IEU Labs

GAIN PROFESSIONAL SKILLS IN AN INTERNSHIP-LIKE EXPERIENCE

IEU Labs are IE University’s alternative to traditional work placements. They provide hands-on, internship-like experience on campus to first and second year students that wish to start gaining professional practice.

There are many IEU Labs for you to choose from, and by joining one you will not only get to build your professional profile and gain valuable practical knowledge of different sectors, but you will also have direct contact with managers and directors of leading companies, extending your professional network.

  • WHAT ARE THE IEU LABS?

    Fully-tutored working spaces where students develop professional projects and work closely with companies and institutions. An excellent opportunity for students who want a hands-on experience, to acquire interdisciplinary knowledge and professional skills.

  • WHO CAN JOIN?

    All students from any program are welcome to apply to any IEU Lab, although they are specially aimed to 1st and 2nd year students.

  • HOW MUCH WORK?

    IEU LABs require your commitment to work hard and enjoy a full hands-on internship-like experience on campus.

    • Second semester: Work during 5 continuous months (workload: 4 to 6 hours per week).
    • Intensive period: After final exams until the end of June (workload: 4 to 6 hours per day).
  • THE RULES OF THE IEU LABS

    Enroll in a maximum of 1 Lab each year.Each Lab will count for 3 ECTS credit, offered at no extra cost.

IEU LABS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

IEU LABS Shadowing 2023
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IEU Labs Fair Video | IE University
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Explore your passions with IEU LABS

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"IEU Labs give students a genuine taste for working as members of a consultancy team in the sector of their choice, from design to finance. Already, several Labs have made a real impact by providing solutions for clients such as the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid and Bank Arcano."

Isabel Sánchez

"Personally, I am part of the Econ-Data Lab, which focuses on analyzing economic data in order to gain insights for organizations such as UNICEF, AFI, and Vallbanc. So far it has been a very enriching experience, as I get to work with people from different degrees and various backgrounds. Furthermore, I get to apply some of the skills I have learned throughout my degree so far to the real world, with hands-on activities."

Miguel Amengual

"The innovation lab was an enriching, professional and creative real life job experience that helped me gain insight on what I’m going to be facing after graduation. It made me realize I have a preference in marketing and consulting. I would recommend it because it shows you how group work can develop great innovative ideas for companies. Also, it challenges you to think outside of the box and learn to listen to different perspectives."

Paula García

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LABS

EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS

    • INDEXA CAPITAL

      Elaborate an acquisition-marketing plan to reach specialized bloggers, to expand the young target market and to drive more traffic to the platform.

    • VICIOUS MAGAZINE

      Analyze and evaluate the company’s social media strategy against competitors’, and elaborate a business plan to monetize its existing database.

    • TWITTER

      Gather cultural insights for strategic topics on Twitter and generate new ideas for communicating them.

    • MONDELEZ

      Deliver a positioning statement and a 360-degree marketing plan.

    • TRAVEL CLUB

      Redefine the value of the customer loyalty program.

    • ARCANO GROUP

      Apply modern corporate finance theory in the Investment Banking Department. Experience a high-yield bonds project using the Bloomberg Terminal.

    • TRIODOS BANK

      Identify the most promising social currencies for the client, and present them as an ethical financing opportunity.

    • DEUTSCHE BANK

      Provide wealth management advice (including technical details) regarding investments in financial instruments in order to construct—and justify—an international portfolio.

    • CAIXA BANK

      Explore the topic of corporate social responsibility in today’s business landscape and the ways in which companies have changed their attitude toward this key concern of the last few years.

    • EUROPEAN UNION

      Prepare a report for EEAA (European Union External Action) that analyses challenges and opportunities for policy changes in education aimed at mitigating the adverse impact of Covid19.

    • UNWTO

      Provide policy guidelines focused on sustainable and innovative solutions linking tourism and development.

    • OECD

      Develop a documentary based on the results of the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) as well as other outreach materials. The documentary should follow the OECD/SIGI policy framework: advocacy, capacity building, and the distribution of content for social impact.

    • WFP AND UNICEF

      Conduct a country risk assessment by expanding outreach and mass media materials. Present your findings and strategies to the UN groups working in the areas of child protection and nutrition.

    • SEGOVIA CITY WALL

      Along the wall of Segovia, the City Hall has recovered a series of public spaces. Unfortunately, these spaces are still predominantly in disuse.

      Develop schematic design strategies to activate the use of public spaces, such as the Jardín de los Poetas or the international competition FROM LIMIT TO LIVE IT, in order to celebrate the magnificent presence of the medieval wall.

    • CASA DE LA LECTURA

      Design and develop different areas of Segovia’s Public Library including: a multipurpose area, a reception/books loan area, a reading club area and an interactive wall in the courtyard.

    • ROYAL GLASS FACTORY

      Design a glass piece by conducting iterative tests before presenting a final mock-up.

    • LET’S GO

      Design a plan for introducing food in spaces specifically designed for shows, events, and music festivals, and learn how to store, serve, and cook healthy food options in a large space. The gastronomic space will represent the union between design, shows, technology, avant-garde cuisine, and healthy eating.

    • REPSOL

      Develop innovation ecosystems using design strategies and multidisciplinary tools to understand how energy and food interact in our communities to be able to create new digital experiences for customers.

    • CERVEZA SAN FRUTOS

      Get to know the company Cerveza San Frutos and create a corporate video that includes the mission, vision and values the owners want to communicate to the world.

    • VERESCENCE

      Create an internal corporate video and update the welcome guide using infographics to help new employees better understand the glass factory’s structure.

    • SIEMPRE EN LAS NUBES

      Create a promo video for the 1st Hot Air Balloon Festival in Segovia to help the organization increase participation.

    • CABAÑAS DE POLENDOS COUNCIL

      Create a video showcasing the “Días Europeos de la Artesanía 2018” fair to present to various institutions for financing.

    • PILNET

      Analyze EU Member State legislation and prepare a multinational report lobbying the European Commission for increased protections for vulnerable children.

    • MADRID FUTURO

      Draft a report on the adaptation of the administrative local regulations in relation to the creation of a sandbox in Madrid city.

    • FUNDACIÓN POMBO

      Research and draft a report on innovative legal means for sustainable financing of social entities, such as social impact bonds.

    • UK PARLIAMENT

      Draft a report for the House of Commons’ ‘Exiting the European Union’ inquiry, focusing on the impact of Brexit on Gibraltar.

    • PEPE JEANS

      Pepe Jeans is a Spanish fashion distribution group with almost 50 years of experience in the market, an annual net profit of approximately 12 million euros, and a wide portfolio of brands sold in Spain and Europe including Pepe Jeans, Hackett, Façonnable, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Norton.

      Discover how a real fashion company works and how a sustainable product can be produced and communicated to consumers.

    • HEMPER

      Present several proposals around sustainability in different parts of the value fashion chain to this fashion and craft project made in Nepal, combining tradition with trends to create sustainable, fair and competitive products.

    • EL GANSO

      Work around design, manufacturing, retail, marketing and customer perception with the aim to check new potential business models which include circular economy criteria.

    • EKOMODO

      Present several different new approaches, concepts, and funded ideas around sustainability within the fashion sector and aligned with the challenges introduced by the client.

    • IBM

      Technical training program to develop the necessary skills through the development of different tasks on technologies franchised by the company: building a fully-functioning conversation manager, design-thinking sessions, and agile development sprints.

    • ME&R ABOGADOS

      Report on the different innovations in AI for the legal practice, such as semantic analysis of court rulings, a case law search engine, and judgment predictions based on historical data.

    • FERROVIAL

      Research and try out several SaaS tools in three different areas: Artificial Intelligence, Text Mining, Time Tracking Software, and Alert Notified System.

    • TELEFÓNICA

      Collaborate on a startup project at the Wayra accelerator.

    • ARCANO GROUP

      Discover and evaluate the indicators connected to countries’ wealth—such as GDP—to help your business predict short-term economic growth.

    • UNICEF

      Estimate a model to help explain the main determinants of digital (versus non-digital) donations to UNICEF in Latin America in order to predict the relative size of digital donations in the next 5 years.

    • MADBEACH PROJECT

      Conduct research on Madrid’s recreational offering in large outdoor spaces, such as the zoo or Warner Park, and present it to the Madbeach associates who want to open similar options in the city.

    • VALLBANC

      Find Macroeconomic indicators for several countries (such as Spain or France) to predict the evolution of similar series in Andorra, such as GPD, interest rates, or unemployment rates.

    • MADRID FUTURO

      Working with Mckinsey professionals on projects that are enhancing both socially and economically the City of Madrid.

    • ACCION POR LA MUSICA

      Strategic positioning to create new ways to maximize social impact.

    • CRYPTO PLAZA

      Tokenization of incentive plans for customers and other stakeholders of a crypto company.

    • DO EAT

      Strategic decisions for B2B and B2C markets.

    • AYUDA EN ACCIÓN

      Design and implement an awareness campaign targeting IEU students about the trafficking of women in Nepal and its consequences.

    • POUR UNE SOURIRE D’ENFANT

      Define an action plan to increase awareness about education, vocational training, protection and housing for children. Students also work as camp counselors at summer camps in Cambodia.

    • MAKE A WISH

      Carry out a comprehensive digital media analysis and present a proposal for improvements in contents and structure of the website, social media, and other forms of interaction and communication formulas.

    • BASSARI AFRICA

      Analyze the possibilities for developing micro-ventures in Africa and identify companies that are aligned with Bassari’s mission in order to raise funds.

OUR START-UPS

These are just a few of the companies to come out of the Start-Up Lab.

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  • DLAS
  • Find your dance mate
  • INABA
  • My tour
  • Senior care
  • Shield
  • SV
  • Wonder Broom

WHO CAN JOIN?

Students from all programs are welcome to apply to any IEU Lab, although they are primarily aimed at first- and second-year students.

FAQS

  • Fully-tutored working spaces where students develop professional projects and work closely with companies and institutions. An excellent opportunity for students who want a hands-on experience, to acquire interdisciplinary knowledge and professional skills.

  • There are three kinds of Labs: Start-Up Lab, IE Labs with Corporate Partners, IELabs with Institutional Partners and Independent Labs.

    • Start-Up Lab: Serves as an incubator for students´ business initiatives and guides them through the process of creating and starting a business. Students are given training in areas like marketing, funding, strategy and legal aspects, and are introduced to investors or to other entrepreneurs that share their experience.
    • IEU Consultancy Labs with CORPORATE & INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS: Students work as consultants for companies, firms and institutions. These clients collaborate with IE University and call on students to carry out specific research projects and strategic analysis and deliver their findings, guided by the Lab Directors and experts. Clients belong to a variety of sectors, such as sports, finance, marketing, media, information technology, etc. IE departments or other IEU Labs can also become clients. Research and consulting is carried out in areas such as urban development, city marketing, legal issues, museum management, education, creativity and social behavior and many others. Every year more clients collaborate with the IEU Labs and new projects are added to the portfolio.
    • IEU Social Impact Projects: The Social Impact Lab does external consultancy work for NGOs or public institutions. The work of the Lab consists in helping them to reach their goals and objectives with professional criteria by developing projects that have a social impact. The Lab takes advantage of the multicultural origin of its participants and the synergies that their diverse educational background offers. This Lab offers the possibility to travel abroad during the summer to visit institutions working in the field in similar social projects. The trip is voluntary and the student will have to pay for it.
  • Except for the D-Lab (which is only aimed at Architecture and Design students), anyone can join any of the Labs offered regardless of the degree they are taking. In fact, it should be encouraged so that they explore other areas of interest.

  • The program is geared toward first and second year students, however, senior students can also participate.

  • Three ways:

    • Go to CAMPUS ONLINE, look for Organizations / IE LABs & Entrepreneurship.
    • Contact labs.university@ie.edu
    • Send an email to the Lab Director for more specific information (you will find the email in Campus online)
  • Yes, you will have a director, who will guide you and the rest of your group all along the way and who will monitor your work, give you feedback, help you whenever you have to meet with clients, and who will set up specific goals and deadlines.

  • There are two portions of the IEU LABs program: the Extensive Period and the Intensive Period.

    During the 2021-22 Academic year, the LABs Extensive Period begins the week of January 24th until the end of May with a total number of 12 weeks of work. Students are expected to work 4-5 hours per week (Spring Break is the week of April 11th, there will be no LABs activity.)

    The LABs Intensive Period will run from May 30th until June 24th for a total of 4 weeks. Students should work 4 hours a day from 10:00 to 14:00. Students´ attendance will be monitored. There will be a Director on campus each day in case students have questions or need guidance.

    The closing event for the IEU LABs is June 24th. All students are expected to attend.

  • The IEU LABs are offered both at our Madrid and Segovia campuses.

    During the extensive period, the LABs will be live in person.

    During the intensive period, the format will vary depending on the Lab:

    • Live online: Branding Lab, Econ DataLab, Entertainment Lab, Finance Lab, Food Culture Lab, Legal Clinic, Marketing Lab, Marketing & Consumer Insights Lab, Policy Lab, Social Lab.
    • Live in-person:  Communication Lab, D(esign) Lab, Start-Up Lab.
    • Optional*: Slow Fashion Lab, Strategy Lab, Tech Lab.

    *The Lab Director will ask you to choose between live online or live in-person projects. If you opt for the latter, you will be required to stay on campus during the month of June.

  • No, you can only enrol in the LABs that are offered in your Campus.

  • In principle this will not be possible if the rest of your team does not change location. This can be explored during the first meetings of the Lab when the projects are assigned but it cannot be guaranteed in advance.

  • No. You need to work both during the extensive AND intensive period.

  • Yes, you will obtain a grade of 0 to 10 for your participation in the IEU Labs. Your grade will be determined by your performance and the reports you have to prepare for the client or your progress in the business idea.

  • No, but It will appear in your European Supplement to the diploma as an extra academic activity.

  • Yes, if your participation in the LABs is satisfactory you will be granted 3 credits (ECTs). Later on, you may opt for validating those credits for some elective course whenever that may be possible in your program.

  • Students do not pay anything extra for joining and working at the IEU LABs. Only later on, if you decide to ask for credit recognition to make up for an elective, you will have to pay for those credits (as you will do if you decided to enroll in an elective course).

  • You can enroll from Tuesday, Nov 2 until Thursday, Nov 18.

  • If you are unable to add/ drop a lab through the enrollment platform, please contact: matricula.university@ie.edu.

  • You may register for only ONE lab per academic year. To work in two LABs will be very demanding and will put at risk your academic performance.

  • You will have the possibility to Add & Drop LABs from the 10th to the 17th of January, 2022.

    After Jan 17th you will not be able to change your enrolment in the LABs. If your attendance in the Lab is not satisfactory, you will receive a Fail that will show in your transcript.

  • Yes, there is limited availability in each Lab. In general, students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. That is why we encourage students to enrol as soon as possible.

    Depending on the number of students enrolled, some Directors may decide to carry out a selection process. In this case, you will be informed about the criteria on the first session.

  • Yes, the enrolment online platform will open for Add & Drop Labs from the 10th to the 17th of January, 2022.

  • You will receive a Fail that will show in your transcript. Working in a Lab is voluntary. When you decide to join, you acquire a commitment towards the clients, the university, your Lab Director and the rest of the team. The team will have to deliver in any case at the end of June. If you leave your teammates will have to do the extra work and the credibility of the university and of the IEU LABs project will be questioned.

  • Yes, you can sign up again.

    - If you are interested in a different Lab, you will have to attend the two portions of the new Lab (non-intensive and intensive). You will get 3 ECTs.

    - If you are interested in the same Lab, you have 2 options:

    • To do the full package (non-intensive and intensive) for 3 ECTs; or
    • To do only the non-intensive period for 1 ECT.

    To enroll, get in touch with labs.university@ie.edu.

  • IEU Labs | IE University
  • IEU Labs | IE University
  • IEU Labs | IE University
  • IEU Labs | IE University
  • IEU Labs | IE University
  • IEU Labs | IE University
Want to apply? | IE University

WANT TO APPLY?

Students can enroll from Tuesday, November 2nd and Thursday, November 18th by applying through the online enrollment platform.