Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme

In 2021, the University of Stirling became the first Scottish university to join a prestigious partnership with Europe’s leading Intellectual Property (IP) organisations: the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Thanks to this partnership, all Stirling students and recent alumni (from all backgrounds, not just law) will have access to the Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme.

The main benefit of this programme is a one-year-long fully paid traineeship at the EPO (Munich, Germany) or at the EUIPO (Alicante, Spain).

During this most sought-after European professional training, students will follow a tailored development programme covering different IP rights, while being coached by leaders in the field, working in a multi-cultural environment, and learning other European languages. As a Pan-European Seal trainee, Stirling students and recent alumni will get a foot in the door of the competitive world of IP through valuable on-the-job diverse professional work experience.

To find out more please visit the following websites: 

Please note that each candidate shall only apply to one of the institutions (EPO or EUIPO). 

How to apply for the EUIPO

Current Stirling students in their final year and students who graduated in the last two years at Stirling can:

  • apply to Edit Frenyo, the point of contact for the Pan European Seal at the University of Stirling;
  • be shortlisted by the University of Stirling for consideration by the EUIPO.

You will be provided with further information about the programme and how to apply in January each year.

Please note that trainees shall predominately be selected from nationals of the Member States of the European Union and candidate countries. A limited number of nationals of candidate countries and third countries, amounting to approximately 10% of the available positions, may be accepted.  

Apply direct

In order to apply, you have to contact Edit Frenyo at edit.frenyo@stir.ac.uk with the following:

  • Curriculum Vitae (Europass CV template available here);
  • letter of motivation;
  • Degree/Master diploma or proof of completion, indicating the final grade. This can be replaced by a provisional declaration, until the final diploma is issued. (All shortlisted candidates need to have finished with their studies before the starting date of the traineeship; i.e., beginning of September). 

The deadline is 16 February 2026.

If you are shortlisted

If you are shortlisted by the University of Stirling, in February you will have to submit your applications for the traineeship via the via the EUIPO’s website: 

How to apply for the EPO

Apply directly to the EPO  

EPO candidates are no longer shortlisted by their universities; they are to apply directly online. The EPO will request the universities to confirm candidates after the application period.

Vacancies open online 16 February 2026 - Deadline for student applications is 9 March 2026.  

Interested candidates must submit an online application, containing:  

  • a letter of motivation expressing the reasons for applying;
  • up-to-date Curriculum Vitae;
  • a degree certificate (a provisional declaration may be submitted pending the conferral of the degree)*;
  • in absence of degree enrolment certificate is required.  

*The final degree certificate must be presented to the EPO latest at the start of the programme. 

Criteria for eligible candidates

Eligible candidates must, by the start of the programme, possess:  

  • nationality of an EPO Member State;
  • Diploma of completed university studies at bachelor's level or equivalent (by the programme start date);
  • excellent knowledge of one of the EPO’s official languages (English, German, French).  

For more on the application visit:

Areas of expertise

The distribution of 2025/26 traineeships at EPO reflected the following areas:

  • Science and Engineering 46%
  • Information Technology 11%
  • Human Resources and Business Administration 9%
  • International Relations and Communication 15%
  • Economics and Finance 9%
  • Law 10%

The EUIPO is looking for the following traineeship profiles:

  • Law (esp. data protection, information security law, intellectual property law, international law, EU law)
  • Political Sciences and International Relations (esp. EU focus)
  • HR and Learning and Development (incl. psychology, sociology, pedagogy)
  • Translation and Computational Linguistics (incl. linguistics, modern languages, language technology)
  • Finance and Economics
  • Information Technology
  • Data Analyst
  • Communication, Marketing and Audiovisuals
  • Project Support (incl. Business Administration, Project Management, Quality Assurance, Industrial Engineering etc.)
  • Facility Management (incl. Architecture/Civil/Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Studies, Facility Management, Hospitality/Tourism/Logistics, Occupational Health and Safety, Security etc.)
  • Administrative Support and Events Management (incl. PR, Hospitality Management, Marketing, Communication etc.)  

Further information

Please browse the Pan European Seal website, read the site carefully, along with the EUIPO FAQs, as well as the EPO’s and EUIPO’s respective General Instruction Guidelines (GIGs), where you can find detailed information including the eligibility criteria and the traineeship profiles, which are different in the two Offices.

In preparation for your application:

While prior study of IP/patents is not a requirement for the traineeships, a basic familiarity with these subjects and the work of the EUIPO/EPO are a plus and may help craft more thoughtful traineeship applications. 

EUIPO Academy Learning Portal offers various webinars and useful resources to help you familiarize yourself with basics of intellectual property, as well as useful resources about patents (for those more interested in the EPO). You might consider registering for any of the relevant sessions, viewing past webinars. The page offers access to the Intensive IP Educational Programme; (see IP Essentials MOOC) a comprehensive series of online lectures on intellectual property (IP), designed for university students and offered at no cost.

  1. Head over to the Academy Learning Portal.
  2. Log in using an existing account or by creating a new Pan-European Seal
  3. Enrol in the Intensive IP Educational Programme

If after reviewing the relevant resources you wish to discuss further, you can email Dr Edit Frenyo.