Scholarship Summary
Provider; VLIR-UOS
Course; training or Master programme
Application Deadline; 1 May 2018
About Scholarship
Education and research are top priorities for Flanders. The Flemish universities and university colleges rank among the best in Europe. Flanders (Vlaanderen) refers to the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium
VLIR-UOS only provides full scholarships for the total duration of the training or Master programme. It is not possible to apply for a partial scholarship.
Scholarship Cost
The detailed current amounts and more information on the different allowances can be found in the document ‘Allowances and guidelines for VLIR-UOS scholarships’.
Please note that the scholarship amounts can change at any time in line with decisions of the funding government. The following overview is just an indication of what the different scholarship types entail.
For a training programme
Allowance: € 33/day
One-time payments
Accommodation, insurance, international travel and tuition fee
For a Master programme
Allowance: € 890/month
Accommodation allowance: € 390/month
Family allowance
One-time payments
Insurance, international travel and tuition fee
Programs Offered
Only the following English taught courses at Belgian Flemish universities or university colleges are eligible for scholarships:
Master programmes (Academic year 2018-2019 - call for applications will be open from half of November onwards)
Two-year programmes
Master of Aquaculture (IMAQUA) - Deadline for applications: 1 March 2018
Please note you have to send a hard copy of your application and all requested documents to the programme coordinator before 15 January 2018!
Master of Rural Development - Deadline for applications: 1 March 2018
Master of Transportation Sciences and Road Safety in Low & Middle Income Countries - Deadline for applications: 1 March 2018
Master of Science in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management (Oceans and Lakes) - Deadline for applications: 31 March 2018. Please note you first have to apply for pre-registration.
Training programmes organised in 2018 (14-90 days)
International Module for Spatial Development Planning: 05/03/2018 - 01/06/2018, applications are closed
Evidence-based decision making in food safety: 15/10/2018 - 14/12/2018, deadline for applications is 15/03/2018
Modern breeding techniques of maize: 20/08/2018 - 07/09/2018, deadline for applications is 8 April 2018
I-EBQ (International training on Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Qualitative research methods): 21/10/2018 - 01/12/2018, deadline for applications is 1 May 2018
Eligibility Criteria
You can only apply for a scholarship if you meet the following requisites.
Nationality and Country of Residence
A candidate should be a national and resident of one of the following 31 countries (not necessarily the same country) at the time of application:
Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Niger
Asia: Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Palestinian Territories, Vietnam
Latin America: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru
Age
The maximum age for a Master programme candidate is 35 years for an initial masters and 40 years for an advanced masters. The maximum age for a training candidate is 45 years. The candidate cannot succeed this age on January 1 of the intake year.
Please note that from 2018 onwards, age is no longer an eligibility criterion for ITP scholarship candidates. Depending on the objectives of the programme, the required knowledge of the candidates and the planned follow-up trajectories after completion of the programme, the course organizers can decide to install a selection criterion related to the age of the candidates.
Professional background and experience
VLIR-UOS gives priority to candidates who are employed in academic institutions, research institutes, governments, social economy or NGO’s, or aim a career in one of these sectors. However, also candidates employed in the profit sector or newly graduated candidates without any work experience (for Master programmes) can be eligible for the scholarship.
The training candidate should have relevant professional experience and a support letter confirming (re)integration in a professional context where the acquired knowledge and skills will be immediately applicable.
Fungibility with other VLIR-UOS funding
A scholarship is not compatible with financial support within a VLIR-UOS funded IUC- or TEAM-project. Candidates working in a university where such projects are being organized, should submit a declaration of the project leader stating that the department where the candidate is employed is not involved in the project.
Former VLIR-UOS scholarship applications and previously awarded scholarships
A candidate can only submit one VLIR-UOS scholarship application per year, irrespectively of the scholarship type. As a consequence, a candidate can only be selected for one VLIR-UOS scholarship per year.
The Master programme candidate has never received a scholarship from the Belgian government to attend a master programme or equivalent or was never enrolled in a Flemish higher education institution to attend a master programme or equivalent before January 1 of the intake year.
Selection criteria
Candidates who meet all the eligibility criteria and are ranked highest on the basis of the selection criteria, will be proposed by the university to VLIR-UOS as a candidate for the scholarship.
The following criteria will be taken into account for the selection of candidates for a scholarship:
Motivation
It is essential that the motivation and the career goals of the candidate focus on development relevant goals which are dealt within the master programme. Not only previously obtained academic results are key, but also the potential of the candidate to act as a 'change agent' in the home country after completion of the master programme.
Professional experience
Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate a higher possibility of implementing and/or transferring the newly gained knowledge upon return to the home country.
Gender
The selection committee will aim at a relative balance between the number of male and female candidates awarded a VLIR-UOS scholarship.
Regional balance
The selection committee will aim at a diversification of candidates from different countries and continents. The selection committee will also aim to award at least 50% of the available scholarships to candidates coming from Least Developed Countries or Other Low Income Countries (defined by OESO-DAC for ODA recipients), given that there are sufficient qualitative candidates from these countries.
Social background
In case of two equally qualified candidates, preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate that they belong to a disadvantaged group or area within their country or an ethnic or social minority group.
Previously awarded scholarships
Preference will be given to candidates who have never received a scholarship to study in a developed country (bachelor or master).
How to Apply
To apply for a scholarship, you first need to apply for the training or Master programme.
To apply for a training or Master programme, visit the website of the training or Master programme of your interest. Follow the guidelines for application for the programme as mentioned on its website.
In the programme application, you can mention whether you wish to apply for a scholarship. In case you do, the programme coordinator forwards your application to VLIR-UOS.
Applications submitted by the candidates to VLIR-UOS directly will not be considered!
Take into account that you can only apply for one training or Master programme per year.
The dates of application are determined by the programme. Check the website of the training or Master programme for more details.
You will receive the selection result by e-mail, as soon as possible after selection and at the latest by mid-June.
In case of doubt, please contact the training or Master programme.
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