CyRIC hosted five interns during the summer, all of whom were young students or graduates with an interest in research and innovation. This unique opportunity was made possible through the Research and Innovation Internships scheme, issued by the Research and Innovation Foundation in Cyprus. These internships offered the young professionals the chance to familiarise themselves with a high-tech research and innovation workplace and engage with CyRIC’s team in cutting-edge projects on topics such as IoT, AI, and biosensing.
Each intern had his or her project to work on at CyRIC, and all of them expressed enthusiasm for having this opportunity. They expressed their gratitude for the opportunity, making special notice of the excellent environment and the very friendly and supportive team. During their internships, the young scientists and engineers in the making, learned a lot which they will take into consideration when they will be forming their future careers. Intern Katerina mentioned ‘during my internship at CyRIC, I got to meet new people, learn new things and get to know rules and behaviours that are necessary in a working environment. I discovered new skills about myself and got information about IoT that from now on I am going to use for any of my future work places’. Intern Yiannis mentioned ‘people at CYRIC have trusted me from day one to work on a fascinating real-life project involving IoT as well as applied machine learning and challenged me to apply what I learned from my studies but also encouraged me to learn on the job. My internship has been invaluable in providing me with an excellent working environment, facilities, and the technical expertise of professionals with brilliant minds and innovative ideas. I believe that this experience has helped me grow and undoubtedly cultivated a growing interest in innovative companies spearheading research and innovation.’
The interns who participated in this program came from a variety of backgrounds, but they all shared a passion for learning and for making a difference in the world. The opportunity to see how things work beyond the spectrum of academia and to familiarise themselves with first-hand tools and research techniques that can solve problems and improve the lives of people can only be inspiring. The internship was designed in sessions so that the introduction for the young researchers would not be overwhelming. The first session was spent acclimating to the work setting, getting to know their fellow interns and learning about the expectations of the program. The second session was spent working on research projects with CyRIC’s teams under the guidance of a senior mentor. Throughout the program, interns had the opportunity to present their findings to a panel of experts who gave detailed feedback in response.
The interns were a huge asset to our team, and some have already received a job offer from CyRIC. We are already looking forward to welcoming more interns throughout the year. We are confident that this program will continue to provide valuable opportunities for Cyprus’s future researchers and innovators. We are proud to have provided such a positive experience for these young professional and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Cleo, Katerina, Ioanna, Igor and Yiannis, the future is yours…
