The European Space Agency (ESA) is offering an internship in the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department, with a focus on AI for Earth Observation, at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. Applications close on 30 November 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST, and university students from ESA's participating states can choose between two topics: AI for Earth Observation and Agentic AI for Earth Observation. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the full vacancy and set out every topic, task and requirement below.
The Internship at a Glance
The internship is part of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes Directorate. These are the formal details of the vacancy:
🆔 Job Requisition ID: 21172
🎓 Type of appointment: Intern
🏛️ Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes
🏢 Department: Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department
📍 Workplace: Frascati, IT
🗺️ Location: ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
📣 Publication method: External Only
📅 Closing date: 30 November 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST
Where You Will Be Based: ESRIN, Frascati
The internship is located at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. The vacancy lists Frascati, IT as the workplace for the role within the Earth Observation Programmes Directorate.
Your Team: The ESA Φ-lab
You will be part of the ESA Φ-lab. Its mission is to accelerate the future of Earth Observation (EO) by embracing disruptive innovation and by being the catalyst for disruptive and transformative innovation in the sector.
The vision is for the Φ-lab to become an "EO innovation hub" that connects EO with a growing ecosystem of disruptive and transformative innovation. Many of the challenges posed by new technologies still need to be tackled at scientific, application and capability levels to deliver the maximum value from satellite-derived EO assets for our climate, society and economy.
The Φ-lab will bring together early career and senior researchers from a variety of disciplines across EO and disruptive and transformative innovation to contribute to developing innovative EO solutions.
Technologies Connected to Earth Observation at the Φ-lab
The Φ-lab connects EO with a growing ecosystem of innovation that includes:
🧠 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
🤖 Machine Learning (ML)
⚛️ Quantum Computing
📡 Edge Computing
🔬 Metamaterials
💡 Photonics
What the Φ-lab Offers You
ESA lists the following as part of what the Φ-lab offers:
🌐 A stimulating multinational, interdisciplinary and open work environment
🖥️ Access to high-performance computing infrastructure and unparalleled EO and technology expertise
🌍 A unique opportunity to work on innovative solutions to address global challenges
🎯 Freedom and focus to conduct creative research while making an impact in relation to ESA's strategy
🤝 A wide network of relationships and collaboration with top academia, industry and research centres
🧭 The opportunity to contribute to the Φ-lab strategy and activities
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🌍 All opportunities in Italy →
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How Long the Internship Lasts and When It Starts
According to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships, an internship lasts between 3 and 6 months and starts from February 2027. The exact start date is agreed with the ESA tutor.
The Field of Activity: AI Transforming Earth Observation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming Earth Observation (EO) by enabling the extraction of actionable insights from vast and complex datasets. ESA's Φ-lab is at the forefront of this transformation through its active exploration of cutting-edge AI4EO technologies.
These technologies span application-specific AI models, generative models, foundation models and autonomous AI agents, with applications ranging from ground-based analytics to onboard satellite payload data processing (i.e., edge computing).
Two Topics to Choose From
The vacancy lets you choose between two topics for the internship:
1️⃣ Topic 1: AI for Earth Observation
2️⃣ Topic 2: Agentic AI for Earth Observation
Topic 1: AI for Earth Observation
As part of this internship, you will actively engage with Φ-lab researchers, staff and Visiting Researchers and support a set of Φ-lab AI4EO research activities, including Geospatial Foundation Models (GFMs) for EO.
You will gain hands-on experience across a number of steps of the AI development cycle: from EO data preparation and model training to benchmarking and testing of developed models.
Topic 1: What You Will Work On
Tasks may include:
🗂️ Preparing EO datasets for AI pipelines
🏋️ Training and benchmarking AI models for EO applications
🛠️ Supporting AI design and optimisation
🏆 Supporting the ideation, preparation and hosting of Φ-lab Challenges related to AI4EO
Topic 2: Agentic AI for Earth Observation
As part of this internship, you will develop and evaluate agentic AI for Earth Observation. You will contribute to research on how agents discover and access EO resources, plan and execute multi-step workflows, interact with external tools, and produce results that are scientifically grounded.
Topic 2: What You Will Work On
Tasks may include:
🪜 Designing agentic workflows that decompose high-level EO objectives into sequences of analysis and processing steps
🔌 Integrating EO tools and data services into agentic systems: data discovery, retrieval, processing, and interaction with specialised models
🔎 Investigating reasoning, planning and tool-use strategies that let agents adapt workflows to intermediate results and resource availability
🧪 Building and testing prototype EO assistants, combining language models, geospatial foundation models, scientific models and external tools as needed
📊 Benchmarking agentic systems on task completion, tool selection, reliability, efficiency, robustness and scientific correctness
📝 Contributing to analysis, technical documentation and scientific dissemination of results
What You Will Gain from Topic 2
You will gain hands-on experience in agent design, tool integration, scientific workflow automation and evaluation for geospatial applications. You will also develop a working understanding of what it takes to make autonomous AI systems reliable, transparent and scientifically trustworthy in Earth Observation.
Behavioural Competencies
The vacancy lists the following ESA core behavioural competencies:
🏁 Result Orientation
⚙️ Operational Efficiency
🫱 Fostering Cooperation
💬 Relationship Management
🔄 Continuous Improvement
🔭 Forward Thinking
For more information, the vacancy refers to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook.
Who Can Apply: Education
You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your university for the entire duration of the internship.
Language Requirements
The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
Additional Requirements and Assets
During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored. The following elements are considered an asset:
💻 Background in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing or related fields
🛰️ Knowledge and previous experience in AI4EO and EO data processing
Skills That Would Be Appreciated
Familiarity with the following would be appreciated:
🧩 Knowledge of agentic AI concepts with an interest in their application to Earth Observation
🏗️ Foundation Models for EO (Geospatial Foundation Models, GFM)
📶 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
🥇 Previous participation in scientific challenges related to AI or AI4EO
🔋 Knowledge of Edge computing or other disruptive computing paradigms for EO
Eligible Nationalities
Applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States:
🌍 Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
🍁 Cooperating State: applicants from Canada can apply as well
🇪🇺 European Cooperating States (ECS): applicants from Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta can apply as well
Selection Process
During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored. During the recruitment process, the Agency may also request applicants to undergo selection tests.
Application Limit
According to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships, one candidate can apply for a maximum of 2 vacancies.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. It welcomes applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
At the Agency, diversity is valued and people with disabilities are welcome. Whenever possible, ESA seeks to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process, and you can contact ESA by email using the address in the Links section below.
Important Information
The information published on ESA's careers website regarding internship conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. The vacancy does not state a stipend or allowance. You can find more opportunities like this in the internships and traineeships section of Youth Works Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the ESA AI for Earth Observation internship based?
The internship is based at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy, within ESA's Earth Observation Programmes Directorate. The vacancy lists Frascati, IT as the workplace.
What is the deadline to apply?
The closing date is 30 November 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST. Applications are submitted through the ESA careers website.
Which topics can I choose from?
You can choose between two topics. Topic 1 is AI for Earth Observation, supporting Φ-lab AI4EO research including Geospatial Foundation Models. Topic 2 is Agentic AI for Earth Observation, developing and evaluating AI agents that plan and execute multi-step EO workflows.
Who can apply for this internship?
You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. You must also be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your university for the entire duration of the internship.
Which nationalities are eligible?
Applications are only considered from nationals of ESA's listed States, which include Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and 22 others named in the vacancy. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State, and from Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta as European Cooperating States, can apply as well.
How long does the internship last and when does it start?
According to ESA's 2027 student internships announcement, an internship lasts between 3 and 6 months and starts from February 2027. The exact start date is agreed with the ESA tutor.
Which languages do I need?
The working languages of the Agency are English and French, and a good knowledge of one of them is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
How many ESA internship vacancies can I apply for?
One candidate can apply for a maximum of 2 vacancies, according to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships.
Which backgrounds are considered an asset?
A background in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing or related fields is an asset, as is knowledge and previous experience in AI4EO and EO data processing. Familiarity with agentic AI concepts, Geospatial Foundation Models, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), scientific challenges related to AI or AI4EO, and Edge computing is also appreciated.
What happens during the selection process?
Your motivation for applying to the role will be explored during the interview. ESA may also ask applicants to undergo selection tests.
Deadline
⏳ 30 November 2026
Links
🔗 Full vacancy and application (Apply now): https://jobs.esa.int/job/Frascati-Intern-in-the-Climate-Action%2C-Sustainability-and-Science-Department-AI-for-Earth-Observation/1452876833/
📘 ESA Student Internships 2027 announcement: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_Student_Internships_2027_are_now_open
🌐 ESA website: https://www.esa.int
📧 ESA student internships contact (diversity and accessibility questions): ESA.Student.Internships@esa.int
