Research internships at Uniandes allow students and researchers to acquire and strengthen their research competencies as they benefit from the knowledge, capacities and strengths of our university. At the same time, the internships provide new perspectives, create a network of contacts for subsequent studies and open collaborative opportunities between Uniandes and the student’s home institution.

Undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral students (from Colombia and abroad) have the opportunity to participate in research internships at Universidad de los Andes under the supervision of a full-time professor, as long as they secure approval from the respective faculty ahead of time. The dates and duration of the internships are flexible and should be agreed upon with the supervising professor, while keeping in mind that the maximum duration is one year (internships may surpass a year in exceptional, justifiable cases that are evaluated and approved by the department).

Conditions:

• Undergraduate and Master’s level internships have no cost. However, research interns may not take classes. In the case of doctoral research internships, there are certain programs that do have a defined tuition cost (not in all, so it is important to inquire about those of interest).
• Research internships at Uniandes do not grant credits, and it is up to the discretion of the home institution as to whether the internship is recognized as part of the individual student’s course load.
• Students are enrolled at Uniandes as visiting students which permits them to have an Uniandes e-mail address as well as access to university resources (ex. library, sports center, basic medical insurance, amongst others).
• Research interns (visiting students) that are interested in taking classes in addition to their internship are required to pay the corresponding tuition cost.
• In addition to the basic medical insurance provided by Universidad de los Andes, international students should acquire an additional international insurance that assures coverage in Colombia under all circumstances.
• Universidad de los Andes does not offer financial aid nor free housing for research interns. There is a student housing facility located on campus. To learn more, please consult the following webpage.

Processes:

In order to participate in a research internship at Universidad de los Andes at the undergraduate, Master’s or doctoral level, please follow these highlighted steps:

1. Identify a professor or a research group at Uniandes that is of interest for the internship. For this search, please use the available resources at our Research at Uniandes page.
2. The student should then contact the professor in order to express interest in a research internship under their supervision. The message should include their preferred dates, describe their ideal research project as well as explain their interest in working with that specific professor. The dates can be flexible and should be agreed upon with the professor. 
3. If the professor agrees to supervise the research internship, they will send confirmation to the student. The professor or their school will share a link to an online form that should be filled out along with any additional requested documents (this will include a research proposal to be developed during the internship).
4. Once the student has sent in all of the documents, an internal Uniandes review process will begin in order to grant approval, admission and registration.
5. The Office of International Affairs will send an official admittance letter to the student along with information relevant to their arrival in Colombia.
6. Upon arriving to Colombia, the Office of International Affairs will support the student with all registration processes at the university, so that they will have a university e-mail address and student ID, as well as access to university resources like the library and gym, amongst others.
7. Upon finishing the internship, the student may request a certificate of attendance along with a letter written by the professor that details their performance and activities during the internship.

We recommend to start the process at least 3 months in advance of the proposed start date, although, ideally, the initial contact with the professor would be established with even greater anticipation.

The Summer research internship program for undergraduate students (known as SURF) was established in 2015 with the objective of offering a valuable research experience at a foreign university to our undergraduate students. At the same time, the program creates a collaborative space with our international partners.

In accordance with our academic calendar, the research internships ideally occur during a period of 8 weeks in June and July each year. The internships must be conducted under the supervision of a professor.

Through this program, we aim for our students to:

• Acquire and strengthen their research abilities thanks to the support and mentorship of an experienced researcher in a foreign university.
• Have a meaningful international and intercultural academic experience.
• Expand their network of academic and scientific contacts.

Processes:

In general terms, the following steps should be taken to participate in the SURF program:

• The Office of International Affairs at Uniandes contacts foreign partner universities to determine the specific offering of available internships each year (which universities and laboratories or concentrations are able to receive research interns).
• Once the list of available spots is confirmed, the annual application is opened and directed towards Uniandes’ undergraduate students, ideally those who are in their third or fourth year of studies that already have at least some research experience.
• The Office of International Affairs evaluates the candidates and selects those that fulfill the requirements, both internal and external, including academic excellence and language competency among others.
• The pre-selected students search for professors and/or laboratories amongst the available universities in accordance with their interests and research projects.
• If the professor and/or laboratory agrees to receive the student for the internship, the student continues with the administrative process as defined by the respective host university and Uniandes.

Opportunities for financial aid:

Universidad de los Andes is continuously exploring different possibilities for obtaining resources in order to provide economic support to students that are interested in doing research internships. In order to achieve this, we are constantly working with donors, graduates and external partners. Financial support is allocated to students through annual applications that are reviewed by a committee composed of representatives from different areas of the university. The available resources are limited and vary from year to year, so only a limited number of students will receive them. Students that have the ability to cover the costs with their own resources or are able to fundraise through external contacts are also able to participate in the internship program.

All doctoral students at Universidad de los Andes must complete an internship for at least a semester in a prestigious foreign institution where they will conduct research tasks complementary to their doctoral program. The internship can take place in a defined block of time or can be divided intermittently depending upon the proposal made by the student with the approval of their director and respective doctoral committee. 

The internship should preferably take place with a research group or institution with which Universidad de los Andes already has collaborative links. Universidad de los Andes will make its best effort to support the student in obtaining the necessary resources in order to participate in the internship, which is easier to do with institutions where we already have existing partnerships.

For more information about doctoral research internships, please consult the most recent version of General Guidelines for Doctoral Students.

Processes and Opportunities for Funding:

Doctoral research internships should be planned in agreement between the doctoral student and her/his director, with additional approval from the respective doctoral committee. Generally, research internships do not require the signing of an agreement between Uniandes and the receiving university, although in exceptional cases, the external partner will request one. If this is the case, please contact us.

The Office of International Affairs and the Vice-presidency of Research and Creation are constantly looking for new funding sources and opportunities for doctoral internships. You can find some of the identified opportunities in our section External Funding Opportunities as well as on the webpage of the Vice-presidency for Research and Creation.

We also organize presentations and information sessions with institutions and agencies that provide funding for these types of internships. Consult our calendar for the upcoming schedule.

Double degree doctoral programs (Cotutelles) refers to cases in which a doctoral student fulfills the requirements of two doctoral programs, one at Universidad de los Andes and one at a foreign institution.

The student should be enrolled at both universities and should have two advisors, one professor at Universidad de los Andes and one professor at the other national or foreign university. The double degree model requires the signing of a cooperation agreement between Universidad de los Andes and the national or foreign university with the approval of the doctoral committee.

Cotutelles should be planned and agreed upon between the doctoral student, her/his director, and the external partner. They should additionally receive the approval of the respective doctoral committee. In order to process a formal double degree agreement, both the respective faculty and the Office of International Affairs need to be involved in the process.

For more information about double degree doctoral programs, consult the latest version of the General Guidelines for Doctoral Students.

Fellows Colombia is an ICETEX program directed towards funding the participation of international experts in academic events and research projects organized by higher education institutions in Colombia. Universidad de los Andes is a participant in this program under the compensation terms of the program, Reciprocity for Foreigners in Colombia.

Uniandes professors/faculty interested in bringing an international expert to campus should not apply directly to ICETEX, but rather to the Office of International Affairs at Universidad de los Andes (see the description of the process below).

Here, you can consult the complete program information and conditions:

https://portal.icetex.gov.co/Portal/Home/homeies/fellows-colombia

Conditions:

• The number of experts that Universidad de los Andes can invite per year is limited. ICETEX will evaluate the proposals in order to award funding.
• The program functions under a model of reimbursement; this means that the applicant will cover the initial costs that will later be reimbursed by ICETEX. The Office of International Affairs at Uniandes cannot guarantee that this financial support (reimbursement) will ultimately be awarded by ICETEX. 
• The funding provided by ICETEX is dictated by the duration of the visitor’s stay, which cannot be less than three (3) days nor greater than three (3) weeks if the applicant is specifically requesting housing, food and local transport to be covered as part of the stipend. If the applicant is only requesting airfare to be covered, the stay can last for up to six (6) months.
• ICETEX will finance only one of the following items:

• International airfare at Economy class (maximum $6,000,000 COP per trip – valid for 2019).
• Housing, food and local transport, following the established pricing structure in the annual report for program costs.

Processes:

Even though the program and resources are managed by ICETEX, the application process should be completed through the Office of International Affairs at Universidad de los Andes.

The program includes four application cycles throughout the year, according to the calendar publicized by ICETEX (https://portal.icetex.gov.co/Portal/Home/homeies/fellows-colombia).

In general terms, the process is the following:

• In accordance with the four ICETEX application cycles, the Office of International Affairs at Uniandes will send a message to the university faculties to announce the opening of each cycle along with the requirements and deadlines for the applications. 
• The Uniandes faculty sends the application to the Office of International Affairs.
• The Office of International Affairs reviews the application to make sure it is complete and then presents it to ICETEX.
• Four ICETEX committees (one for each cycle) evaluate the application and make a decision in regards to the awarding of financial support.
• The faculties that receive the financial aid should present supporting documents corresponding to the expert’s visit (ex. travel receipts) to the Office of International Affairs.
• Once the certificate is approved, ICETEX will make the reimbursement of the approved amount.

Given that Uniandes cannot guarantee that the ICETEX financial aid will ultimately be granted, the faculty should be equipped with the necessary resources to cover the visitor’s travel costs in case the reimbursement does not come through.