship Program supports WIPO's mission to promote innovation and creativity for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries through a balanced and effective international intellectual property system, enabling interns to learn about the core values and initiatives of WIPO.
The WIPO Internship Program provides an opportunity for interns to complement their educational experience and to develop their professional skills and experience through participation in work in an international context. WIPO also benefits from the contributions of interns, who bring fresh perspectives and knowledge of the latest research in their specialist fields.
WIPO values diversity among its personnel and is committed to equal employment opportunities. We welcome applications from qualified candidates from unrepresented Member States of WIPO, and from underrepresented geographical regions and groups.
Categories, Duration and Stipend
Category I:
(a) Individuals pursuing a first-level university degree who are in their third or fourth year of study and/or need to complete an internship as part of their degree requirements; or
(b) Individuals who have obtained their first-level university degree less than two years from the date of the internship application; or
(c) Individuals pursuing an advanced university degree who have neither completed the coursework nor the final thesis.
The length of Category I internships shall be at least two months up to a maximum of six months. Interns in Category I shall receive a monthly stipend of 1,645 Swiss francs including local transportation allowance. The above is applicable to all interns assigned to WIPO Headquarters in Geneva.
Category II:
(a) Individuals pursuing their advanced university degree who have completed their coursework but not the final thesis; or
(b) Individuals who have obtained their most recent advanced university degree less than two years from the date of the internship application.
(c) Individuals who obtained an advanced university degree more than two years ago, and are currently enrolled in subsequent post-graduate studies.
The length of Category II internships shall be at least two months up to a maximum of twelve months. This category of interns shall receive a monthly stipend of 2,170 Swiss francs including local transportation allowance. The above is applicable to all interns assigned to WIPO Headquarters in Geneva.
This Internship Roster notice applies also to all WIPO external offices (i.e., offices outside Geneva) which are responsible for engaging interns locally. For interns assigned to a WIPO external office, the amount of the stipend shall be determined taking into account local conditions and shall be paid in local currency.
WIPO offers internships in the following fields:
-Economics / Statistics
-Information Technology
-Technical Cooperation Services
-Project Administration
-Administration (Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, Program planning)
-Patent/Trademark examination
-Copyright
-Translation
-Other areas (Communications / Conference Services/Security...)
Main duties:
Terms of Reference will be specified for each internship by the Hiring Office.
Education:
- Individuals pursuing or having obtained a university degree;
- For individuals pursuing a first-level university degree, candidates must be in their third or fourth year of study and/or in a program that requires the completion of an internship as part of the degree requirements;
- Graduates will be eligible to apply for an internship no more than two years after completion of their most recent
university degree or postgraduate studies.
Skills:
Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and the ability to adapt quickly to new systems and software.
Good analytical skills.
Good communication and interpersonal skills.
Languages:
Working knowledge of English and/or French.
For most internships, excellent knowledge and drafting skills in English are required.
Knowledge of any of the following WIPO working languages would be an advantage: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Additional Information:
Candidates are required to add a cover letter / letter of motivation to their applications.
Interns are expected to work full time.
- Interns must meet all expenses for travel and subsistence and are responsible for arranging travel, visas and/or accommodation. Interns who are nationals of developing, least developed or transition countries and who are residing in their home country at the time of recruitment, may be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses (round trip) on recruitment and on separation from WIPO, up to a maximum of 1,500 Swiss francs.
An internship shall not be interpreted as a commitment to future employment with WIPO. Any employment with WIPO after an internship shall be subject to the applicable recruitment and selection procedures. Interns shall be considered as external candidates for any fixed-term or temporary vacancy for which they apply and fully meet the qualification and experience requirements.
- Internships at WIPO cannot be carried out remotely.
Overview of the selection process:
Your profile will be reviewed against specific internship opportunities, as and when they arise throughout the year.
If your profile is found to be a potential fit for one of our internship opportunities, you will be contacted and invited for an interview.
Interviews may be conducted by telephone, video-conference, or in person. The selection process may also include a pre-recorded video and written test. Once a candidate has been contacted for an opportunity, it normally takes several weeks to finalize the selection and inform all short-listed candidates of the outcome.
The timeline of the recruitment process is therefore directly linked to individual internship opportunities that may arise matching your profile. Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we receive, we are only able to contact shortlisted candidates. If you are not contacted within 6 months of the closing date of this particular “Internship Roster”announcement, this means that your application has been unsuccessful for this specific roster or that there were no suitable opportunities matching your profile during this period.
We do however, encourage unsuccessful applicants to re-apply to the next internship roster should they still meet the eligibility criteria. This will confirm continued interest in the program and allow their profile to be considered/reconsidered for new opportunities.
