Netherlands Fellowship Programmes Guidelines for Dutch Institutions and Netherlands Embassies

Transcription

1 Netherlands Fellowship Programmes Guidelines for Dutch Institutions and Netherlands Embassies Disclaimer: The information provided in this document outlines general implementation procedures. While the greatest care was taken in compiling this document, all information in it is subject to change without notice, and Nuffic is therefore unable to guarantee its accuracy or completeness at the time of reading. Nuffic does not accept any liability whatsoever for use of this information. It is up to the user to check the accuracy of all information before acting upon it. version 1.2

2 Contents ABOUT THE NFP GUIDELINES GENERAL INFORMATION Aim Target group Priorities Country-specific criteria NFP sub-programmes Website and publications Parties involved in the implementation of the NFP Contact information Scholarships Online (SOL) PROCEDURAL INFORMATION Dissemination / promotion of the NFP Course list NFP course list criteria Changes in the min/max number of fellowships Admission to the Dutch institution Academic admission application deadlines Fellowship application Paper fellowship applications Fellowship application deadlines Dutch institution checks admission (admission check) Netherlands embassy checks eligibility (eligibility check) Additional assessment of PhD applications Eligible applications Budget Master s degree programmes and short courses Budget for PhD studies and refresher courses Scoring for master s degree programmes and short courses Selection of applications Short courses and master s degree programmes Provisional selection of PhD fellowships Nuffic checks the availability of provisionally selected candidates (availability check)

3 Final selection for master s degree programmes, short courses and PhD studies Replacement of candidates whom have cancelled their fellowship Alumni activities Refresher courses group training Netherlands Alumni Associations (NAAs) NAA start-up subsidies: application and selection procedure Schematic overview of application and selection procedure NFP-SC and NFP-MA Schematic overview of application and selection procedure NFP-PhD Overview of statuses GRANT ADMINISTRATION (FOR DUTCH INSTITUTIONS ONLY) Grant award Spending the grant Preparatory activities Applying for visas Providing insurance Booking flights and paying for tickets Arranging appropriate accommodation and other facilities Providing guidance upon arrival No-shows Responsibilities during the fellowship period Payment of allowances Personal and academic guidance and monitoring Exceptional situations Death of fellowship holder Withdrawal of fellowship Financial consequences early end fellowship End of fellowship Diploma verification Reporting INDEX

4 About the NFP Guidelines This document is intended for Netherlands embassies, consulates and permanent representations (hereinafter referred to as Netherlands embassies ) and Dutch institutions involved in the implementation of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP). The aim of the guidelines is to inform Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies about the procedures and conditions of the NFP and the tasks and responsibilities of Netherlands embassies and Dutch institutions in the implementation of the NFP. These Guidelines consist of the following parts: 1. General information 2. Procedural information 3. Grant administration (for Dutch institutions only) Other important documents / information: NFP Rules and Regulations for Candidates and Fellowship Holders Scholarships Online 2.0 User Manual for Dutch institutions / embassies NFP Grant Conditions 4

5 1 General Information 1.1 Aim The overall aim of the NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled manpower within a wide range of governmental, private and non-governmental organisations. This by offering fellowships to mid-career professionals to improve the capacity of their employing organisations. The need for training has to be evident within the context of an organisation. NFP therefore requires that candidates have to be nominated by their employers. Fellowship applications without employer support are not eligible. 1.2 Target group The NFP is targeted at mid-career professionals who are nationals of and work and live in one of the 61 countries on the NFP country list. 1.3 Priorities Candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa and women are specifically invited to apply for an NFP fellowship as 50% of the available fellowships will be awarded to women and 50% of the available budget allocated to candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, candidates from priority groups and/or marginalised regions (to be defined by the embassies) are explicitly invited to apply. 1.4 Country-specific criteria Aside from the general eligibility criteria, a Netherlands embassy can also develop its own country-specific criteria. These criteria reflect the preferences of the embassy or consulate for certain applications. These criteria can be of influence on the selection process. For this reason, Netherlands embassies are strongly advised to publish any country-specific priorities on their website. 1.5 NFP sub-programmes The NFP includes several sub-programmes. The guidelines explain the general NFP criteria and procedures and are supplemented with specific information on the sub-programmes, where necessary. Sub-programmes for individual fellowships: PhD studies: four years of doctoral research; Short courses: non-degree courses with a duration of 2-52 weeks; Master s degree programmes: master s programmes with a duration of months. Subsidies for alumni activities: Refresher courses: non-degree courses for NFP alumni with a duration of approximately two weeks; NAA start-up subsidies: funding to start a Netherlands Alumni Association; Co-financing of alumni activities: partial funding for activities of a Netherlands Alumni Association. Subsidies for alumni activities are described separately in paragraph 2.16 of these Guidelines. 5

6 1.6 Website and publications Nuffic has developed several communication channels to inform stakeholders about the NFP. Website Nuffic s website contains general information about the NFP ( This information is updated regularly and should hence be used in preference to other sources. The website also has two hidden pages with specific information for: Netherlands embassies: Dutch institutions: These hidden pages provide Netherlands embassies and Dutch institutions with specific information and important notices regarding NFP implementation (including these Guidelines). NFP brochure The brochure gives a general description of the NFP sub-programmes. It provides an overview of all master s programmes and short courses eligible for the NFP, including applicable fellowship application deadlines. It also provides a list of the Dutch institutions eligible for supervising PhD research. The brochure is published by Nuffic each year and distributed to all Netherlands embassies in NFP countries. NFP Rules and Regulations for Candidates and Fellowship Holders The NFP Rules and Regulations for Candidates and Fellowship Holders (hereinafter referred to as NFP Rules and Regulations ) describe the rights and obligations of candidates and fellowship holders and provide an overview of individual allowances and reimbursements within each NFP sub-programme. NFP flyer The flyer is published each year and contains basic information about the NFP that can be used for promotional activities. Nuffic sends the flyer to Netherlands embassies and it can also be downloaded from Parties involved in the implementation of the NFP The NFP require the active involvement of several parties at different stages. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs fully funds the NFP under the development cooperation budget. Within the Ministry, the DSO Directorate (Directorate of Social Development, Research and Education) is responsible for the NFP. Nuffic Nuffic is the Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education. As an independent, non-profit organisation based in The Hague, the Netherlands, Nuffic supports internationalisation in higher education, research and professional education in the Netherlands and abroad, and helps to improve access to higher education worldwide. The NFP programmes are managed and administered by Nuffic. 6

7 Nuffic guides the selection process for fellowships for master s degree programmes, short courses and PhD programmes, drafts lists of programmes and courses for which NFP fellowships can be used, selects candidates for PhD fellowships, and evaluates proposals for refresher courses. Dutch institutions The Dutch institutions involved in the NFP are higher education institutions or other organisations in the Netherlands specialising in transferring knowledge and skills at a post-secondary level. The master s degree programmes and short courses listed in the NFP brochure and the PhD programmes are all offered by Dutch institutions with an established capacity to receive and teach students and professionals from various backgrounds. The institutions assess whether candidates are academically qualified to take part in a particular programme, course or training. They administer the NFP fellowships, arrange the logistics and provide guidance for fellowship holders. The fellowship holders must contact the relevant Dutch institution for all matters concerning their fellowship. Netherlands embassies The Netherlands embassies referred to in this document are Netherlands embassies, consulates and permanent representations charged with the implementation of the NFP. The Netherlands embassies participating in the NFP are responsible for promoting the NFP in their county. The embassies also play an important role in assessing applications. Some countries on the NFP course list do not have a Netherlands embassy. Candidates from those countries should use the designated Netherlands embassy in a neighbouring country. This applies to the following countries: Applications from Armenia Cambodia Cape Verde Guinea-Bissau Moldova Honduras El Salvador Ecuador Eritrea Are assessed by the Netherlands embassy in Georgia Thailand Senegal Senegal Ukraine Costa Rica Costa Rica Peru not yet decided 7

8 1.8 Contact information Nuffic Correspondence address: Nuffic Programme Management Directorate NFP team PO Box LT The Hague The Netherlands Business address: Kortenaerkade 11, 2518 AX The Hague Telephone: +31 (0) / 188 Website: Contact persons at the Dutch institutions Nuffic maintains contact with the Dutch institutions via NFP contact persons at each Dutch institution. Nuffic informs them about all matters related to the NFP. An up-to-date list of contacts can be requested from Nuffic by sending an to nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl. Fellowship officers at the Netherlands embassies Each Netherlands embassy appoints an NFP fellowship officer who is responsible for handling and assessing NFP applications. In view of the potential interest of exchanging information and experiences about NFP implementation with fellowship officers in other countries, fellowship officers can request a list of NFP fellowship officers at other Netherlands embassies by sending an to nfp-fellowship@nuffic.nl. Netherlands embassies and Dutch institutions are requested to inform Nuffic as soon as possible about any change in NFP contact persons or fellowship officers. 1.9 Scholarships Online (SOL) Scholarships Online is an online fellowship application and selection tool developed by Nuffic. SOL enables candidates to apply for scholarship programmes administered by Nuffic. Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies have access to a shielded section of SOL (SOL Third Party) where they can assess fellowship applications. Access to SOL Third Party for: Netherlands embassies : Dutch institutions: All NFP fellowship applications are registered in SOL. Nuffic communicates with all parties using automated messages sent via SOL. 8

9 SOL account Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies participating in the NFP need access to SOL. Access is arranged via accounts. Each account is a unique combination of an account name and address. The Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies have appointed one Central Contact Person for SOL accounts (CCA), who is responsible for administrating the SOL account. If additional colleagues need access to SOL, the CCA can request additional accounts. Only one account is created per person. Account holders can change their individual password in SOL. To avoid unauthorised access, requests for new SOL accounts, changes to existing accounts and requests to close accounts can only be submitted by the CCA. A special form must be used for this purpose, which can be downloaded from or The completed form must be sent to nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl. Some embassies assess applications from various countries. In that case, the embassy needs to have a separate SOL account for each country. Netherlands embassies and Dutch institutions are requested to inform Nuffic as soon as possible about any changes in accounts. This avoids any unauthorised use of SOL and ensures continual access. SOL privacy policy Account holders will be requested to accept the below privacy policy when logging in to SOL for the first time. We collect personal information of candidates through the scholarship fellowship application process only. You may only use the collected information for the assessment of the scholarship fellowship application. You may not sell, trade or rent the personal information of candidates to third parties or use it for any other purposes than the assessment of the scholarship fellowship application. You must ensure that you take appropriate actions and implement the necessary procedures to prevent the access of unauthorised persons or processes to personal information of the candidates. Conditions for using SOL Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies are responsible for the correct use of SOL. A notification to this effect is displayed on the SOL homepage: Serious consequences are associated with the deadlines and actions taken in SOL. Nuffic bears no responsibility for deadlines that are exceeded or for the consequences of actions taken by users in SOL. Example: Eligibility decision Failure to submit the eligibility decisions in SOL in time has irrevocable consequences for the fellowship applications concerned. Failure to submit eligibility decisions means that the fellowship applications 9

10 concerned will not be eligible for an NFP fellowship and the fellowship application will not be processed any further. The candidate will be informed of this immediately via SOL. Scoring Failure to submit scores in SOL in time has the irrevocable consequence that the preferences of the Dutch institution and the embassy will not be taken into consideration in the selection of fellowship holders. Nuffic has compiled user manuals to help Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies work with SOL. The Scholarships Online 2.0 User Manuals have been sent to all Dutch institutions and Netherlands embassies participating in the NFP. These manuals are not available on the Nuffic website. If you did not receive a manual or would like receive it again, please contact Nuffic at nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl. 10

11 2 Procedural Information The following is a step-by-step outline of the roles and tasks of all parties involved in the NFP. Further steps in the NFP fellowship application and selection procedure are also presented in a schematic overview in paragraph For more information on how to use SOL, please consult the Scholarship Online 2.0 User Manual for Dutch institutions / Netherlands embassies. 2.1 Dissemination / promotion of the NFP The Dutch institution: has its own strategies for promoting education programmes among its target group; can inform candidates from countries on the NFP country list about options for applying to the NFP; must refer candidates to the Nuffic website for the latest information on the NFP and SOL; must refer candidates to SOL as much as possible and discourage paper applications. The Netherlands embassy: is responsible for the strategy used in promoting the NFP in its country; brings NFP information to the attention of relevant organisations and potential candidates; has an important role in providing information about the NFP to prospective candidates; can use the communication materials made available by Nuffic; should refer candidates to the Nuffic website as much as possible; should refer candidates to SOL as much as possible and discourage paper applications; defines country-specific priorities in order to provide an indication of the types of organisations and/or fields of study it prefers to support. The embassy can also prioritise marginalised region(s) of the country so that applications from candidates from those regions are given priority during selection process scoring. Netherlands embassies are urged to make their country-specific priorities available on their websites. Embassies should note that they are individually responsible for keeping this information correct and up to date. An example of information about the NFP that can be provided to prospective candidates: Are you interested in an NFP fellowship? Yearly over 15,000 candidates apply for an NFP fellowship. As the budget is limited, your application is subjected to an assessment and a selection. This selection is highly competitive. It is in your interest to submit a correct and complete application. Carefully read the following information before applying: 11

12 Visit Check the criteria you must meet to apply (eligibility criteria) and the NFP Rules and Regulations for candidates and fellowship holders. Check the country specific criteria on the website of the Netherlands Embassy. Gather all necessary documents and information. Apply online through Scholarships Online (SOL) via before the applicable fellowship application deadline. If you need help with your fellowship application, you can download the SOL user manual for candidates from the Nuffic website on or visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page on After the fellowship application deadline: Check the timeframe of the assessment and selection on You can check the status of your application and the outcome of the selection through SOL. There is no need to contact us. 2.2 Course list Candidates can only apply for an NFP fellowship for short courses and master s degree programmes that are listed in the NFP course list. The NFP course list is compiled by Nuffic once a year. Dutch institutions can register short courses and Master s degree programmes that they wish to have included in the course list. Only courses and programmes that meet the applicable criteria will be included. Nuffic: notifies the Dutch institutions about when and how they can register courses and programmes for the NFP course list and about the applicable criteria for that year; assesses the courses and programmes on these criteria; informs Dutch institutions about which courses / programmes are approved for the NFP course list; publishes the courses / programmes that have been approved for the NFP course list through NFP course list criteria To be listed in the NFP course list, courses and programmes registered for must: be offered by an institution that has signed the Code of Conduct for international students, or is listed in the overview of additional knowledge centres or the overview of advanced art institutions; be taught in English, French or Spanish; have been completed at least once in its current form, at its current location and in its current language of instruction before September 2013 (for inclusion in the 2013/2014 academic year); have a start date in the period between September 2013 and August 2014 (2013/2014 academic year). If a start date of a course is included on the NFP course list this specific start date cannot also be included on the course list ; 12

13 be held in an NFP country if the entire, or a large part of the short course or programme takes place outside the Netherlands; be offered by the Dutch institution which has registered the course/programme for the course list ; in the case of master s degree programmes: o must be accredited; o must be a full-time programme; o must lead to a master s degree which is legally acknowledged in the Netherlands (not lead to an MPhil, DBA, or bachelor degree such as B, BA, BBA, BSc, LL.B); o must have a maximum duration of 24 months (including the introduction and thesis period). in the case of non-degree courses / short courses: o must be part of an accredited master s degree programme or the Dutch institution must be listed on the overview of additional knowledge centers or the overview of advanced art institutions; o must have a duration of at least 2 weeks (10 working days) and a maximum of 52 weeks (including the introduction period if applicable). The Dutch institution Dutch institutions offering courses / programmes listed on the NFP course list must fulfil a number of responsibilities and offer various services to (future) fellowship holders. The Dutch institution: is expected to have taken notice of the NFP guidelines and the NFP grant conditions and agree to comply with the conditions and obligations following from these documents; must have the necessary administrative and financial infrastructure to manage NFP applications; must be able to provide ongoing student guidance for NFP fellowship holders during their stay; must provide suitable housing (including furnishings and services) for NFP fellowship; must not ask candidates from NFP countries to pay a registration fee for their fellowship application to an academic programme to be considered; must not ask accepted candidates or NFP fellowship holders to pay additional fees as a prerequisite for making travel arrangements, visa arrangements or for attending obligatory parts of the course or programme; must provide NFP fellowship holders access to computers, and the internet; must provide NFP fellowship holders with a student manual in the language of instruction of the course/ programme upon arrival (including relevant instructions, the institutional code of conduct and its complaints procedure); must comply with the Personal Data Protection Act (Wet Bescherming Persoonsgegevens, or WBP) and in principle will not ask NFP fellowship holders to provide medical or other private information for use in the candidate assessment or selection process. If specific information is needed, for example relating to some relevant aspect of physical functioning, the institution can ask the candidate to provide this; must guarantee that lecturing and supervisory staff are proficient in the language of instruction. 13

14 Registration of courses / programmes for the NFP course list must be done through either HODEX or Studiekeuze Webformulier, depending on the system used by the Dutch institution. In addition to the general information about the course / programme, the following information must be provided in the NFP registration form available in HODEX and Studiekeuze Webformulier: If the course/ programme is nominated for the NFP course list NFP Tuition fee Gender category Minimum / maximum number of fellowships When registration opens Nuffic will inform the Dutch institutions through and on how to proceed with the registration of courses / programmes. 2.3 Changes in the min/max number of fellowships When a Dutch institution registers courses / programmes for the NFP course list it must state the minimum and maximum number of fellowships that should and/or could be awarded. A request to change the minimum and maximum number of fellowships can be sent to Nuffic until seven weeks after the fellowship application deadline at the latest (i.e. the fellowship application deadline under which the course / programme is listed). When you send a request to change the number(s) please include the following information about the course / programme: Name of the course / programme Start and end date Duration Minimum number of fellowships. If there is no minimum put (0). Maximum number of fellowships. If there is no maximum put (-) Send your request to nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl 2.4 Admission to the Dutch institution The candidate: has to apply for admission to the Dutch institution directly and not via Nuffic / SOL; must apply for admission to the Dutch institution as early as possible in view of the large number of admission applications these institutions need to process within a limited time. The Dutch institution : decides on its own academic admission criteria, with due regard for the Code of Conduct with respect to international students ( Documents such as diplomas, transcripts and other documents should be obtained directly from the candidates as these documents will not be available in the candidate s fellowship application, whether in SOL or in the paper fellowship application form. If the Dutch institution wishes to consult the Netherlands embassy for verification or advice about diplomas or other documents, it can consult the Netherlands embassy directly; 14

15 is required to provide candidates with a substantiated admission decision based on its own standard procedures (by sending candidates an admission or rejection letter); must comply with the Personal Data Protection Act when dealing with information provided by candidates applying for admission; is not allowed to require admission, registration or service fees from NFP candidates as a requirement for consideration of their applications. Institutions are not permitted to attach conditions to the admission of NFP candidates to courses or programmes, with the exception of the condition that a candidate finds suitable funding. Candidates applying for an NFP fellowship may therefore never be granted admission on the condition that they (re)take exams or courses or take any other kind of test or submit English language test results or any other diplomas or certificates Academic admission application deadlines Nuffic publishes the academic admission deadlines for all courses and programmes on the NFP course list. Nuffic advises Dutch institutions to schedule their academic admission deadlines well in advance of the fellowship application deadline in order to leave enough time to screen candidates applications for admission and register their admission decisions in SOL in time. 2.5 Fellowship application The candidate: can apply for academic admission and a fellowship simultaneously, but must be unconditionally admitted by the fellowship application deadline; can only apply for a fellowship for a course or programme on the NFP course list or a PhD study at an eligible Dutch institution; can apply for a fellowship for a master s programme, short course or PhD study: o online via SOL on the Nuffic website o sending a paper application form directly to Nuffic. must submit a fellowship application that is correct and completed in full. Candidates cannot make any changes or modifications to fellowship applications after they have been submitted, even if the fellowship application deadline has not yet passed. Procedures for applying to refresher courses are described in paragraph Nuffic (SOL): opens registration in SOL three months before the fellowship application deadline; automatically runs applications through a series of knockout questions before candidates starts their fellowship application in SOL. 15

16 Knockout questions checked by SOL Are you a national of one of the countries on the NFP Country list? Do you live and work in one of the countries on the NFP Country list? Are you employed by a multinational corporation, UN organisation, the World Bank, IMF, a bilateral or multilateral donor organisation, or a large national and/or commercial organisation? When applying for a master s degree programme: Have you ever received an NFP fellowship for a master s degree programme in the past? When applying for a PhD: Have you ever received an NFP fellowship for a PhD programme in the past? When applying for a short course: Have you ever received two or more NFP fellowships for short courses in the past? Have you received an NFP fellowship for a short course a year prior to this application? Eligibility criteria checked by SOL Only fellowship applications that meet certain eligibility criteria can be submitted online. Candidates who do not meet these criteria cannot continue their application in SOL and are informed they that they are not eligible. Candidates must: be nationals of and living and work in a country on the NFP Country list; accept the SOL privacy terms and conditions; accept the NFP Rules and Regulations; upload all mandatory documents; not have applied for more than one course or programme with the same NFP sub-programme deadline; never have received an NFP fellowship for a master s degree programme in the past (in the case of candidates applying for master s degree programmes); not have received more than one NFP fellowship for short courses in the past (in the case of candidates applying for short courses); not have received an NFP fellowship for a short course within the year preceding the current fellowship application (in the case of candidates applying for short courses) Paper fellowship applications are still available and can be downloaded from the Nuffic website; are only for candidates who have very limited or no access to the Internet; have an earlier deadline, which is one month before the online application deadline; have to be received by Nuffic before the applicable deadline for paper fellowship applications; have to be sent directly to Nuffic; will be registered in SOL by Nuffic; will subsequently be administrated in SOL in the same manner as online fellowship applications. 16

17 2.5.2 Fellowship application deadlines Candidates much check the applicable fellowship application deadline for the course or programme they wish to apply for in the NFP Brochure and on NFP sub-programme SOL opens/ applications accepted as from Online fellowship application deadline Paper fellowship application deadline Master s degree programmes Short courses 1 November The 1 st of February 1 January PhD studies Master s degree programmes Short courses 1 February The 1 st of May 1 April Short courses PhD studies 1 July The 1 st of October 1 September This schedule is intended to provide an indication only. The exact deadlines (dates and times) will be published on Dutch institution checks admission (admission check) This paragraph describes the procedures for checking admission. In addition to these guidelines, Nuffic also provides a SOL User Manual for Dutch institutions with information on how to use the SOL application. The Dutch institution: is required to provide candidates with a substantiated admission decision based on its own standard procedures; can begin registering admission decisions in SOL as soon as candidates submit their fellowship applications; can register admission decisions in SOL up until three weeks after the fellowship application deadline; registers in SOL if a candidate is o admitted; o not admitted; o unknown. The Dutch institution can only register a candidate as unknown after the fellowship application deadline has passed and only in cases where the candidate did not apply for academic admission to the Dutch institution. 17

18 Additional information for PhD applications The Dutch institution: registers in SOL how many months of the research will be carried out in an NFP country. The NFP requires that at least 25% of the PhD research take place in the candidate s home country or region (25% over the period from date on which the PhD research starts until the that on which the fellowship period ends); registers in SOL the tuition / bench fee for the entire fellowship period; can indicate in SOL if there is a link between the Dutch institution and the employing organisation of the candidate and/or if the PhD research will be part of a cooperation agreement/project between the Dutch institution and the employing organisation of the candidate. If so, the Dutch institution should write a clear and strong explanation/motivation in SOL. By indicating in SOL that a candidate has been admitted, the Dutch institution is automatically requesting a grant for that candidate, provided he/she is selected for a fellowship. The grant is awarded under the conditions set out in the NFP Grant Conditions, which apply from the moment the Dutch Institutions admits the candidate in SOL. Please note that ALL academically admitted candidates could potentially be selected for an NFP fellowship! Dutch institutions cannot rescind a decision later on in the process based on a candidate s failure to comply with the academic requirements for admission. Nuffic (SOL): sends reminders to Dutch institutions to check admission of their candidates in SOL; informs Dutch institutions about the date by which they need to register their admission decision; notifies candidates through SOL about the status of their fellowship application. If a Dutch institution does not register an admission decision or fails to do so on time, the fellowship application will be considered ineligible and will not be processed any further. The candidate will be informed about this immediately via SOL. The candidate: can check the status of his/her fellowship application online in SOL; will be informed of a change in status as soon as the Dutch institution registers him/her as admitted to the course or programme. The status of the fellowship application will then change to admitted. will be informed via SOL if fellowship application will not be further assessed; o when the Dutch institution has registered the candidate as not admitted. The status of the fellowship application will change to not admitted; o when the admission decision was not registered on time by the Dutch institution. The status of the fellowship application will change to no admission institute; 18

19 o when the Dutch institution registered that less than 25% of the PhD research will take place in the candidate s home country or region (in the case of candidates applying for a PhD fellowship). The status of the fellowship application will change to not eligible. Double applications If an applicant submits more than one fellowship application for the same NFP sub-programme with the same application deadline, Nuffic will discard the additional applications without further consideration based on the following criteria: If a candidate submitted both an online and a paper application, the online application will be regarded as valid and the paper application discarded; If a candidate submitted more than one online application, the last application to be submitted will be regarded as valid and all other applications discarded without further consideration. These criteria will be applied regardless of the content of the applications. If a Dutch Institution or Netherlands embassy encounters double applications, they are requested to inform Nuffic as soon as possible via nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl. 2.7 Netherlands embassy checks eligibility (eligibility check) This paragraph describes the procedures for checking the eligibility of NFP applicants that were admitted by the Dutch institution (status: admitted). In addition to these Guidelines, Nuffic has also compiled the SOL User Manual for Netherlands embassies, which contains information on how to use SOL. The Netherlands embassy: registers in SOL whether applications from candidates employed in their country comply with the eligibility criteria; checks the eligibility based on all eligibility criteria: both the eligibility criteria automatically checked by SOL earlier (knockout) and the remaining eligibility criteria as outlined below; can register the eligibility in SOL directly or within three weeks after the Dutch institution has registered a candidate as admitted; receives notifications if there are applications that need to be checked. Remaining eligibility criteria: The candidate must: be a mid-career professional with at least three years work experience; be nominated by his/her employer, who pledges to continue paying the candidate s salary and guarantees that the candidate will be able to return to an equivalent position after the termination of the fellowship period; be employed in an area to which the study will make a relevant contribution; have a clear-cut, functional relationship with a relevant organisation and be in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge into that organisation; 19

20 not be employed by a multinational corporation, a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, a bilateral or multilateral donor organisation, or a large national and/or commercial organisation; These eligibility criteria are grouped in four clusters: Documents Target group Employer s statement Employing organization Netherlands embassies check the eligibility of fellowship applications based on the information in the fellowship application and the uploaded documents. Documents The Netherlands embassy: registers in SOL if all uploaded documents are correct and none are missing: o a copy of the candidate s passport or valid identity document; o the employer s statement; o a Statement from the government authority (if applicable) o statements of motivation responding to the following questions: Why do you wish to pursue this course? How will your employing organisation benefit from the course you wish to take? How will your country benefit from the course you wish to take? How will you put your new skills and knowledge to work when you return to your employing organisation? clicks Yes if all documents are correct and valid; clicks No if any of the documents are missing, not valid, not correct et cetera, ticks the box(es) with the relevant reason(s) in the dropdown list that appears (or which can be opened by clicking on the [motivation]-button) and submits the eligibility check. If there is more than one reason, please tick all relevant reasons. Copy of passport or valid identity document Candidates must upload a copy of a valid identity document. This document serves to verify the candidate s identity. Examples of acceptable documents can include: passport national identity card birth certificate work ID driving license other It is up to the Netherlands embassy to determine if the uploaded document verifies the candidate s identity and is considered a valid identity document in that specific country. Nuffic will accept the decision on the 20

21 validity of the uploaded document made by the embassy because Nuffic has no means to verify the validity of uploaded documents. Employer s statement Given the NFP s aim to support the institutional development of organisations, it is essential that fellowship applications are initiated or supported by the employing organisations. The Netherlands embassy: Checks if the employer s statement o States Date on which letter is written; Name of the candidate; Name of the course or programme for which the employing organisation nominates the candidate. o is printed on the employing organisation's official letter head and bears an official stamp and signature of the candidate s superior; o answers the following questions: Why is the employing organisation nominating this candidate? How will this candidate's participation in the course / programme benefit the organisation? What plans have been made for putting the candidate's newly acquired knowledge and skills to use within the organisation? Checks if the employer s statement includes the following pledges: o That the candidate's salary will continue to be paid during the period over which the fellowship is awarded. o That at the end of the fellowship period the candidate will be offered a position at least equivalent to the one that he or she holds at present. o That if the candidate is awarded an NFP fellowship, the employing organisation will comply with all the formal obligations this entails. For PhD applications: The employer of the candidate sometimes states that the candidate will continue working / teaching during his / her fellowship period. This is not allowed! Salary payment An NFP fellowship is intended to supplement the salary that the fellowship holder should continue to receive during the study period. Continuation of salary payment is required for the following reasons: The NFP allowance is regarded as a contribution towards the costs of living for one person, whether in the Netherlands or in another country. It should be noted that NFP allowances are not sufficient to support family members, either in the home country or in the Netherlands. The salary payment expresses the commitment of the employing organisation towards the 21

22 fellowship holder. Nuffic communicates this requirement in all information provided to candidates and fellowship holders. However, a Netherlands embassy cannot reject fellowship applications on the ground that the employer s statement guarantees no or only partial continuation of salary payment. This is permitted in exceptional cases, as there are instances in which employing organisations are not able to fulfil the salary obligation. The chief focus must be on the continuance of a sustainable relationship between the employing organisation and the fellowship holder, of which the salary is a small part. clicks Yes if the employer s statement meets the above criteria; clicks No if the employer s statement does not meet the above criteria, and ticks the box(es) with the relevant reasons in the dropdown list that appears (or which can be opened by clicking on the [motivation]-button) and submits the eligibility check. If there is more than one reason, please tick all relevant reasons. Statement from the government authority (if applicable) A number of countries on the NFP country list require a government statement before candidates can apply for an NFP fellowship. In this statement, the government expresses its support for the fellowship application. It is up to the Netherlands embassy to check whether this applies in its country. Embassies are advised to publish this information on their website. Fellowship applications from countries that require a government statement are deemed not eligible if no government statement is included. This applies to both online and paper applications. Target group The Netherlands embassy: Checks in SOL whether a candidate belongs to the target group of the NFP and that the candidate: o is currently employed; o has at least 3 years work experience; o did not make more than one application in one deadline; o did not receive an NFP fellowship for a master s degree programme in the past (when the candidate is applying for an Master fellowship); o did not receive an NFP fellowship for a PhD programme in the past (when the candidate is applying for a PhD); o did not receive two or more NFP fellowships for short courses in the past (when the candidate is applying for a short course); o did not receive an NFP fellowship for a short course a year prior to this application (when the candidate is applying for a short course); o has made an application which has added value to the development of the employing organisation and the NFP-country; o is full-time available 22

23 clicks Yes if the candidate belongs to the target group of the NFP; clicks No if the candidate does not belong to the target group of the NFP, ticks the box(es) with the relevant reason(s) in the dropdown list that appears (or which can be opened by clicking on the [motivation]-button) and submits the eligibility check. If there is more than one reason, please thick all relevant reasons. Work experience: how to calculate? A candidate must have at least three years work experience. The number of years of work experience is calculated with the information provided by the candidate in his / her application in SOL. The number of years is calculated from the year the candidate has started working until the deadline for which the candidate has applied. At the fellowship application deadline (February, May, October) the candidate should have three years of work experience. A candidate works as a Volunteer Volunteer work can be taken into consideration as work experience. However, if a candidate is working voluntarily at an organisation at the time of application this organisation cannot act as the employing organisation and cannot provide an employer s statement. Intern/ trainee: Internships should not be taken into consideration when calculating the number of years work experience. Internships are mostly done during a candidate s study and can be of various nature (in terms of tasks to be performed by the intern). Traineeships can be taken into consideration when calculating the numbers of years of work experience. Traineeships usually take please after graduation and are usually part of a regular job. PhD student/ researcher: A PhD student can apply for an NFP short course. In this case his/her PhD organisation / supervisor can write the employer statement. One application in per deadline per sub-programme Candidates are allowed to submit one application per deadline per NFP sub-programme. SOL prohibits candidates to submit several applications per deadline per NFP sub-programme using the same account. However it is possible that candidates submit multiple applications using different accounts. In case a candidate has made several applications, the application that was submitted latest must be regarded as valid. The application with the highest application number is not necessarily the application that was submitted latest. If you have any doubt about which application you should reject please contact Nuffic through nfp-fellowships@nuffic.nl and state the personal details of the candidate as well as both application numbers. 23

24 Employing organisation The Netherlands embassy: checks if the candidate s employing organisation is eligible; checks the legitimacy of the employing organisation; clicks Yes if the organisation meets the above criteria; clicks No if the organisation does not meet the above criteria and ticks the box(es) with the relevant reason(s) in the dropdown list that appears or which can be opened by clicking on the [motivation]-button), and submits the application. If there is more than one reason, please tick all relevant reasons. Ineligible organisations The overall aim of the NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled manpower within a wide range of governmental, private and non-governmental organisations by offering fellowships to mid-career professionals to improve capacity at their employing organisations. However, certain kinds of organisations do not qualify because they can be assumed to have sufficient resources to finance their own staff training. The employing organisation must not be: a multinational corporation (Shell, Unilever etc.); a large national and/or commercial organisation; a bilateral donor organisation (USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, BuZa, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid etc.); a multilateral donor organisation, (a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB etc.); an international NGO (Oxfam, Plan, Care etc.). However, candidates employed by local civil society organisations working for a project financed by an international NGO (such as Oxfam, Plan) may be accepted if: the project has a duration of at least twelve months; the course / programme duration does not exceed 7.7% of the project duration. Project duration in weeks Maximum course / programme duration in weeks 52 (12 months) 4 78 (18 months) (24 months) 8 Verification of the employing organisation The Netherlands embassy: Checks the legitimacy of the employing organisation. If the embassy has doubts about the employing organisation s existence, it can treat the application as not eligible. However, such a rejection must be 24

25 based on solid investigation and substantial evidence that must be registered in SOL. Applications cannot be deemed not eligible based on the mere fact that the embassy could not contact the employing organisation. Priority Group box When checking applications on eligibility you will also see a box named [priority groups] which you can tick. However, this has no influence on the selection process. You can use this box for your own convenience, to remember certain applications, for example applications which you want to give a high(er) score. When you consider a candidate not eligible for one or more reasons please be as specific as possible and register all the applicable rejection reasons in SOL. 2.8 Additional assessment of PhD applications In addition to the eligibility criteria, PhD fellowship applications need to be assessed on three qualities: motivation, relevance for the organisation and relevance for the country. The embassy s assessment of these qualities will be taken into consideration at the time of selection. The Netherlands embassy: registers in SOL whether the candidate s motivation is considered High / Medium / Low; registers in SOL whether the application s relevance and applicability for the employing organisation s development is considered High / Medium / Low; registers in SOL whether the application s relevance and applicability for the country s development is considered High / Medium / Low. If the embassy does not register the eligibility of the fellowship application or fails to do so on time, the fellowship application will be considered not eligible and will not be processed any further. The candidate will be informed about this immediately via SOL. Nuffic (SOL): notifies the embassies of the date by which the eligibility check needs to be completed; double checks applications that are registered as not eligible to ascertain whether the embassy s advice is based on the NFP eligibility criteria. If the embassy s eligibility advice is not based on the eligibility criteria, Nuffic will overrule the advice of the Netherlands embassy and the fellowship application will continue to be assessed. The Netherlands embassies are informed about which applications were overruled and the reason for this overruling; notifies candidates about the status of their fellowship application. The candidate: can check the status of his/her fellowship application in SOL; 25