The NFP

The NFP has three sub programmes for individual fellowships:

• Short courses
• Master’s degree programmes
• PhD studies

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.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible you:

• must be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the NFP country list;
• must have an employer’s statement that complies with the format Nuffic has provided. All information must be provided and all commitments that are included in the format must be endorsed in the statement;
• must not be employed by an organisation that has its own means of staff-development. Organisations that are considered to have their own means for staff development are 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 and valid passport;
• must not receive more than one fellowship for courses that take place at the same time;
• must have a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable).

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.

How to apply

You need to apply directly with a Dutch higher education institution of your choice, starting 3 February 2015.

1. Check whether you are in the abovementioned target groups.
2. Check whether your employer will nominate you.
3. Find a course.
4. Contact the Dutch higher education institution which offers the NFP-qualified course of your choice for application procedures.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes