Since 2003, the GEN-AU SummerSchool has given around 90 students every summer the opportunity to be part of real research: In Life Sciences Labs and at bio-IT workplaces of the Austrian genomic science programme GEN-AU, students are taking 4-week-long internships all over Austria. Together with committed scientists, they are working with lab tools such as centrifuges, pipettes and electrophoresis devices at around 50 GEN-AU research labs at universities, hospitals or companies on current research questions of molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology and bioinformatics.

The SummerSchool interns are insured and receive 200 Euros each. They are keeping a reasearch diary as a weblog which can be used as a basis for the final research documentation. Whoever wants to have a glance behind the lab scenes can accompany the junior scientists through his everyday lab life by means of the GEN-AU SummerSchool Lab Blog.

Awarding a prize to research work. Of all the research works, the 10 best ones will be chosen and given an award. The scientific standard, the structuring, the independent work as well as the comprehensibility are being assessed.

Orientation for the future. Many students that went trough this programme used their experience as a decision guidance for choosing a subject at university or college. Thereby, the Austrian genomic research programme that started this initiative supports and ensures a new generation of scientists for Life Sciences.

Information day to kick off the GEN-AU SummerSchool. Since 2006, there has been an information day concerning the GEN-AU SummerSchool. The first of these events attracted around 200 students from all parts of Austria. Previous SummerSchool interns, students of biological sciences, scientists and other professionals were discussing the lab internship, the opportunities of a career in biological sciences, genomics as professional work and science in the context of cognition, ethics and society with the teenagers.

Application: Requirements for taking part in the GEN-AU SummerSchool:

- 11th grade at school has been passed and higher education not yet started
- application with a letter of motivation and the end-of-semester certificate
- personal interview with the programme advisor

Weblog of the SummerSchool: www.summerschool.at