Smart Internship
Smart Internship is the solution of challenges (cases) announced by companies or institutions, carried out in an interdisciplinary team of 5–7 students, with the entire process guided by a university supervisor and a mentor from the host organization. The activities are organized according to the Design Thinking methodology. During the internship additional training activities are organised for students to improve their communication, creativity, team-work competences.
Every Vilnius University student (disregarding study program, degree or year of studies) can do a smart internship. Most important for this internship is your desire to improve your competences, willingness to try out different learning and training opportunities during your studies, and your openness to new things.
2025/2026 academic year autumn semester Smart internship
Registration:
Smart internship plan for 2025/2026 academic year autumn semester:
09.18 Announcement of teams
09.19 Design Thinking methodology training (Location: Saulėtekio Ave., Vilnius)
09.22 - 12.09 Internship duration: detailed in the Smart internship plan
- student’s motivation;
- student’s priorities (prioritization of cases);
- diversity of the team (students of different faculties/ study programs in one team);
- up to 7 persons in a team;
- gender equality aspect.
Case proposed by organisation
Rimi Lietuva
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CASE: Using digital solutions in the shopping journey – what communication strategies can be used to encourage mobile scanning in physical stores? DESCRIPTION: "Rimi Lietuva" is one of the largest retail companies in Lithuania, operating around 90 stores across the country – from hypermarkets to convenient Express locations. Founded in 1996, the company is now part of the international "Salling Group" and employs over 3,000 people. The company highlights not only fresh food and convenient e-commerce services as its strengths but also its commitment to social responsibility – people of different ages, nationalities and abilities work at "Rimi". For several years in a row, "Rimi" has been recognized for offering the best customer service, making shopping not just a necessity but also a pleasant experience. "Rimi" aims to innovate the shopping experience by promoting the use of mobile scanning in physical stores. The goal is to reduce waiting times, improve customer satisfaction and increase efficiency. Currently, this service is available in 34 "Rimi" stores. With the mobile scanning feature, customers can scan product barcodes using their smartphones via the "Rimi" app, use self-service scales to label weighed goods and scan a QR code at the self-service checkout. This process is, on average, four times faster than traditional checkout. The feature ensures not only a more convenient but also a quicker shopping experience. The organization invites the student team to analyze the current mobile scanning communication both in-store and across digital channels, identifying its strengths and areas for improvement. In addition, the team is encouraged to develop clear and engaging messages—or a campaign concept—that motivates customers to try this feature, adapted to different communication channels. Finally, the team is expected to suggest solutions for how this communication can be effectively leveraged in both physical store environments (e.g., clear instructions, key visual, exclusive offers) and digital channels (e.g., short videos, links to user guides). |
How does the Smart internship work?
- Students individually fill out a registration form, ranking the challenges they would most like to solve.
- The Vilnius University Career center selects candidates and forms teams.
- Before the internship begins, all teams take part in joint training sessions on the Design Thinking methodology.
- Each team is introduced to their supervisors from Vilnius University and the host organization.
- Every participant signs a tripartite internship agreement along with accompanying documents required by the host organization’s internal procedures, such as a confidentiality agreement.
- Once a week, at a convenient time for all members, the team meets to discuss and implement the weekly task (see the internship plan).
- Every second week, the team meets with the organization’s supervisor to present interim results, discuss arising issues and agree on the next steps.
- At the end of the internship, all teams take part in a closing event, where they present the results of the internship – a prototype solution to the chosen challenge.
- Participants who successfully complete the internship receive an electronic Smart internship diploma and a record of completion is also included in the diploma supplement issued by Vilnius University.
The internship result of the “Enterprise Lithuania” team.
Exclusive offer – only for the autumn semester!
This semester, students are offered a unique opportunity: by taking part in the Smart internship, they can also join the "Achieve more" program, where they will develop future competencies while reflecting on their Smart internship experience.
Students selected for the Smart internship who wish to strengthen their reflection skills and purposefully develop future competencies will be invited to join a tool created by Vilnius University career consultants in the Virtual Learning Environment, where they will:
- Assess their current level of future competencies through tests;
- Access methodological material to improve reflection skills;
- Be introduced to the competency matrix and the SMART goal-setting technique;
- Receive guidelines for tracking competencies developed during the internship.
The Smart internship develops three to five future competencies: responsibility, collaboration, problem-solving and, depending on the challenge, openness to change and intercultural skills. If participants manage to develop only a few of these five competencies during one Smart internship cycle, they will have the opportunity—by the end of the academic year—to join other University projects, such as Future Skills Pentathlon, activities offered by the Culture center or by the Sports and health center, in order to acquire all five future competencies.
Participants who develop all five competencies and complete their reflection through the "Achieve more" program will be awarded at the end of the academic year with:
- A future competencies sertificate;
- A certified LinkedIn badge;
- An individual consultation with a career consultant on how to best prepare a LinkedIn profile;
- And the top 5 reflections will be rewarded with exclusive prizes.
Although participation is optional, don’t miss the chance to take advantage of this offer and be among the first at the University to gain access to this tool and its benefits. Stand out from the rest!
Learn more about the "Achieve more" program.
How smart internship is smart?
In addition to the opportunity to take part in student teams, apply the Design Thinking methodology and follow a flexible schedule that allows participants to combine it with other responsibilities, students highlighted the following benefits in their feedback:
- An additional opportunity to gain practical experience during studies and enrich their CV;
- Exploring career opportunities in a safe environment;
- A broader perspective on how their chosen field of study can be applied;
- Meeting students from other faculties and expanding their social network;
- Developing the ability to express ideas with well-founded arguments, accept different opinions and seek common solutions through discussions with team members and mentors;
- Deepening subject-specific knowledge and strengthening transferable skills such as teamwork, creativity, unconventional thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, and more.
Benefits to organisations:
- opportunity to contribute to the training of future professionals;
- selection of talents – future employees at early stage;
- new (fresh) glance to the problem.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How does a Smart internship work?
Once a week the team meets to discuss the activities carried out individually, together make assumptions and allocate work for the next meeting. At least once every two weeks there is a meeting with the organization’s representatives, to whom the team members present the interim results. Responsibilities in the team are shared in order to achieve the weekly task, so the contribution of each participant is very important.
To find out more about the expected activities, take a look at the Smart internship plan!
Where do team meetings take place?
Weekly team meetings are held in University spaces – at the Career center, in group work rooms at the VU Central library or MKIC, in faculty (department) classrooms or other spaces adapted for group work. For internal meetings, the team may also choose informal spaces, such as the Martynas Mažvydas Library or other public places. Meetings with the host organization take place on the organization’s premises or, by mutual agreement, in another location convenient for all parties.
Can I combine a Smart internship and a job?
The minimum involvement of a participant is 6 hours per week - 2 hours for the team meeting, 2 hours for the team meeting with the host organization representatives and 2 hours for homework. Team meetings are organized at a time convenient for all members, so if in your schedule you have 6 hours per week for new activity, you can certainly join having other responsibilities!
Do my studies have to meet the Smart internship case?
A Smart internship develops future competencies, so you can choose to do a Smart internship in an area that's far removed from your professional life.
Can a Smart internship be counted as a compulsory internship?
With the approval of their faculty (department), if the activities and workload meet the requirements and objectives set out in the faculty’s (department’s) internship regulations and the internship course description, the Smart Internship may be recognized as the internship required in the study program or a portion of the credits allocated to the study internship may be awarded. For an individual case assessment, contact the Studies office of your faculty (department).
What if I'm not approved?
Next semester, mention in your application form that you have already been applied and your application will be considered in priority order. You may also receive an invitation to swap with a team member in case of a change in the team.
If you are interested in an organization you can contact the representatives by yourself asking about individual internship opportunities.
