NFP PhD Scholarship The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes

The NFP PhD studies is one of the sub-programmes of the NFP. Mid-career professionals who are already in employment and who are nationals of and working in one of the selected countries can apply a fellowship.
The maximum duration of a PhD fellowship is four years. PhD degrees can be pursued at one of the 18 Dutch universities and institutes for international education.
Download the list of Dutch institutions eligible for supervising PhD research (35 kB)

THE FELLOWSHIP
The maximum NFP budget available for a PhD study programme is EUR 74,000. This amount is intended as a contribution towards the costs of living and to cover the costs of visas, travel, insurance, etc. as specified in the NFP booklet ‘Rules and regulations for fellowship holders 2008’.
Download the NFP booklet Rules and regulations for fellowship holders 2008 (560 kB)
PhD students are allowed to seek alternative sources of funding.

ELIGIBILITY


A candidate applying for an NFP fellowship for a PhD degree programme must:
• be a national of and working in one of the 57 developing countries on the list;
• have been unconditionally admitted to a Dutch institution as a PhD student. This means that the applicant must have met all the academic requirements set by the Dutch university or institute;
• have completed an NFP PhD Study application form and have submitted all the required documentation to the Netherlands embassy or consulate;
• offer proof that the PhD will be pursued according to a ‘sandwich’ or ‘picnic’ model, which means that a large portion of the PhD research will take place in the candidate’s home country;
• be nominated by his or her employer, who pledges to continue paying the candidate’s salary and guarantees the candidate will be able to return to an equivalent position after the termination of the fellowship period. Partial payment of salary can sometimes be allowed as an exception to the rule. It is up to the Dutch embassy to decide if an agreement between the employer and the candidate about partial continuation of payment of salary is acceptable. It should be realized, however, that the NFP allowances are not sufficient to support family members, either in the home country or in the Netherlands;
• not be employed by a large industrial, commercial, international or multinational organization, which can be assumed to have sufficient resources of their own to finance staff training;
• offer evidence that he or she is sufficiently skilled in speaking and writing in the language of communication during the PhD, which may be English, French or Spanish. If this is English, candidates who have received their tertiary education in any language other than English must provide evidence in the form of a score in an internationally recognized test, such as IELTS (a score of at least 6.0) or TOEFL (a score of at least 550 points on the paper based test or 213 points on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test). An exception to this rule is made for candidates who have received their tertiary education in English, and for candidates who have previously attended a course or programme at a Dutch educational institution in this language, but no longer than two years ago;
• be available full–time to pursue the PhD without interruption, and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire programme;
• declare that they will return to their home country immediately after the period of study and research in the Netherlands has ended.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE
1) Candidates must first apply for academic admission at an eligible Dutch institution. Admission as a PhD student is granted on an individual basis. Senior academic staff or a specific PhD committee decides whether or not an applicant will be accepted. Usually the assessment is based on the research proposal submitted by the applicant.
A candidate can apply for a PhD fellowship only after a research proposal has been agreed between the candidate and the Dutch provider.
Application for a fellowship
2) After receiving their letter of admission, candidates can apply for an NFP fellowship by presenting a completed NFP PhD Study application form to the Netherlands embassy or consulate in the candidate’s own country, accompanied by the necessary documentation.
Download the application form 2009 (82 kB)
The form can also be obtained from the Netherlands embassy or consulate.
Candidates should NOT send their fellowship application forms directly to Nuffic or to the Dutch provider, but should forward them to the Netherlands embassy or consulate in their own country.
3) The embassy or consulate assesses the application against the criteria for eligibility listed above. Special attention is given to:
• whether the application stems from a multi-year agreements concluded with selected organizations;
• the relevance of the proposed research for the candidate’s organization and country;
• proof that the candidate’s employer and the Dutch institution support the application.
4) The embassy or consulate forwards an application that meets all of the criteria for eligibility to Nuffic, together with its own recommendations.
5) Nuffic selects the candidates who will receive PhD fellowships based on the relevance of the proposed research for the candidate’s employing organization and home country. Nuffic gives priority to applications which:
• propose that the research project be co–supervised by an institution in a developing country;
• have a proven link with other activities that are financed by the NFP or other Dutch government-funded activities;
• are submitted by female candidates;
• are submitted by candidates from sub-Saharan Africa;
• stem from multi-year agreements concluded with selected organizations.
6) Nuffic informs the candidate, the Dutch embassy and the providing institution of its decision.
7) Nuffic awards the grant to the provider to cover the fellowship holders’ costs, including the tuition fees.
The Dutch providers pay each fellowship holder an allowance according to the personal budget agreed upon for the duration of the PhD; they also administer the fellowships, make logistical arrangements, and give guidance to the fellowship holders.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
The applications for PhD research projects starting in 2009 must reach the Netherlands embassy or consulate in the applicant’s own country before 1 june and 1 October 2008. Candidates are advised to contact the Netherlands embassy or consulate for country specific information on the NFP.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Url : http://www.nuffic.nl/nederlandse-organisaties/services/capacity-building/nfp/nfp-phd