The Fraunhofer Italia Research scarl was founded in 2009 as first Italian legal independent affiliate of Fraunhofer, the largest European organization for applied research. As a non-profit research organization, Fraunhofer Italia works on behalf of the industry and the economy as well as for the benefit of the society. Our projects and research activities are mainly focused to support small and medium-sized local companies through customised and practical research services combining technologically advanced production processes, digitalisation and sustainability.
Within Fraunhofer Italia, the Bioeconomy and Sustainability (BES) team focus on applied research topics such as: Circular Economy on three levels (macro, meso and micro), Multidimensional and multi-actor assessment methodologies, Bioeco- nomy (primary production sector - smart agriculture, forests, waste cycle), Sustainable Governance (territories and cities), Ethics, Sustainable Digital (impact of hardware/software), Modelling and information systems.
For more information, feel free to visit our website here: Business Model Engineering (fraunhofer.it) Are you interested in a hands-on experience in a dynamic working environment?
If so, apply for this position at Fraunhofer Italia!
Profile
You are an ambitious, “self-propelled”, visionary and pragmatic person demonstrating exceptional motivation, passion, character, competence, courage and ecological and social intelligence. You are at ease when working with people and dealing with problem solving and deadlines.
You developed a strong interest in innovative and sustainable solutions and regularly follow all the macro trends. Sustainabil- ity and accompanying phenomena are on the top of your research interests.
If you can easily picture yourself in this description, then you should think of joining the Bioeconomy and Sustainability (BES) team at Fraunhofer Italia.
“Sustainability is a development process in which natural resources exploitation, economic orientation, technological development, and social progress are in harmony with the environment that surrounds humans, thus enhancing both current and future potential”.
Professional Opportunities
Educational background
- Economics;
- Politics and International Relations;
- Governance;
- Management and Business Administration;
- Any other background could be taken into consideration depending on your interests and skills, so even if your profile is not listed above, do not hesitate to contact us if the topics below match your interest.
Opportunities topics
The circular economy (CE) concept is becoming ever more relevant and gaining attraction. Unfortunately, there is no established tool yet to guide companies in the assessment of their situation and mapping out the roadmap to improving their business model. To fill this gap, Fraunhofer Italia - IEC, in collaboration with the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano,
has developed a new instrument named Circularity and Maturity Firm-Level Assessment tool (CM-FLAT). Starting from a transparent scientific basis to target the separate assessment of CE maturity and practices laying the foundations for CE introduction and circularity. CM-FLAT enables companies to assess the maturity and „circularity“ of their business to increase its awareness of viable practices targeting CE, and to take improvement actions accordingly.
In that sense, there are three principal areas of further research that could benefit from your contribution:
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Case study of comparative guidelines/framework development for companies when applying the CM-FLAT and other frameworks as mentioned: analysis of shared points and gaps;
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Case study of how the CM-FLAT can assess a company and collecting the info needed to comply with the B-Corp scheme, GRI guidelines for sustainability reporting and corporate communication/stakeholder engagement;
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Case study of how the tool integrates and enables the compliance with the ISO 14000 and 26000 families and with the new UNI ISO standards on Circular Economy.
If these topics get you excited or you plan to write your thesis in one of these fields, feel free to contact us by sending your CV and cover letter, whereas cover letter should be expression of interest in desired research topic.
Internship duration
Minimum 3 months.
Language
Excellent communication skills in English are required, knowledge of Italian and/or German would be an asset.
How to apply
For internships, please send us your CV and a motivation letter via our career platform: Jobs and Career (fraunhofer.it). For research thesis, please send us your CV, a motivational letter and a one-page abstract of your thesis idea.
When to apply
We will start the selection process as soon as applications start coming in. For the final assessment of the candidates, an interview will be conducted.
Contacts
For questions about this position, please contact: Alessia Cornella alessia.cornella [at] fraunhofer.it
Telefono +39 0471 19 66 900