The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland; also known by its Dutch acronym RVO) is looking for a motivated intern for the period November 2026 to July 2027 (9 months preferred, 6-8 months negotiable) to support the Orange Corners Research and MEL team.

The Orange Corners team is in need of an enthusiastic research  intern, with a strong background in qualitative research methods and experience with data analysis (i.e. literature review, coding, interviews, processing and analyzing datasets). As a research intern, you will engage in advancing our ongoing (mainly qualitative) research projects  based on the Orange Corners Research Agenda, as well as support the continuous, development of the Orange Corners programme. You will be part of an ambitious team, where you will be offered a dynamic task package with a lot of room for your own interpretation. As an Orange Corners research intern, you will switch between gathering data (e.g. literature reviews, interviews and surveys) analyzing and processing data (e.g. transcribing, coding or analyzing in excel) as well as contributing to high quality research. The data you will work with consists mainly of survey data, interview transcripts, and ecosystem mapping reports

For instance, you will assist in academic research on the effects of shocks (i.e. armed conflict, or hyperinflation) on entrepreneurship support in fragile states or on the difference in training needs of entrepreneurs who experience linear vs. exponential growth.. Much of this work is qualitative in nature, meaning you will spend a substantial part of your time conducting and transcribing interviews, coding transcripts, and reviewing the academic literature to build the foundations for these studies. You will also help translate these qualitative findings into white papers and other outputs that inform both the programme and the wider research community. You will be in contact with implementers, private partners and knowledge institutions that have a vital role in our research. 

You will also play an role in the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) of the Orange Corners programme. For example, you will be in regular contact with programme implementors and colleagues to ensure programme results are submitted, and you will actively be involved in analysing and presenting these results to the wider team, using various platforms to communicate the programme’s impact, such as Excel and POWER BI.  

• You are enrolled at a Dutch educational institution throughout the internship period.
• You are in an advanced stage of a university study relevant to the position, such as: Innovation Sciences, International Business, Organizational Change, Business Management, Economics, Entrepreneurship, International Development Studies.

Furthermore:

• You have strong, practical experience with qualitative research methods, including conducting interviews, transcribing interviews, analyzing interviews, coding transcripts, carrying out literature reviews, and writing white papers;
• For quantitative work, you have some experience with data analysis in Excel, which is the main form our quantitative work taskes; advanced statistical or programming skills are not required for this position;
• You have a proven interest in private sector development; an interest in entrepreneurship development would be an added advantage.
• You are available to work 5 days a week for a period of at least 6 months (9 months preferred). While we work largely hybrid, you are available to work at the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
• You have excellent written and oral communication skills in English (Dutch is a pre, but not mandatory).

Stageovereenkomst

• Voor deze stage geldt uitsluitend de stageovereenkomst van de Rijksoverheid. Indien de opleiding een eigen stageovereenkomst hanteert, dient de stagiair dit vooraf zelf af te stemmen met de opleiding of de stagebegeleider. De stage kan alleen starten nadat de Rijksoverheid-stageovereenkomst door alle partijen is ondertekend.

Hybride werken

• Bij RVO werken we hybride. Voor deze functie wordt van je verwacht dat je meerdere keren per week op de RVO-vestiging in Den Haag aanwezig bent.

Sollicitatieproces

• Sollicitaties worden pas behandeld na sluiting van de vacature.    

Overig

• Voor werken bij RVO is een Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (VOG) vereist.
• Om de vacaturetekst later nog terug te kunnen lezen, raden we aan deze vooraf te downloaden.
• De start- en einddatum van je stage is in goed overleg af te spreken.
• Alle informatie over je stage bij de Rijksoverheid is te vinden op: https://www.werkenvoornederland.nl/starters/stages. Zo krijg je naast een mooie stagevergoeding ook vakantie-uren en goede begeleiding. 
  
  

Afdelingsomschrijving

Orange Corners is a global movement active in 20 African, Middle-Eastern and Asian countries, that empowers young entrepreneurs to start and grow their own businesses and strengthens entrepreneurial ecosystems. Through collaborations with implementing partners and a broad coalition of private organisations, we offer comprehensive training, mentorship, invaluable networks and funding to young entrepreneurs. This support enables them to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable businesses, and allows them to progress in their business journey from startup to scale-up. To ensure these businesses can thrive, we focus on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystems in which they operate, through a variety of projects tailored to each local context. Orange Corners is an initiative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is overseen by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Research plays a pivotal role at the Orange Corners. First, Orange Corners’ research can contribute to and influence entrepreneurship theory and practice in low- and middle-income countries. Orange Corners aims to inform policy, share insights with a wider community, and contribute to academic research. The Orange Corners Research Agenda was published in 2023 and identifies four strategic development areas that guide our ongoing research efforts: entrepreneurial ecosystem development, entrepreneurship in fragile contexts, scaling businesses in low-and middle income countries, and agripreneurship. Additionally, research is crucial to enhancing the effectiveness of the Orange Corners programme, by facilitating continuous adaptation through inclusion of literature insights, and data-driven improvement.

At the heart of these developments lies a strong data-driven approach. Through an extensive Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework, Orange Corners collects and analyzes data to continuously improve its programs. This gives us valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities young entrepreneurs face. By turning data into action, we are able to tweak our interventions and strengthen ecosystem support, ensuring Orange Corners makes a lasting contribution to the entrepreneurial ecosystems in the countries we operate in.