Internship offer

Research internship in international relations

The Centre for Security and Defence Studies (CSDS) of the Royal Higher Institute for Defence (RHID) offers four internships for the academic year 2026‑2027 for English-, Dutch- and/or French-speaking research interns who are legally domiciled in the Schengen Area.

Internship description

Each intern will support one of the CSDS researchers in their activities and have the opportunity to contribute to one or more publications as well as to participate in the preparation and organisation of conferences organised by the RHID.

One intern will contribute to evaluating the war readiness of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) within the framework of the Indo-Pacific research line. This internship will start in autumn 2026.

Within the framework of the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa research line, one intern will contribute to a research project on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. This internship will take place in autumn 2026.

One intern will contribute to studying the geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics in Libya within the framework of the Middle East and North Africa and Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa research lines. This internship will start either in autumn 2026 or in spring 2027.

Within the Eurasia research line, one intern will study the implications of the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement in terms of regional realignment and the development of trade corridors in the South Caucasus. This internship will start either in autumn 2026 or in spring 2027.

Desired profile

  • Holder of a master’s degree or a student in his/her last master’s year in political science or international relations;
  • Having a strong interest in security- and defence-related matters;
  • Being able to phrase research questions and search for, collect and interpret open source information;
  • Having good writing skills in at least one of the RHID’s working languages (i.e., English, Dutch or French);
  • Language skills closely related to the preferred research position (i.e. Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, Swahili, etc.) are a definite asset;
  • Experience with social networking tools and VOD and/or podcast production is an asset.

Internship modalities

  • Due to the necessary security requirements, the internship programme is restricted to candidates from the Schengen Area.
  • The research internship lasts at least three months and at most six months. One of the CSDS researchers will coach the intern during this period. However, no coaching will be provided in July and August.
  • No financial compensation nor accommodation will be provided to the intern. However, the intern will be allowed to use the military infrastructures (sports infrastructure, catering, etc.) and we will try to put the necessary office supplies at the intern’s disposal.
  • Moreover, neither the Belgian Defence nor the RHID or the CSDS will provide any insurance to the intern. Thus, either the intern, their university or their parents will need to provide the intern with a civil liability (or third-party) insurance protecting the intern as well as third parties against personal injury and material damage resulting from accidents at, on the way to and from the internship workplace. The same principle applies for the medical health care insurance.
  • The intern will also have to undergo a security screening before the start of their internship.

How to apply?

Please send your CV and motivation letter indicating your preferred research topic(s) NLT 17 July 2026 to the CSDS’s deputy director at the following email address: maarten.danckaert@mil.be.

Interviews will take place in August.

The candidates who are selected for an interview will be asked to prove their writing skills by presenting a written paper, article or thesis to the jury.