The Netherlands Fellowship Programs (NFP) promotes 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.
Study Subjects and Level:
Fellowship is provided to study any one course offered by Dutch institution (applicant should be employed in a subject area to which the study will make a relevant contribution). The applicants can apply for master’s degree programs and short courses.
A candidate applying for an NFP fellowship must:
- be a professional with at least three years’ relevant work experience. The number of years is calculated from the year you have started working until the deadline for which you have applied. At the fellowship application deadline (February, May, October) you should have three years of work experience;
- be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the NFP country list valid at the time of application;
- be nominated by your employer, who pledges to continue paying your salary and guarantees that you will be able to return to the same or an equivalent position at the end of your fellowship period;
- have been unconditionally admitted by a Dutch institution to one of the Master’s degree programmes or Short courses on the course list. This means that you must have met all the academic requirements set by the Dutch institution;
- not be employed by:
- a multinational corporation (e.g. Shell, Unilever, Microsoft);
- a large national and/or a large commercial organisation;
- a bilateral donor organisation (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, Dutch ministry of Foreign affairs, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid);
- a multilateral donor organisation, (e.g. a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB);
- an international NGO (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care).
- have completed and submitted an NFP master’s degree program or short course fellowship application, including all the required documentation, before the applicable fellowship application deadline;
- be employed in a subject area to which the study will make a relevant contribution;
- have a clear-cut, work relationship with a relevant organisation and be in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge into that organisation;
- be available full-time for the entire period of the programme or course and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire program;
- endorse the objective and the aim of the NFP and use your new knowledge and skills to support your employing organisation and your country. Nuffic urges you to return to your home country upon finishing the course or programme to meet the NFP aim in the most effective way.
Additional criteria per type of application:
(a) If you apply for an NFP short courses fellowship, you must:
- not have accepted more than one NFP short course fellowship in the past;
- not have accepted an NFP short course fellowship in the year prior to the fellowship application.
(b) If you apply for an NFP master’s degree programme (NFP-MA) fellowship, you must not have accepted an NFP master’s degree programme fellowship in the past.
Scholarship Open for:
Students of Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Macedonia, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe can apply for the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes. (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 Duration:
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 and Short courses: between two weeks and twelve months.
Scholarship Value:
An NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that you should continue to receive during the study period in the Netherlands. The allowance is a contribution towards your 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. If applicable, the fellowship holder is expected to cover the difference between the actual costs and the amount of the personal NFP allowances.
Selection Criteria:
The fellowships are awarded in a very competitive selection to 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.
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 program. The application must be submitted online through Scholarships Online (SOL) before the fellowship application deadline.
Application Deadline:
The application deadline is 6th May 2014. As of the year 2014-15 scholarships online (SOL) will be open for fellowship applications two months before the fellowship application deadline.
For further information: Netherlands Fellowship Programs
