Trainee (Mobile app development for veterinary antimicrobial use guidance)

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.

Placement description

We are looking for a trainee in the Veterinary Antimicrobial Monitoring and Resistance Office.

Specific objectives and projects

Context: Veterinarians need quick, reliable, practical guidance on compliant antibiotic use to help combat antimicrobial resistance, taking into account the latest legislation. Current infographics are useful but not ideally accessible in daily clinical practice. The current prescribing framework in secondary legislation (implementing/delegated acts) is complex.

Project description: Develop a first-version mobile application that provides publicly available, practical information for EU veterinarians on antibiotic substances, including the EMA’s AMEG categorisation and the various restrictions on the use of antimicrobials under the Veterinary Medicines Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/6). This derives from: the list of antimicrobials reserved exclusively for human use, the conditions governing the use of antimicrobials under the ‘cascade’, and species-specific provisions (e.g., for fish and horses). The app will focus on clear presentation, searchability, and offline access.

Tasks: Gather and consolidate source information; design the app in collaboration with IT colleagues at the EMA; test usability with sample users; liaise with stakeholders, e.g., Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE); and prepare project handover notes.

Note: No confidential data will be used; the trainee will work with public sources only.

Learning outcomes

The trainee will gain hands-on experience at the intersection of public health, veterinary clinical practice, and digital product development.

Outcomes: Understand AMR policy objectives and practical veterinary prescribing considerations; map and synthesise regulatory and scientific guidance documents into user-focused content; develop skills in analysing complex information, information architecture, and basic data formatting for apps; and practice stakeholder communication.

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 veterinary medicine, pharmacy, public health, life sciences, or biomedical sciences (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

For criteria 1 and 2, you will be required to provide proof in the application form and at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in the disqualification from the procedure.

Additional skills

• An analytical mind to assimilate complex legal and scientific information sources

• Some experience in computer science and/or app development

• Communication: clear and effective written and verbal English

• Other: attention to fine detail, user-centred mindset, ability to work independently and in a small team; interest in AMR and veterinary practice

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.

The conditions of employment are stated in the Executive Decision on rules governing the traineeship programme at the EMA available here.

Expected selection timelines