I am currently studying in the M.Sc. “Politics & Technology” program at HfP and had the opportunity to complete a full-time internship at Miller & Meier Consulting GmbH (MMC) in Berlin from the beginning of January to the end of March 2025 as part of the “Political Science Practice” module. MMC is a public affairs consultancy with around 60 employees, focusing, among other areas, on digital and health policy. During my time there, I gained extensive insights into strategy consulting and, above all, interest representation (i.e., classic lobbying), particularly in the field of digital policy. One especially interesting aspect was that MMC, in addition to well-known German and European companies, also has large American technology corporations as clients. Thanks to the internship, I was able to get a very good overview of current tech policy issues in Germany and the EU from a corporate perspective.
Already during the M.Sc. “Politics & Technology” program and especially within the “Data & Society” specialization, I had the chance to engage with topics highly relevant to MMC, such as AI and its regulation, platform regulation, data protection, and advocacy in general, in courses like “Foundations of AI & Data Science,” “AI and Regulation,” “Privacy and Data Protection Law,” or “Platform Governance: Lobbying in the European Union.” This prior knowledge was extremely helpful for my work at MMC and made my day-to-day tasks much easier. The foundations related to political systems in Germany and at the European level from my undergraduate studies, were also very useful for working at MMC, where day-to-day tasks are shaped by political developments and processes.
My main responsibilities included drafting monitoring and briefing documents, as well as conducting research on current political processes. These covered a range from general political developments in Germany in light of the snap federal election, to international developments (particularly concerning tense transatlantic relations), and even preparing materials for meetings with ministerial officials. Other tasks included content-related preparation and follow-up for internal meetings and workshops, as well as occasional support in preparing larger event formats with political stakeholders. It was especially exciting to follow political events on a daily basis and derive strategically relevant information from them. It also became clear that digital and tech policy issues are increasingly significant not only in the relevant political, economic, and scientific communities but also in geopolitics.
However, you should be aware that certain operational parts of the work can become repetitive over time, especially with the ongoing production of monitoring and briefing documents. While these do vary in content, in the end, they are essentially classic summaries of information. At the same time, this is also an opportunity to develop routine in various research and analysis processes. Whether or not this kind of uniformity bothers you is likely a matter of personal preference.
If you’re looking for insights into the world of public affairs consulting and interest representation while staying close to the study content at the HfP, MMC is a good fit. Students who are considering a future career focusing on digital policy will also gain an exciting glimpse into daily practice and the diverse demands of political and analytical know-how.
Overall, I would especially recommend the internship at MMC to bachelor’s students: The young team, the company’s years of experience with interns, and the nature of most tasks promise, in my view, a steep learning curve for students with little practical experience. At that stage, any missing subject knowledge can easily be picked up “on the job.” For master’s students, especially those specializing in “Data & Society,” such an internship could be particularly valuable due to the intense engagement with current digital and tech policy issues - possibly useful as well for finding a master’s thesis topic.
If you’re interested in applying for an internship at MMC, you’ll find all the relevant information at www.miller-meier.de/karriere.