Intern

, Netherlands

Worker Type:

Interns (Fixed Term) (Trainee)

Posting Start Date:

July 15, 2026

Job Description:

Intern assignment

Describe the responsibilities and activities related to the Assignment. If relevant, relate these activities to the requirements for completion of the Internship as set by the Institute of Education. Include details of department where the Internship will be carried out.

 

Introduction

Shell is a global group of energy companies that seek to provide more and cleaner low-carbon products and services as the world’s energy system transforms. To this end, we use advanced technologies and take an innovative approach to help build a sustainable future. A significant proportion of Shell’s technology is built around key relationships with leading academic research institutes and universities. The Open Innovation organization operates end-to-end—scouting for external innovations, building high-impact partnerships, and de-risking novel solutions through pilot projects to enable deployment at scale and deliver measurable business value.

 

We have a range of Open Innovation vehicles to work with startups and scaleups: Shell Research Alliance, Shell Commercial partnerships/Gamechanger, Shell Techworks, E4 and a range of accelerating programmes with external partners.

The New Energy Challenge programme is one of the accelerator programmes.

Shell Commercial Partnerships/Gamechanger and Shell Ventures partner with YES!Delft, Rockstart and Unknown Group: companies that support start-up development. Together they organise the New Energy Challenge (NEC). The NEC is an annual open innovation competition that connects promising global startups and scaleups in the energy sector with stakeholders to accelerate the decarbonisation of energy systems.

 

Competition finalists gain access to investors and experts during the final phase of the challenge, unlocking the knowledge, contacts, and support needed to advance their companies and products.

The NEC enables Shell to identify technologies with the potential to significantly impact the future of energy, and support innovators and entrepreneurs to affordably prove the viability of their technologies.

Some of the participating startups may be selected by Shell to join the Shell GameChanger programme, receive investment from Shell Ventures, or collaborate directly with Shell businesses at a later stage.

 

Within this program, corporations collaborate with selected startups to accelerate innovation through, among other things, mentorship, network access, knowledge sharing, and strategic collaboration.

 

We benefit from working with start-ups, and it is through the Shell GameChanger programme that we help start-ups mature and derisk technologies. Start-up proposals are assessed against four criteria: novelty, potential value, do-ability and fit with Shell’s net-zero emissions strategy before being accepted into the programme.

 

Title

Identify and analyse which collaboration mechanisms/vehicles within corporate innovation programs contribute to mutual value creation between corporations and renewable energy startups, and how these mechanisms support the scaling up of renewable energy technologies.

 

 

 

Responsibilities/activities assigned

Project overview

 

The purpose of this research project is to identify and analyse which collaboration mechanisms/vehicles within corporate innovation programs contribute to mutual value creation between corporations and renewable energy startups, and how these mechanisms support the scaling up of renewable energy technologies.

 

Project outline

The research does not focus on the development of the technology itself, but rather on how corporate innovation programs and collaboration mechanisms contribute to translating technological possibilities into scalable and economically viable applications. In doing so, the research addresses the upscaling phase, in which technological potential is converted into market and societal impact.

 

The intern will be part of the NEC core organising team, and will use the NEC programme as a case study reference for his research work, identifing and analysing collaboration mechanisms/vehicles and how value is created for Shell and the startups.

 

This year the New Energy Challenge programme runs from 1 September 2026 until 8 April 2027.

The NEC programme comprises the following phases:

• The recruitment/scouting phase starts 1 Sept. The registration period ends 23th Oct, granting ample opportunity for startups and scaleups to sign up and participate. Following this, we the submissions are carefully reviewed.
• After closing of the registration phase, the process of selecting the top 20 candidates begins.
• During the selection phase (Oct – Nov 2026) the best entries are selected on the basis of the novelty of their technology or digital solution, the quality and potential of their business model, their fit with Shell’s technology strategy and their teams. The twenty best entries are the participants of that New Energy Challenge year. These twenty participants are invited for deep-dive interviews. The interviews are conducted by Rockstart, Shell and YES!Delft experts in June to select the ten finalists.
• Early Dec 2026 the finalists are announced and invited for the Finals Phase, which starts late February and ends in Bilbao at Energy tech Summit 7-8 April.
• The Finals phase (February – March 2027) officially start with a kick-off meeting end of September. All finalists are invited as this is the official welcome to the finals programme and at the same time an opportunity for the finalists to meet alumni of the New Energy Challenge.
• An extensive network of experts, coaches the finalists to validate their business proposal, find their product-market fit and prepare to pitch for an expert jury during the Finals Event in November. The coaching and expert sessions are provided by Rockstart, YES!Delft and Shell and taking place in October.
• The Finals Event happens 7-8 April 2027. During the first week of April the finalists pitch in front of a jury of experts and senior managers, and then 7-8 April again to a wider audience at Energy Tech Summit in Bilbao. The Finals Event is also a day filled with networking opportunities and celebration. At the end of the day the winners of the New Energy Challenge edition are announced.

 

The research study of the Intern will run in parallel with the NEC programme.

 

Goals and objectives

Describe the purpose of the internship, including goals that are preferred to achieve.

 

The goal for Shell Open Innovation/Commercial Partnerships is to get a better in-depth understanding of how our Open Innovation organisation and vehicles can be improved to create more value for Shell and the startups. We aim to look through a variety of lenses during this research – including work processes, decision quality, what other corporates and external organisations do, internal learnings, weaknesses and strengths of our accelerator programmes, client venturing, external collaborations, drivers and key organisational settings needed to ultimately be a partner of choice for the startup company and deliver the technology fast and as a fit for purpose technology solution for Shell.

 

The goals for the Intern are:

1. Exploring the upscaling of technology for start-ups

During this internship, he wishes to gain a deeper understanding of the scaling up of sustainable technologies and the role that support programmes for start-ups play in this. Whilst searching for an internship, he noticed that his interest was increasingly drawn to issues surrounding technology scaling up. Through this internship, he aims to further expand his knowledge of this field and gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the successful scaling up of new technologies. He also wishes to explore whether this field of knowledge aligns with his interests and strengths for his future career.

 

2. Conducting research within a complex practical environment

A second learning objective is to further develop his ability to conduct scientific research within a complex practical environment. During the Science Project, he learnt how to design a scientific research study. During this internship, he aims to take the next step by independently carrying out high-quality research within an organisation where various stakeholders, interests and day-to-day activities come together. In doing so, he wish to learn how scientific research can contribute to practical decision-making and innovation.

 

3. Gaining experience within an international corporation

He would also like to gain experience within a large international organisation. During his studies, he mainly conducted research into start-ups and gained experience through a previous work placement at a smaller organisation. This work placement offers him the opportunity to become familiar with how innovation, collaboration and decision-making take place within an international corporation such as Shell. By actively participating in the New Energy Challenge programme, he aims to explore different approaches to business operations and discover which working environment best aligns with his interests and ambitions.

 

4. Developing collaboration and communication skills

Finally, he wishes to further develop his collaboration and communication skills. As part of the New Energy Challenge programme, he will be working alongside Shell staff, start-ups and various external partners. He wants to learn how to collaborate effectively with stakeholders with diverse interests and backgrounds, and how to communicate professionally within a multidisciplinary innovation project. In addition, he wants to develop my skills in conducting interviews, maintaining professional contacts and presenting the progress of his research to various parties.

 

Monitoring plan

• Regular meetings with the supervisor at the host institution to review progress, discuss technical issues, and adjust plan;
• Continuous monitoring through short written progress updates or a work activity log;
• Coordination meetings with the home university supervisor to ensure alignment with the thesis objectives;
• Periodic review of data analytics pipeline, intermediate results, and documentation to ensure consistency with the planned research activities.

 

Evaluation plan

• Supervisor’s evaluation based on engagement, autonomy, problem-solving ability, and adherence to the research plan;
• Assessment of the thesis contribution: quality of analysis, interpretation of results, and clarity of presentation;
• Final evaluation jointly carried out by the host supervisor and the home university supervisor.
• Thesis defense

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