Information for Potential Graduate Interns
This page contains essential information for potential graduate interns on the ORBIS programme.
Please note that registration is now closed.
The ORBIS Bioscience Business Training Programme: Helping bioscience companies respond to the economic downturn.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is the ORBIS programme?
- How do ORBIS internships work?
- Am I eligible to join the ORBIS programme as an intern?
- Must I be a British citizen to be eligible to join the ORBIS programme as an intern?
- How will I be selected to join the ORBIS internship programme?
- Is the ORBIS programme’s internship registration process now open?
- What if I know of a company that would be willing to take me as an intern?
- How many funded ORBIS internships will be available?
- When can I expect to hear from companies about my internship application?
- Will I have a choice of internship project?
- Do I need a life-science background to apply to the programme?
- What if I have a postgraduate qualification?
- What type of companies will host ORBIS interns?
- What will I be doing as an ORBIS Intern on a day-to-day basis?
- Health & Safety during your Internship
- Confidentiality and Intellectual Property issues for Interns
- Where will the ORBIS internships be based?
- Will I be employed by my host company?
- Can I change my internship if it’s unsuitable?
- What happens if I’m offered a permanent job from a different company while I’m on the ORBIS internship programme?
- Will I be paid as an ORBIS intern?
- How much annual leave would I be entitled to during my internship?
- Will I have support from ORBIS once I enter an internship?
- Will I have access to a network of other interns on the ORBIS programme?
- What will happen at the end of the ORBIS internship?
- Will I receive certification when I complete my internship?
- What are the benefits of joining the ORBIS programme as an intern?
- What if I do not meet the expectations of my host company?
- What is bio-business training and how will it be delivered?
- How will ORBIS use effectiveness coaching to build on the bio-business training?
- Where will the ORBIS bio-business training take place?
- How is the ORBIS programme funded and who is administering it?
1. What is the ORBIS programme?
The ORBIS (Overcome Recession: Bioscience Investment in Skills) programme has been developed to help the commercial bioscience sector to respond to the current economic downturn. It will do this in two main ways:
- It will provide paid internships to graduate individuals who seek to work for a bioscience company. This will allow the interns to gain new knowledge, skills and experience in this important sector. Furthermore these internships will enable the hosting companies to utilise the interns’ expertise to engage with new research and development projects or underpin existing activities during the current recession.
- The programme will provide bio-business training to both yourself and the current employees of the host companies. The training will be spread across a 26-week period and cover both fundamental bioscience-relevant business and management frameworks and more advanced commercial topics.
2. How do ORBIS internships work?
Successful applicants to the ORBIS internship programme will work for a bioscience sector company for a maximum of 26-weeks. Internships may be shorter or longer if mutually agreed between the host company and yourself. However, please note the training stipend will be paid for a maximum of 26-weeks.
You will be paid a training stipend of £220 per week during your internship. In return you will be expected to work with your host company on a full time basis (in most cases 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday) for the duration of your internship.
Dependent on the company’s needs and your skills set, you will work on either a scientific/technical or commercial project. You would also be expected to engage with day-to-day duties as requested by your host company.
Ideally, each intern would have a company mentor (your day-to-day workplace supervisor) who will set objectives for your placement, support you in the workplace and attend some of the ORBIS bio-business training with you.
Additionally you will be released to receive 12-days of bio-business training.
The 12 one-day training sessions will be delivered across 26 weeks. 6-days of the training will focus on fundamental business, management and enterprise concepts required by the bioscience sector. These fundamental sessions will be targeted at, and delivered specifically for, the cohort of ORBIS interns.
The other 6-days of bio-business training will be at a more advanced level; you will attend these sessions alongside your company mentor. This will enable interns and their mentors, with the support of their company’s senior management, to deploy some of their new knowledge and skills in the workplace. Interns and their mentors will also have access to effectiveness coaching support in order to maximise the commercial and personal impact of the new skills learnt.
3. Am I eligible to join the ORBIS programme as an intern?
All applicants for the internship programme must have a degree, or expect to have obtained a degree by March 2010. Since a degree level qualification is the minimum entry criteria for the internship programme it will not be possible to place you as an intern until you have graduated.
The programme is primarily intended for:
- Recent graduates / postgraduates with limited workplace experience and who are not currently employed in a graduate level position or;
- Unemployed bioscience sector specialists. We particularly seek applications from candidates who have previously worked in the broader bioscience / healthcare sector and who have been made redundant during the current economic downturn.
Prospective applicants with higher level qualifications such as Masters or Doctoral qualifications are welcome to apply to the ORBIS programme.
Original documentary evidence of your degree(s) must be provided and we will only accept original degree certification documents. We may, under exceptional circumstances accept copies of degree certificates, if validated by a signed referral letter from the University in which the degree was obtained.
4. Must I be a British citizen to be eligible to join the ORBIS programme as an intern?
No. However, you must have the right to work in the United Kingdom and be living in the United Kingdom. Citizens of European Economic Area (EEA) countries are eligible to apply. All EEA and Swiss national students can work in the UK. However, if you a national of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia, you might need to register your work under the Worker Registration Scheme.
Non EEA citizens would have to prove they have legal entitlement to work in the UK before being accepted as an ORBIS intern.
A valid passport and/or visa will be required before we can place you as an intern and we will only accept original documentary evidence
5. How will I be selected to join the ORBIS internship programme?
Firstly, after reading the programme information, you should submit an ORBIS Internship Registration Form by completing the form online (see “Register Now” button at the bottom of this page). It is important that you accurately and succinctly describe your qualifications, skills and professional interests. Your completed registration form will then be added to the pool of registered individuals. Your details will be shared with companies wishing to recruit an ORBIS intern. In short, the ORBIS programme will act as an internship broker; we will try to match each company’s needs with appropriate individuals who have registered for the ORBIS internship programme.
Each company will select the registration forms that match their skills requirements. The company will then contact you and invite you to attend their selection process (e.g. an interview or assessment centre). If successful the company would provide written confirmation of the offer of an internship. Once you have accepted the offer in writing and agreed a start date your host company will notify the ORBIS Project Manager to ensure that you are registered for the training programme and for payment of the ORBIS training stipend.
We anticipate a high level of interest in the programme and securing an internship will be a competitive process. We cannot guarantee that your interest in the programme will result in your placement as an intern.
6. Is the ORBIS programme’s internship registration process now open?
Yes. The registration process for the ORBIS internship programme is now open, and will remain open until 15 March 2010. Please complete the online ORBIS Internship Registration Form at your earliest convenience.
7. What if I know of a company that would be willing to take me as an intern?
It may be the case that you have successfully worked for a bioscience company during a sandwich year or summer placement and the company have suggested that they would like you to work with them on an extended basis but they are unable to offer you a job due to the economic downturn. If the company is a bioscience company we would encourage them to contact the ORBIS Project Manager (orbis@rvc.ac.uk) to discuss the potential internship project they could offer you.
If the company is eligible and the project meets the programme requirements they will be invited to register with the programme. Once the company has enrolled you would need to complete the ORBIS intern registration form. If you meet the eligibility requirements (see Question 3) then you and the company would be able to commence your internship.
8. How many funded ORBIS internships will be available?
A minimum of sixty graduate internships will be funded by the ORBIS programme between July 2009 and September 2010. An internship will have a maximum duration of 26-weeks. Each intern will be eligible for a tax free training stipend of £220 per week.
9. When can I expect to hear from companies about my internship application?
Participating companies will place interns in their organisation between 1st July 2009 and 1st April 2010 (all 26-week internships must be completed by 30th September 2010). If you have not been contacted by companies by 1st April 2010 you should assume that you have not been selected for an internship.
Once you submit the online ORBIS intern registration form your details will be kept on the database for twelve months. Companies will be able to access your details and determine whether your skills match their needs. If they do they will contact you, outline the internship project and potentially invite you to go through their selection process.
If you are contacted by a company but are not interested in the project they are offering and/or you have found alternative employment please promptly make both the company and the ORBIS Project Manager (orbis@rvc.ac.uk) aware of your decision to decline the offer of an interview.
If you have obtained a permanent job or entered into further education and are no longer available to undertake a full-time ORBIS internship or simply wish to have your details removed from the ORBIS pool of registered candidates please email: orbis@rvc.ac.uk
10. Will I have a choice of internship project?
If a participating host company contacts you about a potential internship they will describe the project(s) they have to offer interns. If the project(s) do not match your interests we would recommend that you do not proceed to the selection process.
11. Do I need a life-science background to apply to the programme?
All of the partner companies participating in the ORBIS programme are from the wider bioscience sector. Accordingly many of these companies will be searching for interns with bioscience knowledge and skills. However, some of the partner companies may also be seeking graduates with commercial skills such as sales and marketing, IT skills including programming or engineering skills such as device prototyping or materials science. The bioscience sector draws on highly-interdisciplinary skills sets so we encourage applicants with diverse competencies to register for the programme.
12. What if I have a postgraduate qualification?
Prospective applicants with higher level qualifications such as Master or Doctoral qualifications are welcome to apply to the ORBIS programme (see Question 3).
13. What type of companies will host ORBIS interns?
We anticipate that a wide variety of bioscience companies will participate in the ORBIS programme. They are likely to include both for-profit and not-for-profit companies with interests in fields including drug discovery, drug development, medical devices, diagnostics, manufacturing, healthcare delivery, bio-veterinary products and services, agribusiness, intellectual property management, technology transfer, venture funding, sales & marketing and technology consultancy. Participating companies will primarily be based in London and the South East of England.
14. What will I be doing as an ORBIS Intern on a day-to-day basis?
The intention is that you will be involved with either scientific/technical or commercial projects that require graduate level skills. Each host company will specify the type(s) of project they wish to undertake and will recruit an intern will appropriate skills. In addition to working on a specific project you may be requested to undertake day-to-day activities as required by the host company.
15. Health & Safety during your Internship
The ORBIS programme requires both the hosting company and intern to give health and safety in the workplace the highest priority. All host companies will be required to complete a pre-placement Health and Safety Questionnaire. Host companies will have a duty of care to ensure that interns are made aware of the company’s health and safety guidelines; that you work in a safe environment and are given appropriate safety awareness briefings. All interns have a responsibility to work within the company health and safety guidelines and take responsibility for their own actions within the workplace.
16. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property issues for Interns
If you are successful in becoming an ORBIS intern it is very likely that your host company will ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement before you commence the placement. It is important that companies are able to share proprietary information with interns hence a confidentiality agreement is a sensible and appropriate measure to allow your host company to protect their commercial interests.
Host companies will be entitled to own any intellectual property (e.g. inventions, data, drawings, source code) developed by an intern. Consequently interns will be asked by their host company to sign an agreement to allow companies to own and commercialise any and all intellectual property derived by you.
17. Where will the ORBIS internships be based?
In the first instance we are recruiting companies who will host interns primarily in London and the South East of England. Accordingly, interns should be able to work within this geographic area.
18. Will I be employed by my host company?
No, however your internship will be based at your host company’s workplace. This will allow you to receive 12 days of bio-business training. It will also allow ORBIS to pay you a tax free training stipend. (see Question 21).
19. Can I change my internship if it’s unsuitable?
In some rare instances the internship project or the host company’s workplace culture may not meet your needs. If this is the case it is important that you speak to the company mentor and document your concerns.
In many cases your mentor will act to ensure that your internship project work or workplace environment better responds to your needs. However, in some cases it will not be possible for the company to meet your requirements. If this is the case your internship, by mutual agreement, would be terminated and the training stipend payments would cease. The ORBIS programme would be under no obligation to find you an alternative internship and you would leave the programme.
20. What happens if I’m offered a permanent job from a different company while I’m on the ORBIS internship programme?
We hope that the majority of interns will complete the 26-week internship once commenced. However, in some cases interns will be offered permanent graduate level jobs by other employers during their internship. If you decide to take a job with another employer you would be required to give a minimum of two weeks notice to the host company. The host company will then have the option to terminate your internship immediately or negotiate a notice period that would not exceed two weeks. Training stipend payments would cease once you leave the host company.
21. Will I be paid as an ORBIS intern?
Yes. You will be paid a tax free training stipend of £220 per week for a maximum of 26 weeks. The stipend is intended to cover your cost of living during your internship, including the cost of travel to allow you to attend the 12-days of compulsory bio-business training. (see Question 18)
In some cases your host company may wish to pay you an additional (taxable) sum and/or reimburse your travel expenses when you attend the bio-business training. However, the host companies are under no obligation to make such additional payments.
22. How much annual leave would I be entitled to during my internship?
Interns on a 26-week internship would be entitled to 13-days of paid leave in addition to Bank Holidays. Interns will also be expected to attend 12-days of bio-business training. It would be preferable for you not to take leave on scheduled training days.
23. Will I have support from ORBIS once I enter an internship?
Yes. The ORBIS Project Manager can be contacted during your internship and will endeavour to answer any questions you have regarding the internship programme and the bio-business training programme.
Specifically, the ORBIS Project Manager will call you and your company supervisor after 1 week of your internship, 3 months and 5 months. This will be a courtesy telephone conference call to ensure that you are working in a safe environment, mainly undertaking tasks that require graduate level skills and acquiring new knowledge and skills both from the internship and the bio-business training.
24. Will I have access to a network of other interns on the ORBIS programme?
Yes. The ORBIS interns will meet and have the chance to network at the bio-business training days. Additionally you will be able to use Web 2.0 resources such as Facebook in order to share best practice. It is the stated intention of the ORBIS programme to create a sustainable ORBIS network.
25. What will happen at the end of the ORBIS internship?
When your internship ends you will leave the ORBIS programme. Through the workplace experience and bio-business training, the intention is that interns will have developed valuable new knowledge and skills that will enable them to make informed decisions about their future career direction, and compete successfully in the bioscience sector job market.
We hope that some exceptional interns will be offered permanent employment by their host company or by other companies participating in the ORBIS programme; however, there is no guarantee that interns will be offered permanent employment following the completion of their internship.
26. Will I receive certification when I complete my internship?
Yes. You will receive a certificate of attendance from the Royal Veterinary College. This certification will not be transferable for credits on formal educational programmes such as Masters-level or other postgraduate qualifications provided by RVC or other UK higher education academic institutions.
27. What are the benefits of joining the ORBIS programme as an intern?
There are many potential benefits for recent graduates to join the ORBIS programme as an intern. It is an opportunity to develop new technical and/or commercial knowledge and skills. Furthermore it is a chance to gaining valuable workplace experience thereby enhancing your CV, and increasing your competitiveness in the job market. It is also a chance to impress your host company over a 26-week period in order to obtain a good reference and in some cases the offer of permanent employment.
For unemployed bioscience sector specialists it is an opportunity to return to the sector workplace, grow your skills set, go through a high quality bio-business training programme and increase your employability.
28. What if I do not meet the expectations of my host company?
Each host company will endeavour to select an intern that matches their skills needs and workplace culture. All participating companies are made aware that internships are training posts and will have appropriate expectations of the workplace role and capabilities of interns. Additionally each host company will be encouraged to set clear objectives for you, outline the workplace code of conduct and provide regular feedback on performance.
If your performance is not reaching the levels required by your host company then your supervisor will be required to clearly describe the areas in which you are not performing as desired. Your supervisor will then outline a plan to improve your performance and agree the steps to be taken with you. They will review your performance two working weeks later. If your performance has not improved to the level required your internship may then be terminated without further notice.
In certain circumstances the host company may terminate your internship without notice. Reasons for immediate termination may include, but are not limited to, a gross misconduct offence by you (e.g. failing to adhere to company health and safety policies) or performance issues such as repeated unauthorised absences or the repeated failure to undertake tasks in the manner desired by the host company.
If a company does decide to terminate your internship with them, the ORBIS programme is under no obligation to find another internship for you and your internship training stipend will be stopped.
29. What is bio-business training and how will it be delivered?
In the simplest terms the knowledge, skills and aptitudes needed to sustain the UK bioscience sector can be divided into two clear areas: scientific/technical and business. ORBIS intends to directly respond to the business, management and enterprise skills needs of bioscience sector businesses (“bio-business�). Reports such as the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA) Labour Market Survey 2006 suggest that whilst the scientific/technical skills in the UK bioscience sector are robust, there are documented skills deficiencies in the business domain.
The ORBIS programme plans to audit the business skills needs of the companies that enter the programme and then deliver training outputs that respond to shared core needs of the bioscience sector. For example, the skills audit may identify common training needs in areas such as technical project management, valuing intellectual property, negotiating contracts, marketing high technology services or team working. However, until the skills needs of the companies participating with ORBIS are assessed we cannot definitively say in which areas the training will be delivered i.e. we are committed to delivering training that responds to the needs of bioscience businesses.
The external trainers and facilitators we utilise to deliver the bio-business education will be selected for their expertise in the specific business areas. Feedback will be collected after each event to ensure that the trainers delivered against the identified skills needs.
Each intern and up to two employees from the company will receive 6 days (36 hours) of bio-business training. It is intended that one of the company employees attending the training will be your supervisor. The training will be delivered in 6 one-day sessions for employees over the 26 week period.
In addition, each intern will receive an additional 6 days (36 hours) of enterprise training which will draw on the business and enterprise modules delivered to bioscience undergraduates and postgraduates at the Royal Veterinary College. Therefore you will receive a total of 12 days bio-business training. The training will be delivered in 12 one-day sessions for interns over the 26 week period.
30. How will ORBIS use effectiveness coaching to build on the bio-business training?
It is important that interns, their company mentor and other company employees are able to deploy the new knowledge and skills learnt at the bio-business training in the workplace. Expert business coaches will be available to support ORBIS participants when considering how, with the support of company senior management, they can maximise the commercial impact of the new skills on the projects on which they are involved; in short, ensuring that the training has a positive impact on efficiency, productivity and the bottom-line. The coaches will also be able to help ORBIS participants to reflect on their new skills and consider how they can be broadly applied to the benefit of their employer.
31. Where will the ORBIS bio-business training take place?
The majority of the training will take place at The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the London BioScience Innovation Centre (LBIC). RVC and LBIC are co-located on Royal College Street, London, NW1. The training venues are conveniently located for St Pancras International, Kings Cross and Euston main line train and underground stations. The nearest underground station to RVC and LBIC is Mornington Crescent (Northern Line).
32. How is the ORBIS programme funded and who is administering it?
The ORBIS programme is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)’s Economic Challenge Innovation Fund (ECIF). To our knowledge ORBIS is the only project specifically focused on the bioscience field. It is administered by the Royal Veterinary College and The London BioScience Innovation Centre.
For further information on the ORBIS Intern Programme:
ORBIS Project Manager
The London BioScience Innovation Centre
2 Royal College Street
London
NW1 0NH
United Kingdom
e-mail: orbis@rvc.ac.uk
Registration
Registration for the ORBIS programme is now closed.