The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) promote 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.
Aim of the NFP
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.
Fellowship holders will improve their knowledge and skills, learn about relevant global developments in their field and build an international network. This way the employing organisation directly invests in staff development and the fellowship holders invest in their further career.
For the Netherlands it also serves to strengthen ties with the fellowship holder’s country.
After completing the training fellowship holders return to their original workplace. This ensures the training is embedded within the organisation.
Types of funding
The NFP offers fellowships for:
- short courses
- master’s degree programmes
- PhD studies
It also has funding for Tailor-made training courses and alumni activities.
For whom?
The NFP is meant for professionals who are nationals of and work and live in one of the 51 NFP countries. The countries have been classified into two categories (I and II). Category I countries are priority countries and will receive more fellowships.
Candidates have to be nominated by their employer to be eligible for the fellowship. There also has to be a clear need for training within the context of the organisation.
Each embassy has its own focus area to support the development goals of the Netherlands in each NFP country. The overall objective is to spend 35% of the budget on grants and study programmes in food security and private sector development.
The fellowships are further prioritised as follows:
- 50% of the budget is for applications from Sub Saharan Africa.
- 50% of fellowships has to be awarded to female applicants.
For further details and application please visit the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) page.
