Innovation Engineer Internship - 80% to 100%

With more than 13,000 employees representing 160 professions, the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) are a reference institution at both national and international levels. To learn more about our institution, take a few minutes to consult our 2025 retrospective by clicking here .

Convinced that "everyone can make a difference", the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have founded an Innovation Centre with the aim of improving and evolving the hospital.

A unique platform for exchange, the Centre fosters collective intelligence by bringing together, valuing, and realising the best ideas from staff. Both a centre of expertise and a collaborative workspace, the HUG Innovation Centre (CI) offers a range of services to evaluate, support, nurture, promote, and enhance innovative ideas and projects from HUG staff and departments. As a laboratory for experimentation, a catalyst for change and participatory approaches, the Innovation Centre offers various ideal spaces for collaborative workshops or events.

A pioneer at the European level in the hospital environment, the Innovation Centre has evolved the intrapreneurship model by forging close links with the Patients Partners (PP) project. This close collaboration with the PP platform has yielded effects and benefits in developing solutions close to patient needs.

As an Innovation & Project Management Intern, you will be integrated at the heart of the Innovation Centre team. You will be a pillar in catalysing innovative ideas and novel projects from HUG employees by offering project management support. You will embody the culture of innovation and creativity and support transformation within the institution.

You will be tasked with creating favourable conditions for the emergence, maturation, and implementation of new products, services, and process improvements (applications, medical devices, tools, organisational solutions, etc.), relying on collaborative and user-centred approaches.

To this end, you will develop and drive a continuous dynamic of idea and project generation. You will support innovation projects at all stages of their development, from initiation to implementation. In this context, you will analyse issues, needs, and uses to define and document clear specifications, integrating the challenges, objectives, scope, and deliverables of the projects. You will propose and support innovative solutions based on identified needs, contributing to the materialisation of concepts through the creation of prototypes, mock-ups, digital plans, or user stories.

More specifically:

You will help challenge preconceived ideas from colleagues through a collaborative analysis of their utility, desirability, feasibility, and viability to steer initiatives towards high-impact solutions aligned with institutional priorities.

You will work to disseminate the culture of innovation and collective intelligence within the hospital. You will assist in designing and facilitating collaborative workshops and work sessions based on design thinking, fostering creativity and co-construction. In this context, you will ensure rigorous documentation of new processes and participate in feedback sessions to enrich and sustain the Centre’s knowledge base.

You will support innovators in developing high-value solutions that meet user needs. You will oversee all development phases including defining functional and technical specifications, drafting a specification document, selecting manufacturing techniques, and validating feasibility and acceptability. Thanks to your enthusiasm for rapid prototyping technologies typical of fablabs, you will actively participate in materialising concepts and conducting field tests.

You will provide project leaders with methodologies, practices, and tools that promote structuring, acceleration, and success of projects (roadmaps, process analyses, management tools, dashboards, evaluation devices, etc.). You will also contribute to the deployment of the Innovation Academy, the Centre’s training programme, by helping prepare and facilitate educational modules aimed at supporting staff skill development.

You will support the implementation and deployment phase of projects both internally and externally, mastering change management challenges and business model fundamentals. You will facilitate interactions with relevant stakeholders and ensure effective collaboration throughout projects.

You will assist innovators in seeking funding and promoting their projects by contributing to dossier structuring, increasing initiative visibility, and promoting them to relevant bodies and partners.

Within your missions, you will develop a detailed understanding of the hospital organisation, its networks, and decision-making circuits. You will participate in analysing and mapping processes and information flows to structure and prioritise needs while considering business requirements.

You will foster collective work dynamics by creating an environment conducive to creativity and solution emergence, while paying particular attention to valuing innovators and various stakeholders.

You will also ensure knowledge sustainability by participating in process documentation, organising feedback sessions, and enriching the Centre’s practical knowledge bases.

You will take part in the team’s daily life by contributing to operational organisation (preparing reports, monitoring projects, organising steering committees and team meetings). Your interpersonal skills and listening ability will enable you to interact effectively with a wide variety of professional profiles (caregivers, doctors, researchers, patient partners) and actively contribute to the Innovation Centre’s outreach.

Your solution-oriented approach will allow you to respond to recurring requests as well as unforeseen situations. Through your commitment, attitude, and collaborative manner, you will actively participate in the collective dynamic and convey the image and values of the Innovation Centre.

This internship is part of a final year Master’s degree or HES training in engineering, project management, or innovation management. The internship, which carries ECTS credits, must be subject to an internship agreement with your educational institution; you must have student status for the entire duration of your mission, and your diploma will be awarded after the internship ends.

You have a keen interest in the field of health innovation. You master innovation tools and practices such as design thinking, solution prototyping, and user testing, while having a good foundation in project management. You are comfortable with common office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and demonstrate excellent writing skills in French as well as good analytical and synthesis abilities. Any additional technical skills or strong interest in related subjects (such as CAD modelling for prototyping) will also be welcome.

Working in a continuously transforming environment, you demonstrate great adaptability allowing you to meet challenges as they arise according to the Innovation Centre’s current activities.

You show rigour and deliver quality outputs with attention to detail. You communicate fluidly on the progress of your activities. Your curiosity and learning ability enable you to explore unfamiliar areas and you do not hesitate to ask questions to those around you.

You know how to adapt to variable workloads and occasionally unforeseen situations. You demonstrate reliability and discernment in evolving contexts and know how to react effectively while maintaining good stress management.

You have excellent prioritisation and initiative skills allowing you to work autonomously. You are organised and demonstrate rigour and precision in your activities.

You ensure smooth interface with all internal and external interlocutors, always adopting a constructive and "solutions"-oriented stance.

You enjoy working in a team and developing harmonious relationships with interlocutors thanks to your diplomacy, interpersonal skills, listening ability, and even temperament.

You master the French language both written and oral, and are very comfortable in writing. You have good analytical and synthesis skills.

Organisation, dynamism, creativity, proactivity, rigour, and autonomy are key qualities for success in this position. Furthermore, your positive attitude and good humour make you an asset to join the Innovation Centre team.

All diverse skills adding value are welcome.

• Start date: As soon as possible
• Number of positions: 1
• Work rate: 100%
• Contract: Conventioned internship contract from 6 to 12 months
• Application deadline: 30.08.2026
• Contact for information: Innovation Centre, centre.innovation@hug.ch

Your application file must include a letter demonstrating your motivation, your CV, copies of diplomas and certificates required for the position, and the last 2 work certificates.

This announcement is addressed equally to women and men.

Only applications submitted via the recruitment platform will be considered. Paper and email applications will not be processed.

Any incomplete application will not be considered.