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.
The NFP has three sub programmes for individual fellowships:
- Short
courses
- Master’s
degree programmes
- PhD
studies
In addition, there are seperate funds for tailor-made
training courses and alumni activities.
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.
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.
The fellowship
An NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that
the fellow 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. If applicable, the fellowship holder is
expected to cover the difference between the actual costs and the amount of the
personal NFP allowances.
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.
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.
