🇧🇪 Internship in Belgium 🧬 Biotechnology and Fermentation at a Bio-Based Pilot Plant 🔬 (€300/month)

If you are a biotechnology or bio-engineering student eager to bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial application, this IAESTE internship in Belgium is a fantastic opportunity. At Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant in Ghent, you will work on a cutting-edge project turning woody biomass into sustainable bio-based monomers, gaining hands-on experience in fermentation and downstream processing from lab to pilot scale.

About the Host

Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) was established in 2008 and currently has more than 175 employees. It is a unique, open-innovation pilot and demonstration facility for process development, scaling up, and trial production of bio-based products and processes, from laboratory to multi-ton scale.

BBEPP combines a wide and flexible range of modular unit operations with a team of highly qualified and experienced bio-process engineers and technicians to translate laboratory-scale bio-based processes into cost-effective industrial processes. It is a leading institution known for bridging the gap between laboratory research and industrial application, and aims to be a workplace where all employees can grow and use their full potential, offering a pleasant atmosphere that values and rewards initiative, hard work, and commitment.

About the Project: From Woody Biomass to Biobased Pyrazine Monomers

This internship is part of the BIOPYRANIA project (Topic 10: Sustainable glutamic acid fermentation and downstream processing), available from October 2026.

The project introduces a ground-breaking approach using a new class of biobased pyrazine monomers. Incorporating pyrazine in polyesters gives unprecedented properties, including the potential for added chemical functionality and improved material characteristics. These pyrazines are synthesised from amino acids, which in turn are produced via fermentation, answering the challenge of creating sustainable products. To enhance sustainability, European second-generation woody biomass is used to feed the fermentations.

Within this project, BBEPP is responsible for translating the lab-scale fermentation that produces glutamic acid into a scalable process, and for implementing the downstream processing (DSP) of the produced glutamic acid.

About the Role

As an intern, you will be involved from the very start of the project, implementing the fermentation at Bio Base and developing the subsequent downstream processing from lab to pilot scale.

🧫 Implement the lab-scale glutamic acid fermentation at the pilot plant

⚗️ Develop and scale up the downstream processing (DSP) from lab to pilot

🔬 Contribute to a state-of-the-art, real-world bio-based production project

Who Can Apply

This internship is for students in Biotechnology who have completed at least four years of study.

🧬 You are studying for a degree in bio-engineering or a related field, such as bioprocessing, chemistry, biotechnology, or cell and gene technology

🦠 Some experience with bacterial, yeast, or fungal hosts is an asset

⚗️ Some relevant experience with biocatalytic processes for the production of chemicals, food ingredients, or cosmetics is an asset

🗣️ Excellent English (C1, C2)

🛂 Only candidates with EU citizenship (EEA or Swiss, or dual EU nationality) are eligible, as the internship duration exceeds 90 days under Belgian visa regulations. Applications for shorter durations (up to 90 days) cannot be considered.

Work Details

📍 Location: Ghent, Belgium (on-site, research and development environment)

⏳ Duration: 25 to 52 weeks, within 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027

🕗 Working hours: 40 per week

📅 The company is closed during the holidays, from 24 to 31 December 2026

💶 Gross pay: 300 EUR per month

🏷️ Reference number: BE-2026-025-UGE

Living and Lodging

🏠 Accommodation: student dormitory, with an estimated cost of around 150 EUR per month

💶 Estimated cost of living, including lodging: around 300 EUR per month

How to Apply

Applications are made through IAESTE. Apply via the official IAESTE listing, quoting the reference number BE-2026-025-UGE. Students apply through their home country's IAESTE national committee.

👉 Apply here: https://iaeste.org/internships/be-2026-025-uge