Stephen Rabenlehner is a research assistant at our Institute in the programme line Sustainability, Development, Economy, Social (NEWS). From January to March 2023, he temporarily changed jobs as part of an expert internship and gained exciting insights into the work of a statutory interest group in the “EU & International Affairs” department of Arbeiterkammer (AK) Vienna. During this time, he was able to take part in ministerial discussions on draft EU legislation as well as in cross-border speakers’ conferences and networking meetings with civil society.

“Thematically, I continued to deal with the complex of topics ‘Business & Human Rights’. My focus was primarily on the planned EU directive on the due diligence obligations of companies with regard to sustainability. It was particularly exciting to embed the results of the research in an interest-political framework,” reports Stephen Rabenlehner.

“I found the time at AK Vienna during my Expert Internship very valuable and instructive, and I am pleased that I was also able to expand my work-related network as a result,” he sums up positively.

With the Expert Internships, the Career Center of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft offers young researchers the opportunity to complete a paid internship in a host organisation of their choice outside of academia. This is intended to give researchers the opportunity to get to know potential fields of work outside of scientific research.