Veterinary students gain valuable experience through summer internships

Over the summer, several Veterinary School students took advantage of internship opportunities outside their regular curriculum to gain practical experience in the field. Among those participating were fourth-year student Dimitra Kavalierou, third-year student Margarita Demetriou and second-year student Felicia Pettersen, who completed internships at Vet Ex Machina, a Cyprus-based preclinical research company.

Dimitra and Margarita were employed at the company through the Research and Innovation Foundation’s research and innovation internships programme for 2025. The programme offers university students the opportunity to work with research and innovation companies in Cyprus for a six-week internship with a stipend subsidised by RIF.

During their internship, Dimitra and Margarita worked on veterinary clinical trials for farm animals. The trials took place on farms collaborating with the School’s Department of Veterinary Medicine. They were also engaged in regenerative medicine projects, testing implantable biomaterials designed for tissue engineering of tendon and cartilage tissue.

During her internship, Felicia focused on biomedical research projects involving implantable biomaterials. Her primary work centred on a wound healing project where she tested novel therapies for delayed wound healing, specifically designed to accelerate healing processes in diabetic patients suffering from chronic wounds. Additionally, she contributed to the company’s ongoing veterinary clinical trials.

Their participation demonstrates the university’s commitment to providing students with opportunities to bridge academic training with professional practice.