Spanish biotech student completed a 6-month internship at a Ghent VIB-affiliated lab
Result: Contributed to a CRISPR screening project; co-authored a poster for an international conference
🇧🇪 Belgium
Erasmus+ Internships and Mobility Programs in Ghent
Piktalent organises Erasmus+ internships and mobility programs in Ghent, Belgium for higher-education institutions, VET providers and individual students. Each placement includes a vetted host company, accommodation, insurance and on-site coordination. Ghent is Belgium's most beautiful medieval city and a quietly major biotech and creative-industries hub, with Piktalent placements at the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), the Tech Lane Ghent science park and a vibrant student-driven cultural scene.
In short
- Location
- Ghent, Belgium
- Programmes
- Erasmus+ KA131, KA171, VET, HEI, BIP, job shadowing
- Duration
- 2 weeks – 12 months
- Includes
- Placement, accommodation, insurance, 24/7 support
Cost of living for interns in Ghent
High costTypical monthly intern budget in Ghent based on Piktalent-arranged shared accommodation. Figures are indicative and updated against current placements; Final pricing is confirmed with your proposal.
- Room
- €400–650/mo
- Daily expenses
- €350–500/mo
- Total monthly
- €750–1,150/mo
- Erasmus+ grant
- Erasmus+ grant covers the majority of monthly cost of living for most participants.
What Piktalent delivers in Ghent
Every mobility programme in Ghent is fully managed end-to-end — so coordinators at sending institutions can focus on academic outcomes while we handle logistics, compliance and on-the-ground support.
Accommodation
Vetted, safe housing in Ghent within commuting distance of the workplace — typically shared apartments or student residences.
Insurance
Travel and liability insurance covering the full mobility period, aligned with Erasmus+ requirements.
24/7 support
Local coordination team in Ghent plus a 24/7 emergency line throughout the placement.
Host company matching
Placement matched to the participant's field of study and learning objectives across our Ghent host network.
Mentoring & orientation
Airport transfer, city orientation and weekly check-ins with the on-site coordinator in Ghent.
Documentation
Learning agreements, mid-term and final reports, Europass certificates and all paperwork required by the sending institution.
Mobility programmes
Erasmus+ mobility programmes we run in Ghent
Ghent is Piktalent's primary Belgian destination outside Brussels for HEI students in biotechnology, life sciences, plant biology and creative industries, and for VET groups in business and hospitality.
Also available to individual students
À la carte support services in Ghent
Accommodation
Vetted housing close to the host company in Ghent — apartments, residences or host families.
Insurance
Health, accident and liability cover compliant with Erasmus+ and host-country requirements.
Visa & documentation
Guidance on visas, residence permits and host-country paperwork for non-EU participants.
Language courses
Pre-departure and on-site language training to speed up workplace integration in Ghent.
TEFL — Teach English Abroad
Accredited TEFL certification — open enrolment, no internship required.
Internship job portal
Browse and apply directly to open internship positions in Ghent and across Europe & the USA.
Why Ghent for internships and mobility programs
Ghent's working culture is academic, low-hierarchy and visibly research-oriented — the VIB and Ghent University ecosystems blur the boundary between research and industry. The Erasmus+ scene is large and integrated, concentrated around the Citadelpark, Overpoortstraat (the famous student street) and the canal-side Patershol. Bicycle culture is deep — most interns commute by bike.
Economy
Ghent is a key economic hub in Belgium, attracting international companies and offering an internship market that spans early-stage startups, established SMEs and multinational employers.
Key sectors
Active host-company sectors in Ghent: tech, education, culture, biotech. Each Erasmus+ internship is matched to the participant's field of study.
International environment
English is the working language in most international placements in Ghent. Teams are typically multinational, and incoming Erasmus+ participants integrate alongside an established alumni network.
Major European biotech cluster (VIB, Ablynx/Sanofi, Argenx) — one of Europe's densest life-sciences hubs
Tech Lane Ghent science park — 200+ companies in biotech, ICT and clean tech
Strongest medieval centre in Belgium (Gravensteen castle, Graslei guild houses)
Largest student city in Flanders (75,000+ students, vibrant cultural scene)
Working Dutch preferred; English standard in biotech, tech and student environments
30 minutes to Brussels, 50 to Bruges; full national rail integration
Available internship fields in Ghent
Piktalent offers Erasmus+ internships in Ghent across the fields below. Each link opens a dedicated page with host-company examples, durations and learning outcomes.
How an Erasmus+ internship in Ghent works
Four steps from first brief to final report. Plan twelve weeks of lead time for a quality mobility programme in Ghent.
- 1
Brief & matching
Share participant profiles, dates and target field. Piktalent matches each intern to a vetted host company in Ghent.
- 2
Learning Agreement & paperwork
We co-sign the Erasmus+ Learning Agreement, issue insurance and confirm the mobility programme details with the sending institution.
- 3
Pre-arrival & accommodation
Vetted accommodation in Ghent is booked before arrival; pre-departure briefing covers culture, transport and emergency contacts.
- 4
On-site support & reporting
Local team in Ghent runs check-ins, monitors the internship and delivers final reports plus Europass Mobility documents.
Internship examples in Ghent
Recent placements managed by Piktalent in Ghent.
Who is Ghent best for?
Ghent works particularly well for the participant profiles below. If your sending institution matches one of these, we typically have host capacity within 2–4 weeks.
- 1HEI students in biotechnology, plant biology or life sciences
- 2Creative-industries, design and architecture students
- 3Erasmus+ participants drawn to medieval cities and student-heavy environments
- 4Cyclists and sustainability-minded interns
Frequently asked questions about internships in Ghent
Other cities in Belgium
Compare Ghent with other Piktalent destinations in Belgium.
Related cities by sector
Other Piktalent destinations with overlapping host-company sectors to Ghent — useful when comparing cost, language and lead time across the same field.
From the blog — Ghent & Belgium
Plan your internship program in Ghent
Tell us your sector, dates and group size — we'll send a tailored proposal for Ghent within 48 hours.