The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Scholarship Programme (MSP) was initiated in 2007 and fully funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The overall aim is to contribute to the democratic transition in the participating countries, and to build capacity within organisations by enabling employees to take part in short courses in various fields of study.

The scholarships can be used for selected short courses in the Netherlands. The MENA Scholarships are proportionally distributed among the ten participating countries. Ideally, half of the scholarships are allocated to female applicants.

Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for an MSP scholarship you:

• must be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the MSP countrylist valid at the time of application;
• must have an employer’s statement that complies with the format EP-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 (valid at least three months after the candidate’s submission date);
• must have a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable);
• must not be over 45 years of age at the time of the grant submission.

Eligible groups
Nationals of these participating countries: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria and Tunisia.

Participating Institutions
All recognised Dutch higher education institution that offers the course of your choice

Fields of study
You can use an MSP scholarship for a number of selected short courses in one of the following fields of study:

• Economics
• Commerce
• Management and Accounting
• Agriculture and Environment
• Mathematics
• Natural sciences and Computer sciences
• Engineering
• Law Public Administration
• Public order and Safety
• Humanities
• Social sciences
• Communication and Arts

Number of awards
Offers around 120 scholarships per year

Sponsorship duration
Scholarships are available for short courses with a duration between two and twelve weeks

Scholarship benefits
The MSP scholarship is a contribution to the costs of the selected short course and should supplement your salary which you must continue to receive during the study period.

The scholarship covers:

• subsistence allowance
• tuition fees
• visa costs
• international travel costs
• medical insurance
• allowance for study materials

The allowances are considered to be sufficient to cover your living expenses during the study period. You must cover any other costs from your own resources.

Method of Application
Applications for the MENA Scholarship Programme should be submitted to the school of your choice before the scholarship application deadline. You need to apply directly at the Dutch higher education institution of your choice.

DEADLINES:
Institutions have different application deadlines. It is your duty to contact the institution offering the course of your choice to confirm its course and scholarship deadline dates. As a general guide, however, there are usually two application deadlines; and applications may be received until around March or July (depending on your course).

Please contact the Netherlands embassy or Dutch Institute in your home country for more information about the deadlines.

Application Deadline: March / July 2016 (confirm from institution of choice)
Open to International Applicants: Yes

official website.