Netherlands Fellowship Programme Scholarships for Short courses, Masters, PhD Students from Developing Countries

Netherlands Fellowship Programme

Course(s) Offered: All approved field
Course Level: Graduate (short courses, masters, PhD)
Provider: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Country to Study in: Netherlands

Scholarship Description
UPDATE: On 1 July 2017 the NFP Programme entered a new phase as a new programme under the name Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP). For more information, click OKP Scholarships.
The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) promote capacity building within organisations in 51 countries by providing fellowships for training and education for professionals. The NFP targets developing countries and has three sub programmes for individual fellowships: Short courses, Master’s degree programmes, and PhD studies.

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes is initiated and fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budget for development cooperation. And the NFP-qualified courses are pursued in participating Dutch universities and institutions of higher learning.

The fellowships are prioritised as follows: a). 50% of the budget is for applications from Sub Saharan Africa; and b). 50% of fellowships has to be awarded to female applicants.

Eligibility
You must meet a number of criteria that support the aim of the NFP to be eligible for a fellowship. To be eligible you:

• must be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the NFP country list;
• must have an employer’s statement that complies with the format Nuffic has provided. All information must be provided and all commitments that are included in the format must be endorsed in the statement;
• must not be 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 (e.g. Shell, Unilever, Microsoft),
  • large national and/or a large commercial organisations,
  • bilateral donor organisations (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, Dutch ministry of Foreign affairs, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid),
  • multilateral donor organisations, (e.g. a UN organization, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB),
  • international NGO’s (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care);
• must have an official and valid passport;
• must not receive more than one fellowship for courses that take place at the same time;
• must have a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable).

Scholarship Criteria:
Priority will be given to candidates who:

• live and work in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• are a woman;
• belong to a priority group and/or are from a marginalised region as defined by the Dutch embassy in your country. You can find these priorities on the embassy’s website.

Eligible groups
Citizens and residents of ANY NFP country.

Africa:
Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Cape Verde, Uganda, Mali, Zambia, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Egypt, Namibia

Other Developing Countries:
Afghanistan, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Autonomous Palestinian Territories, Peru, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Philippines, Bhutan, Honduras, Bolivia, India, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Iran, Suriname, Jordan, Cambodia, Thailand, Kosovo, Colombia, Macedonia, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Yemen, Cuba, Moldova, Mongolia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nepal

Participating Institutions
Dutch universities, academic institutions and institutions of higher learning

Field(s) of study
The NFP offers three sub-programmes to choose from (Masters, Short courses, PhD studies). In addition, there are separate funds for tailor-made training courses and alumni activities. See the official website (link to it is below) to "Find a course" and "Contact the Dutch higher education institution" which offers the NFP-qualified course of your choice for application procedures.

Sponsorship duration
For the whole duration of the course

Scholarship benefits
The fellowship is a supplement to the candidate’s salary which s/he should continue to receive during the study period in the Netherlands. It is a contribution towards the expenses related to the course or study programme, and towards the costs of living, tuition fees, visas, travel, insurance and thesis research. If applicable, the holder is expected to cover the difference between the actual costs and the amount of the personal NFP allowances.

Method of Application
Since August 2014, candidates now need to apply for an NFP fellowship directly at the Dutch education institution, instead of applying to Nuffic. Only the Dutch institution will provide information about the programmes, selection criteria, application procedures and deadlines. Take these into account while applying for a NFP fellowship: a). Check whether you are in the above-mentioned target groups. b). Check whether your employer will nominate you. c). Find a course. d). Contact the Dutch higher education institution which offers the NFP-qualified course of your choice for application procedures.

Please visit the official website (link to it is below) for more information and also for important links to finding your course and contacting the Dutch institutions.

DEADLINES:
Deadlines vary depending on the Dutch higher education institution and the course. In general, it is 1 March 2017(for Masters and Short courses), 5 July 2017 (for Masters and Short courses), and 4 October 2017 (for PhD and Short courses). Please contact these institutions for specific deadlines.

PLEASE NOTE:
Each programme or course has a specific academic application deadline set by the institution. These deadlines may change during the year. Always check the website of the institution to find out which academic application deadline applies for the course or study programme you are interested in.

The overall aim of the NFP is to help increase both the number and the competencies of skilled staff at a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organisations by offering fellowships to mid-career professionals to improve the capacity of their employing organizations.

Application Deadline: Varies (Mar - Oct 2017)
Open to International Applicants: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

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