The SME Internship Fund provides funding to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to engage Imperial students and graduates in paid project based internships between July-September 2025.
The scheme is a fantastic way to gain access to Imperial's vast and diverse talent pool, bringing new skills and perspectives into your business from some of the brightest minds studying STEM in the UK.
Projects must be a minimum of eight weeks in duration and can be advertised as full or part time hours. Eligible SME's will receive a one-off £1,000 salary contribution towards the cost of hiring an Imperial intern based on the intern being paid a minimum wage of £13.85 per hour (Real London Living Wage 2025).
To apply - please complete our Project Registration Form before Friday 30 May 2025.
The scheme is funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund and delivered by the Imperial College London Careers Service. If you have any questions, please contact the Placement and Internship Unit at internship.unit@imperial.ac.uk.
SME Internship Fund Tabs
Step one: Project Registration
To apply to the scheme, all interested businesses must complete a Project Registration Form. Submitted forms will be reviewed by a selection panel against the scheme criteria and available funding will be allocated on a rolling basis until Friday 30 May. Should the full amount of funding be allocated prior to this date, the scheme will close early.
Step two: Project Scoping
If selected for funding, we will support you to fully scope the project and outline the skills and experience required for the role. You will have sign-off on the final job description before advertising.
Step three: Advertising
Once the job description is confirmed, the opportunity will be advertised by the Careers Service via our online jobs platform JobsLive for a minimum of two weeks. The Placement and Internship Unit will monitor applications throughout this period and publicise the internship to eligible students and graduates through various marketing channels.
Step four: Shortlisting
When advertising is complete, The Placement and Internship Unit will shortlist the applications and provide you with the applications of the most suitable candidates based on the criteria outlined in the job description. If you'd prefer to review all applicants yourself, you can make this known in your Project Registration Form.
Step five: Interviews
Once you’ve reviewed the applications, you will be able to contact the candidates to arrange interviews at your convenience. Please advise the Placement and Internship Unit of your recruitment decision and directly provide feedback to the unsuccessful interviewees.
Step six: Funding Agreements
Once you have confirmed with the student their start date, hours/days of work and total salary, the Placement and Internship Unit will send a Funding Agreement to the SME host detailing the terms of the fund. Please note; this is not an employment contract. Full details of the internship should be confirmed between the intern and the company in a separate agreement provided by the company.
Step seven: Invoicing
The host SME will pay the intern their salary directly through the company. The SME Internship Fund contribution will be sent via invoice before the end of July 2025 (full instructions on this process will be shared with successful project hosts).