Trainee (Shape the Future: AI-Powered Clinical Trial Assessment)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

Traineeship: Shape the Future: AI-Powered Clinical Trial Assessment

We are looking for a trainee in the Human Medicines Information Management Office at the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

About the traineeship programme

The Agency is looking for motivated, qualified recent graduates or students on an Erasmus+ or other programme or PhD students or Master's students (who posses a previous degree), who are interested in gaining experience and contribute to the Agency’s work for every patient in Europe. The purpose of a traineeship at the Agency is to perform tasks that are predominantly in the interest of the trainee’s training and principally serve to increase the trainee’s knowledge and to gain relevant experience.

Context

The assessment of clinical trial applications is a critical step in ensuring that new medicines are safe and effective. Today, this process involves reviewing large volumes of complex data, which can be time-consuming for regulatory authorities. With advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, there is an opportunity to make this process faster and more efficient while maintaining high standards of quality and safety. This traineeship forms part of an initiative exploring how AI can support regulatory decision-making.

Project Description

The project focuses on experimenting with AI tools to simplify and shorten the assessment timelines for clinical trial applications. The aim is to explore how AI can assist experts in analysing data, identifying patterns, and supporting the automation of certain analytical steps, ultimately helping national authorities deliver faster decisions without compromising scientific rigour. As a trainee, you will contribute to this innovation initiative by working on practical solutions that could transform how medicines reach patients in the future. This is a unique opportunity to combine technology with public health impact.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Understanding the process: Learn how clinical trial applications are currently assessed and identify steps where AI could add value.
• Exploring AI tools: Experiment with AI-based solutions for data analysis and document review, under the guidance of your mentor.
• Data preparation: Work with anonymised datasets to ensure they are suitable for AI processing, while respecting data protection principles.
• Testing and evaluation: Contribute to pilot testing of AI models, assess their performance, and document findings.
• Collaboration and reporting: Share insights with your mentor and team, contribute to discussions on how AI can improve efficiency, and prepare clear summaries of your work.

Why Join?

Gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology in a real-world regulatory setting. Contribute to a project that has a direct impact on public health and innovation. Work in an international environment with experts who are passionate about improving healthcare.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the traineeship, you will have:

• Practical experience with AI applications in a regulatory context, including how AI can support decision-making in healthcare.
• Understanding of clinical trial assessment processes, from submission to evaluation, and the challenges involved in ensuring safety and efficacy.
• Skills in data preparation and analysis, including working with structured and unstructured datasets for AI processing.
• Practical exposure to AI tools and techniques, such as natural language processing and machine learning, applied to real-world problems.
• Experience in evaluating technology performance, interpreting results, and presenting findings clearly to stakeholders.
• Collaboration and communication skills gained through working in an international, multidisciplinary environment.
• Insight into public health and innovation, including how digital transformation can improve patient access to medicines.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for consideration for this placement, you are required to:

1. enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway;
2. possess a university degree in computer science, bioinformatics, computational biology, health informatics or similar (minimum of three years or more) that must have been obtained between 6 May 2025 and 6 May 2026 or be a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programme or a PhD student or a Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned before.
3. a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and good knowledge of other official EU language (at least B2) of the Common European Framework for Languages

Additional skills

Familiarity with programming is a must. Familiary with machine learning frameworks, and data handling is a plus

Behavioural Competencies

You will demonstrate the following behavioural competencies:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Working with others
• Adaptability
• Research and analytical skills
• Learning and development

Conditions of traineeship

The traineeship is offered for 10 months (1 October 2026 – 31 July 2027) and takes place at the Agency’s premises in Amsterdam with possibility for teleworking up to 40% of working time from The Netherlands and occasional teleworking from outside The Netherlands. Traineeships are offered for either full-time or part-time (80% or 50%) if combined with university studies.

The Agency pays a monthly stipend of €2,049.77 for a full-time traineeship (reduced accordingly for 80% or 50%) and a travel contribution upon joining the Agency.

Each trainee will have a mentor at the Agency who will guide the trainee through the programme.

What do we offer?

• Meaningful work contributing to protecting the health of every individual and animal in Europe within multinational, multidisciplinary team
• Development opportunities (e.g. internal mobility, mentoring, peer coaching, career reflection programme, etc.)
• Work-life balance (flexible working arrangements, teleworking, generous annual leave plus official holidays)

recruitment@ema.europa.eu