*KOP NFP (Netherlands Fellowship Program) - International Scholarships

On July 1, 2017, the Netherlands Fellowship Program entered a new phase under the name Kennisontwikelings Program (KOP), or the Knowledge Development Program.
This fellowship program is initiated and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and managed by Nuffic (the Dutch institution for internationalization in education).

Scholarship Overview

KOP aims to advance the development of knowledge, capacity, and quality of both individuals and institutions in both vocational and higher education.
The commencement date of KOP will be confirmed once the subsidy and policy outlines are published in the Staatscourant (Government Gazette).
Scholarships for this 5-year program are awarded after a competitive selection process. Highly motivated professionals who are in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge in their organizations stand a higher chance of being selected.

Host School(s)

Fields of Study

In the first round of KOP, only short courses will be offered. With time, however, both Short Courses (SC) and Master’s degree programs (MA) will be offered to prospective candidates.
Eligible courses are found in the study programs database for Dutch higher education institutions. You will need to specify the search criteria as follows: ‘NFP qualified – YES.’

What does the scholarship cover?

The KOP NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that your employer continues to give you while you are on study leave in the Netherlands.
The fellowship entitles you to:
- Tuition costs for the course for which the fellowship is offered
- Flights
- Housing (provided by the educational institution)
- Health insurance
- Visas and residence permits
- Subsistence allowance

How many scholarships are given?

Which countries are targeted?

A total of 28 countries have been targeted for the initial round of KOP. Professionals who live and work in these countries can apply for this scholarship.

Albania Armenia Bhutan Bolivia

Burkina Faso Cambodia Cuba Djibouti

DR Congo Georgia India Jordan

Lebanon Macedonia Mongolia Nepal

Nicaragua Nigeria Pakistan Philippines

Peru Senegal Somalia Sri Lanka

Sudan Surinam Thailand Zimbabwe

Am I Eligible to Apply?

To qualify for this fellowship, you must:-

Be a national of, working in, and be a professional in one of the countries on the KOP country list at the time of application
Have a current employer’s statement that complies with the format that Nuffic provides. All the relevant information must be provided, and all commitments that are included in the format must be endorsed in the statement.
Not be employed by an organization that can fund their own staff development programs, e.g., a multilateral donor organization, a multinational corporation, a bilateral donor organization, an international NGO, or a large national or commercial organization.
Have a government statement meeting all the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable).
Have an official passport valid for three months after the submission date of the registration form by the applicant.

How Do I Apply – Next Steps

Note that before you apply, you must review the eligibility criteria carefully, and confirm that your employer is ready to nominate you for the fellowship.

If you intend to apply for a KOP scholarship for a short course, you must find a course that is supported by the scholarship program. To confirm which courses are eligible, check the study programs database on the Nuffic website, and specify the search criteria (NFP qualified – Yes).
Next, contact the Dutch higher education institution that is offering the course for information on:

Course content
The application deadline (this is dependent on the institution of higher learning)
The application and selection procedure
The online application form
The supporting documents

Prepare your application and the supporting documents
Submit your online application via the higher education institution offering the course
For enquiries concerning the application and selection procedures, please contact the Dutch institution directly.

Closing Date

Applications for the first round of short courses open on 5 Sept 2017.
The actual closing date differs as per institution. For more information on deadlines, contact the institution directly.

How do I get more information?