SME Internship Fund

The SME Internship Fund provides funding to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to engage Imperial students and graduates in paid project based internships between July-September. 

The scheme is a fantastic way to gain access to Imperial's vast and diverse talent pool, bringing new skills and perspectives into your business from some of the brightest minds studying STEM in the UK. 

Projects must be a minimum of eight weeks in duration and can be advertised as full or part time hours. Eligible SME's will receive a one-off £1,000 salary contribution towards the cost of hiring an Imperial intern based on the intern being paid a minimum rate of £13.15 per hour. 

Project proposals for the SME Internship Fund are NOW OPEN. Please complete the Project Registration Form to apply. 

Project proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis and funding is allocated on a first come first served basis to organisations and projects that meet the scheme's eligibility criteria (please find more details below). If you have any questions, please contact the Placement and Internship Unit.

If you would like to know more about employing international students from Imperial College London, please see the AGCAS handout Recruiting International Graduates A Guide for Employers‌‌ for all the key information.‌

SME Internship Fund Tabs

How does it work?

Step one: Project Scoping

Funding is limited and will be reviewed and allocated on a rolling basis once your project submission is received by the selection panel. A member of the Careers Service Placement and Internship Unit will then contact you to let you know if you have been approved for funding.

If selected for funding, collaboratively we will support you to scope the project and outline the skills and experience required. Using this, the Placement and Internship Unit will prepare a job description which forms the basis of the student internship advertisement.

Step two: Advertising

Once the job description is confirmed, the opportunity will be advertised through our Careers Service online system JobsLive for a minimum of two weeks. The Placement and Internship Unit will monitor applications throughout this period and publicise the internship to eligible students and graduates through various marketing channels. 

Step three: Shortlisting 

When advertising is complete, The Placement and Internship Unit will shortlist the applications and provide you with the applications of the most suitable candidates based on the criteria outlined in the job description. 

Step four: Interviews

Once you’ve reviewed the applications, you will be able to contact the candidates to arrange interviews at your convenience. Please advise the Placement and Internship Unit of your recruitment decision and directly provide feedback to the unsuccessful interviewees.

Step five: Funding Agreements

Once you have confirmed with the student their start date, hours/days of work and total salary, the Placement and Internship Unit will send a Funding Agreement to the SME host. Please note; this is not an employment contract. Full details of the internship should be confirmed between the intern and the company in a separate agreement provided by the company. 

Step six: Invoicing

The host SME will pay the intern their salary directly through the company. SME Internship Fund contribution will be sent via invoice before the end of July 2024 (full instructions on this process will be shared with successful project hosts).

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, your organisation must be:

  • Registered and based in the UK
  • SME (250 employees or less)
  • Annual turnover of less than £1 million

If you are a member business or charity based in Scale Space or I-HUB on the White City campus, please visit the Imperial College London White City Internship Fund page for alternative support. 

In order to be eligible, the project must be:

  • A minimum of eight weeks in duration
  • A minimum of 15 hours per week
  • Delivered outside of Imperial Academic Term dates
  • Paid London Living Wage (£13.15 per hour)
  • Offered to an Imperial student or graduate
  • Suitable for STEM disciplines
  • Able to provide challenging graduate-level experience

How do I apply?

Project Proposals for the Imperial College SME Internship Fund 2024 are NOW OPEN.

Please complete our SME Internship Fund - Project Proposal Form to apply. 

The form collects contact details and required information about your company size/occupational area/location. You will then be asked to complete the following set of questions relating to the internship project. This information will be used to create the role advert if selected for funding:

  • A brief overview of your company (150-250 words)
  • Details of your motivation to participate in the fund (250-350 words)
  • A detailed description of the intended internship project (250 - 500 words)
  • An outline of the essential/desirable knowledge, skill, attributes and interests required for the project
  • An overview of what the intern will gain from the internship and working within your organisation 

Projects will be accepted until Friday 31st May 2024. If all funding is committed prior to this date registration may close early. We would encourage interested hosts to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please contact the Imperial Internship Unit (internship.unit@imperial.ac.uk) with any questions.