Sign up for the information session about this programme
Join us on Thursday 16 October at 7 p.m. 2025 at the UCSIA building (Koningstraat 2)
During this internship, you will travel in group to Delhi and Ranchi under academic supervision to explore a topic on which you will write your Master's thesis. The stay will take place during the month of July 2026. The programme is open for students from Law, Social Sciences, Business & Economics and the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) who are in their second-last year or who can still submit their master's thesis in August or September 2026. Students from programmes in Dutch and English are eligible. The working language will be English.
The focus is on fieldwork in relation to your master's thesis, but certain study programmes also allow you to have a local internship validated within the study programme. Internships can take place at NGOs, law firms or small businesses in Ranchi.
A comprehensive introductory programme in Delhi with personalised guidance is followed by three weeks of fieldwork and/or internship in Ranchi. The programme also makes room for cultural excursions.
A travel grant enables you to pay for your plane ticket. The costs you incur locally do not normally exceed 500 euros. Additional information about the procedure of the travel grant will be given to you during the information session.
The supervisors will be Daanish Naithani and Florence Van Durme.
How do I qualify to participate?
- Apply through the application form before 23rd of October midnight. We recommend you to first attend the information session on 16 October.
- We have room for ten students, hence you will be invited for a selection interview, taking place on 30 or 31 October.
- The first group meeting will take place on 29 November at the city campus.
- You are required to participate in the USOS preparation programme, which will take place from 2 to 4 February 2026 at Scoutshuis in Antwerp (with overnight stay)
Indicative list of topics
Environmental Justice and Sustainability
- Environmental impacts of extractive industries and mining
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies
- Sustainable development and environmental governance
- Experimental governance to combat climate change
Indigenous Rights and Traditional Communities
- Indigenous land rights and traditional knowledge systems
- Cultural preservation and modernization challenges
- Community-based resource management
Labor and Social Justice
- Workers' rights in formal and informal sectors
- Workers' rights in the age of platforms and rights of gig-workers.
- Social protection and labor market dynamics
- Intersection of gender and labor in developing economies
Development and Governance
- Challenges of urbanisation, development and smart city initiatives
- Government program evaluation and policy assessment
- Right to development and community participation
Healthcare and Social Policy
- Healthcare accessibility and social determinants of health
- Public-private partnerships in healthcare delivery
- Health equity and vulnerable populations
Intellectual Property and Innovation
- Traditional knowledge systems and commercialization
- IP management in small and medium enterprises
- Technology transfer mechanisms in universities
- Copyright and digital content in educational settings
- Access to medicines and patent policies
Legal and Regulatory Framework
- Constitutional law and fundamental rights
- International law applications in domestic contexts
- Regulatory frameworks for emerging challenges
How do I link this to my study programme?
- To link this your master's thesis, you take the initiative of finding a promotor of your respective faculty who is willing to supervise you. To a certain extent, USOS can help you finding a suitable promotor. You will need to find a promotor by February 2026.
- Law:
- Participation in this internship can be recognised as the ‘open space’ elective Internship (6 ECTS) in the Master of Laws programme
- Deelname aan deze stage kan erkend worden als Meesterproef - Stage (2002RECSTA, 6 studiepunten) in het master programma Rechten.
- Business and Economics students can have this validated for their internship course (3ba if allowed or Master).
- IOB students can link this to their fieldwork or to their internship.
- they choose a topic that fits with the themes of the internship;
- they obtain good grades for their module 1 exams;
- their EOMP is related to the same topic.