The Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) for short courses offers scholarships for participants living and working in one of the following 51 countries. For more information about a NFP Scholarship, please see:http://www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/netherlands-fellowship-programmes.
The MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP) aims to contribute to the democratic transition in one of the 10 participating countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. It also aims at building capacity within organisations by enabling employees to take part in short courses in various fields of study. For more information about the MENA Scholarship Programme, see:http://www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/mena-scholarship-programme.
(Applicants from Egypt and Jordan are eligible for both NFP and MSP Scholarships. You can only apply for one of the two. If you meet the eligibility criteria of MSP, we recommend that you apply for a this Scholarship.)

How to apply for Nuffic Fellowships

A new fellowship application deadline opens 1 September 2015!
By following the steps as outlined below, you will ensure that your application meets the requirements to qualify for a Nuffic scholarship. All these steps need to be taken before the deadline of 20 October 2015!
Please read the instructions carefully and prepare all the documents in advance. There are many applicants for Nuffic Scholarships and only applications that comply with all the prescribed requirements will be assessed. You are personally responsible for the quality of your application!
The following courses are from 1 September open for Nuffic scholarships. More information about the content of the courses will be published soon.
Integrity and Anti-Corruption (7 – 18 March 2016)
Multilevel Water Governance (4 – 15 April 2016)
Citizen Participation and Inclusive Governance (23 May – 3 June 2016)
All supporting documents must be uploaded in PDF format and must not exceed 2 MB. The following instruction can assist you: Instructions to convert documents to PDF(If you encounter problems converting documents, please contact us atinfo@thehagueacademy.com)
Step 1:      Check eligibility
In order to qualify for a NFP Scholarship, you need to meet the following selection criteria. You must:
  • be a national of, and working and living in one of the 51 countries on the NFP country list;
  • not be employed by an organisation that has its own means of staff-development, 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 passport that will still be valid after completion of the training;
  • must not receive more than one fellowship for courses that take place at the same time;
  • English Language skills: The short courses are taught in English. Therefore, it is important that your English language skills (writing and speaking) are good.
  • Work experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience required, working with or for local or regional authorities. It is to your advantage if the work/experience is related to the content of the training.
To be eligible for a MSP Scholarship you must meet the selection criteria mentioned above. Furthermore you:
  • must be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the MSP country list valid at the time of application;
  • must have an official passport that will still be valid after completion of the training;
  • must not be over 45 years of age at the time of the grant submission.
     
Step 2:      Prepare a Government Statement
For some countries, applicants must provide a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established. Please check theOverview Government statements to determine if you need a Government statement.
If you do need a Government statement, you have to provide one using one of the following prescribed formats: NFP Scholarship or MSP Scholarship (MENA)
Prepare this document in advance and convert it to PDF (less than 2 MB). You will need this document when you complete your Scholarship Application in the second phase.
Step 3:           Prepare your Employer Statement
All applicants must provide an Employer Statement according to the format that Nuffic prescribes. Your Employer Statement consists of 3 parts and together this must form 1 (one) PDF document which is no larger than 2MB.
The 3 parts are:
  • Declaration by your employer (Permission to participate)
  • Motivation by your employer and your own motivation
  • Implementation plan (with clear goals and deadlines)
Important notice:
  • If your employer statement misses 1 or more parts, your application will be discarded.
  • Please click see the following Example of an Employer Statement (including guidelines about the quality of the statement).
  • Should you encounter problems converting your Employer Statement into 1 PDF document, please mail us at info@thehagueacademy.com and we will assist.
Please use the following format: Format Employer Statement (in pdf)
(After you have completed and confirmed your application with The Hague Academy, you will receive an admission email from us including this same Format Employer Statement in Word. You can download this and use it to complete your personal Employer Statement in the Nuffic database called Atlas)

Step 4:           Prepare a copy of your passport
You need a passport that will still be valid during the period of the training you are applying for. Prepare a scanned copy in PDF (not exceeding 2MB).
 
Step 5:           Apply for admission with The Hague Academy
  • Please read the Obligations for NFP and MSP applicants carefully before you start your application
  • Apply with The Hague Academy by completing the online application form you will find via the following link: will be available from 1 September 2015!
  • After completing this form, you will receive a registration code, a link and instructions to complete the final stage of your application.

Step 6:           Registration for a Nuffic (NFP or MSP) Scholarship (final step)
After completing your course admissions with The Hague Academy for Local Governance, you need to apply for a NFP or MSP Scholarship in the online Nuffic database called Atlas.
  • You will have to answer amongst others the following 3 questions in Atlas:Question 1: What is the issue or problem you want to address in your country?Question 2. How will this training course enable you to address this issue?Question 3. How will you address this issue with your position within your organisation?
  • Please read the ‘Quality Guidelines for your motivation in Atlas’
  • Pay careful attention to the formulation of your answers. Be specific and base your answers on factual information. Through the various stages of the application, the answers to these questions will be closely scrutinized.
  • Upload the supporting documents that you prepared in Steps 1-4.
  • Please note: It is not possible to temporarily save once you have started your scholarship application. You need to complete it in one session. Therefore it is important that you have all the supporting documents ready.