Netherlands Fellowship Programme for Short Courses, MA and PhD Studies

Deadline: March 2015 (depending on the NFP-course)
Open to: nationals from 51 NFP – countries, nominated by their employers
Scholarship: contribution towards the costs of living, the costs of tuition fees, visas, travel, insurance and thesis research

Description

The Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) promotes capacity building within organisations in 51 countries by providing fellowships for training and education for professionals. The NFP is initiated and fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budget for development cooperation. Candidates have to be nominated by their employer to be eligible for the fellowship. NFP will be awarded for master degree programmes, PhD and short courses at a Dutch higher education institution which offers the NFP-qualified course.

The NFP aims to help increase both the number and the competencies of skilled staff at a wide range of government and non-government organisations. Please note that 50 per cent of the NFP budget will be allocated to applicants from the Sub-Saharan region, and half of the grants will be delivered to female applicants. The countries participating in the programme have been classified into two categories (I and II). Category I countries are priority countries and will receive more fellowships.

Eligibility

• Professionals who are nationals of and work and live in one of the 51 NFP countries;
• Candidates nominated by their employer;
• Candidates not employed by an organisation that has its own means of staff-development. Organisations that are considered to have their own means for staff development are for example: multinational corporations, large national and/or a large commercial organisations, bilateral donor organisations, multilateral donor organisations, and international NGO’s;
• Applicants having an official and valid passport.

In addition, candidates must not receive more than one fellowship for courses that take place at the same time and must have a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable). The fellowships are awarded in a very competitive selection to highly motivated professionals who are in a position to introduce the newly-acquired skills and knowledge into their employing organisation.

Scholarship

An NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that the fellow should continue to receive during the study period and it presents a contribution towards the costs of living, the costs of tuition fees, visas, travel, insurance and thesis research. If applicable, the fellowship holder is expected to cover the difference between the actual costs and the amount of the personal NFP allowances.

How to apply?

The interested candidates are advised to apply directly with a Dutch higher education institution of their choice, starting 3 February 2015. Before applying, they should go through the description of the eligibility criteria and then find a suitable course at some of the Universities in the Netherlands. They have to be nominated for the scholarship by their employer and to contact the academic institution offering NFP-qualified course for a detailed description of the application process.

Visit the official page.