Research and Patient Engagement Intern

Employer: Cancer Patients Europe
Employment type: Internship/Traineeship
Organisation type: NGOs & Nonprofits
Areas: Research, Programmes & Events
Issue areas: Health & Medical Advocacy
Salary: 1

The Organisation

Cancer Patients Europe (CPE) is a pan-European and pan-cancer type association based in Brussels. It was established to represent and empower the voices of cancer patients and cancer survivors, with the vision to reduce the burden of cancer on patients, carers, survivors, healthcare systems, and society.
For more information, please go to www.cancerpatientseurope.org

The Position

CPE is recruiting a Research and Patient Engagement Officer (Intern) to support the implementation of several EU Research Projects and CPE own Research. The Research and Patient Engagement Officer will work full-time with the possibility of some teleworking, in close cooperation with the CPE Team. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to increasing cancer patient participation in CPE’s research projects at the European level.

Main Activities

Key Responsibilities
Research and analysis: Contribute to the delineation of research projects, review and edit scientific documents, participate in the design and analysis of questionnaires, and provide content to informative documents.
Preparation of publications: Contribute to the preparation of white papers and peer-reviewed articles.
Patient linkage: Liaise with the cancer patient community, fostering strong relationships and assisting communication.
Patient engagement: Facilitate patient involvement in research and access for cancer patients to new scientific developments that can be of interest for the cancer community.
Scientific information transfer: Provide transfer of information between research projects and the cancer patient community by facilitating the dissemination of complex scientific terms and ideas to the patients in lay language and by providing content and editing scientific articles from EU research projects into plain language abstracts.
EU Funded Project Support: Provide support to EU-funded projects as required, in close cooperation with the Project Officer.
Advisory Committees and Patient Advisory Boards: Manage and support project advisory committees and patient advisory boards.
Participation, organisation and speaking engagement in meetings and conferences, workshops, webinars, both those organised by CPE and externally.
Secretariat for the CPE Scientific Advisory Committee in close cooperation with CPE CEO.

All tasks will be conducted in close cooperation with the CPE Team. The role reports to the Research and Patient Engagement Director.

Education and skills
Degree in health science; knowledge or experience in health-related communication is desirable.
Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to plan workload effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet tight deadlines.
Knowledge of EU Funded project’s procedures and, ideally, previous exposure or involvement in a EU funded project.
Fluency in English (oral and written), with proficiency in other EU languages considered an asset.
Own initiative, creativity, and energy are strongly encouraged.

Teamwork
Proactive approach, collegiality, readiness to offer a helping hand in various tasks, sociable mature personality able to relate with peers and high-level officials.
Demonstrated ability to work well with others in both team and independent environments.
Willingness and availability to work remotely and to undertake business travel.
Ability to work in an international, multicultural and multilingual working environment.

Communication
Outstanding written and verbal skills in English (English fluency is mandatory) and attention to detail and numeracy.
Experience in working on research projects.
Ability to tailor communication materials and language to different audiences.

Experience
Previous experience in research projects within the non-profit, healthcare, or membership association sector is considered an asset.
Experience or interest in oncology, public health, or EU-funded projects is desirable.
Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel, Mail Chimp and PowerPoint is essential.
Relevant prior professional experience in a similar position is desirable.
Experience in preparing documents, such as reports and peer reviewed publications is an asset.

What we offer

This is a full-time intern position for one year. An internship allowance in accordance with Belgian internship regulations (Convention d’Immersion Proffesionnelle) . The possibility of progression to a long-term, full-time position, subject to performance and organisational needs. Please note that applying candidates must have the right to reside and work in Belgium/EU. A unique opportunity for early-career professionals to develop expertise in communications within the fields of cancer and healthcare.

Applications

Interested candidates should send a CV and a cover letter of one-page maximum, in English, to [email protected] by 11th September 2026. The covering letter should outline the suitability and motivation for the post. It should explicitly reference experience and skills and how the profile matches the job requirements described above. Please also include with the application the names and contact details of two people (ideally a current or former line manager or supervisor) who could provide a reference in case you are short-listed for an interview. All applications received will be considered and treated with the utmost confidentiality.

Starting date

To be agreed upon.

Information

For more information, please contact [email protected]