Netherlands Fellowship Programmes for Master’s Degree, PhD Research and Short Courses, 2013/14

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation is offering Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) for developing country applicants. The fellowship is available for master’s, PhD and short courses. Students must be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries in the NFP country list valid at the time of application. If for whatever reason a candidate stays in another country other than his or her home country for more than 90 days before the start of the course and/ or programme, he or she is not considered to be living and working in his or her home country. Nuffic receives thousands of fellowship applications each year. Only a small percentage of these applications are eventually granted a fellowship. Application should be submitted till 1^St October 2013.

Study Subject(s): Fellowship is provided any one course offered by Dutch institution (applicant should be employed in a subject area to which the study will make a relevant contribution)
Course Level: The fellowship is available for pursuing master’s, PhD and short courses.
Scholarship Provider: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation.
Scholarship can be taken at: Netherlands
Eligibility: A candidate applying for an NFP fellowship must:
-be a professional with at least three years work experience;
-be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries in the NFP country list valid at the time of application. If for whatever reason a candidate stays in another country than his or her home country for more than 90 days before the start of the course and/ or programme, he or she is not considered to be living and working in his or her home country;
-be nominated by his or her employer, who pledges to continue paying the candidate’s salary and guarantees the candidate will be able to return to an equivalent position after the termination of the fellowship period;
-have been unconditionally admitted to a Dutch institution for the course or programme for which the candidate applies for an NFP fellowship. This means that the candidate must have met all the academic and administrative requirements set by the Dutch institution;
-not be employed by:
-a multinational corporation
-a bilateral donor organization;
-a multilateral donor organization;
-a large national and/or large commercial organization;
-an international NGO.
-have a clear-cut, functional relationship with a relevant employing organization and be in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge to that employing organization;
-be available full-time to pursue the course or programme without interruption, and be physically and mentally able to participate in the entire programme;
A candidate applying for an NFP-PhD fellowship must:
-not have accepted an NFP-PhD fellowship in the past;
- pursue the PhD study following a ‘sandwich’ or ‘picnic’ model, which means that at least a quarter of the PhD study activities in the context of field research must take place in the candidate’s home country and/or region. A quarter of the PhD study is calculated from the start date of the PhD-study (research) until the end of the NFP-PhD fellowship.
A candidate applying for an NFP-SC fellowship must:
-not have accepted more than one NFP-SC fellowship in the past;
- not have accepted an NFP-SC fellowship in the year prior to the fellowship application.
A candidate applying for an NFP-MA fellowship must: not have accepted an NFP-MA fellowship in the past;
A candidate participating in an NFP-RC fellowship must:
-be an NFP, MENA, NPT or MENA alumni, having completed
-not have accepted more than one NFP-RC fellowship in the past;
-not have accepted an NFP-RC fellowship in the year prior to the fellowship application.
Scholarship Open for International Students: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Peru, Albania, Georgia, Philippines, Armenia, Ghana, Rwanda, Autonomous Palestinian Territories, Guatemala, Senegal, Bangladesh, India, Somalia, Benin, Indonesia, South Africa, Bhutan, Jordan, South Sudan, Bolivia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, Macedonia, Sudan, Burundi, Mali, Surinam, Cambodia, Mongolia, Tanzania, Colombia, Mozambique, Thailand, Djibouti, Myanmar (Burma), Uganda, DR Congo, Nepal, Vietnam, Egypt, Nicaragua, Yemen, Eritrea, Nigeria, Zambia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe can apply for this fellowship. (Visas and Authorisations for Temporary Stay can no longer be applied for in all countries as Dutch embassies and consulates have closed or will be closing in a number of countries). The chances of obtaining an NFP fellowship increase if you live and work in Sub-Saharan Africa and/or if you are a woman.

Scholarship Description: The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) promote capacity building within organizations in 50 countries by providing training and education through fellowships for professionals. The NFP is initiated and fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation. The NFP target group consists of professionals who are nationals of and work and live in an NFP country. NFP fellowships are awarded in a very competitive selection to highly motivated professionals with at least three years work experience. You can only become a candidate if you are nominated by your employer. After completing your training as an NFP fellow, you return to your original workplace to ensure the training is embedded within your employing organization.
Number of award(s): Not Known
Duration of award(s): The fellowship is only intended for the duration of the course or programme for which the fellowship holder has been selected: -Master’s degree programmes: between 12 and 24 months
-Short courses: between two weeks and twelve months
-PhD-studies: PhD studies have a maximum duration of four years.
What does it cover? An NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that applicant should continue to receive during the study period. The allowance is a contribution towards the costs of living, the costs of tuition fees, visas, travel, insurance and thesis research, as specified in the NFP Rules and Regulations for fellowship holders.
Selection criteria: The fellowships are awarded in a very competitive selection by highly motivated professionals with at least three years’ work experience who are in a position to introduce the newly-acquired skills and knowledge into their employing organization.
Notification:  Not Known
How to Apply: Students must apply for academic admission directly at the Dutch institution. Their admission must be unconditional in terms of their education and language proficiency. Conditional admission may be granted only to students finding suitable for the programme. The application must be submitted online through Scholarships Online (SOL) before the fellowship application deadline.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 1^St October 2013. As of the year 2013-14 Scholarships Online (SOL) will be open for fellowship applications two months before the fellowship application deadline.
Further Official Scholarship Information and Application