Applications are invited
for VLIR-UOS Scholarships for
students of Developing Countries to
pursue training and masters programme at a Flemish university or
university college in Belgium. The training and master programmes are
taught in English. The master programmes last for one or two
academic years and the training programmes last for one to four
months. The scholarships cover all related expenses. The candidate is
not older than 40 years (on 1 January2014) when applying for a scholarship
to follow a master programme or not older than 45 years when applying for a
scholarship to follow a training programme. Applications that are
sent to VLIR-UOS directly by the candidate will not be considered. The
deadline for applications is determined according to the universities
programme.
Study Subject (s): Students can only apply for following
master (ICP) or training (ITP) programmes that are recognized and funded by
VLIR-UOS. International Master Programmes 2013-2014: Master of Science in
Development Evaluation and Management, Globalisation and Development,
Governance and Development and Human Settlements. International Master
Programmes 2013-2015: Master of Science in Aquaculture, Biology –
Specialisation Human Ecology, Statistics – Specialisation Biostatistics,
Environmental Sanitation, Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management (Oceans
& Lakes), Molecular Biology (IPMB), Nematology, Nutrition and Rural
Development, Physical Land Resources, Food Technology and Water Resources
Engineering. International Training Programmes 2013: Lib@Web : Management
of Electronic Information and Digital Libraries, Audio Visual Learning
Materials – Management, Production and Activities (AVLM), Human Rights for
Development (‘HR4DEV’), Road safety in Low and Middle-Income Countries:
Challenges and Strategies for Improvement, Technology for Integrated Water
Management, Dairy Nutrition and International Training Programme in Food
Safety, Quality Assurance Systems and Risk Analysis.
Course Level: Scholarships are offered for training and masters
programme at a Flemish university or university college in Belgium.
Scholarship Provider: VLIR-UOS
Scholarship can be taken at: Belgium
Eligibility:
-The candidate is a resident and national of one of the countries on
the country list (not necessarily the same country for residence and
nationality). Please note that candidates must reside in one of these countries
at the moment of application.
-The candidate is not older than 40 years (on 1 January2014) when applying
for a scholarship to follow a master programme or not older than 45 years when
applying for a scholarship to follow a training programme.
-The candidate was not enrolled in a master (or equivalent) programme (with or
without a scholarship) at a Flemish university before.
-Present employment or reintegration perspectives are required for a training
programme. The candidate must be currently employed or have a written (future)
employer’s guarantee of (re) integration in an employment where the acquired
knowledge and skills will be immediately applicable. Professional experience
and employment (perspectives) are not required for a master programme, but they
can be a competitive advantage for selection, depending on the programme.
-Earlier applications and scholarships:
The candidate cannot apply for more than one VLIR-UOS scholarship per year.
The candidate must never have received a master scholarship funded by the
Belgian government before 1 January 2014.
The candidate is only admissible for a training programme scholarship if he or
she has never received a VLIR-UOS scholarship for a training programme before.
-Only for employees of a university that currently receives support from
VLIR-UOS through the IUC programme or TEAM programme: you need a
letter or statement from the IUC or TEAM coordinator stating that your
department is not involved in IUC or TEAM. Contact the programme manager in the
IUC or TEAM office at your university for further information.
Scholarship Open for
International Students: Africa: Benin, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon,
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,
Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Asia:
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Nepal,
Palestinian Territories, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Latin America:
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala,
Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and
Uruguay.
Scholarship Description: VLIR-UOS awards scholarships to students
from 54 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin-America, to follow
training or master programme at a Flemish university or university college in
Belgium. The training and master programmes are taught in English. They are
designed to enable graduates to assume positions of responsibility in their
country of origin. The master programmes, lasting one or two academic
years, focus on specific problems of developing countries and/or are relevant
to developing countries in a more general sense. They are designed to enable
graduates to share and apply acquired knowledge in the home institution and
country. In the training programmes, lasting one to four months, the
focus is on updating and adding knowledge, as well as about transferring
acquired skills that are relevant to individuals working in institutions in
developing countries.
Duration of
award(s): The master
programmes last one or two academic years and the training
programmes last one to four months.
What does it cover? The scholarships cover all related
expenses.
Selection
Criteria: All eligible candidates’
files are evaluated by the programmes and shortlisted on the basis of the
following selection criteria:
Motivation: It is essential that the candidate’s motivation and future career
perspective and the pertinence of the programme for which he or she applies in
that respect, is clearly written down. The candidate who is not able to
convincingly motivate his application, is unlikely to be selected for a
scholarship.
Knowledge transfer: The candidate should demonstrate his or her ability to
transfer knowledge or create extension activities in his or her home country
afterwards, and determine the developmental dimension of these activities.
“Developmental” ideally refers to national or subnational economic, social and
/or environmental development plans of the national or subnational government,
or commonly known developmental problems or challenges of the country
concerned.
Professional experience: The training programme candidate demonstrates professional
experience, preferably in a research institution, a higher education
institution, the government sector (national/subnational), the sector of social
economy, an international organization or an NGO. This is not required
but preferred for master scholarship applications. Professional experience in
terms of experience or expertise in matters relevant to development is
preferential.
Present employment/reintegration perspectives. The training programme candidate
demonstrates an employment status or reintegration perspectives, preferably in
a research institution, a higher education institution, the government sector
(national/subnational), the sector of social economy, or an NGO, but not in the
commercial for profit sector, is required for training programme scholarship
applications. It is not required but preferred for master scholarship
applications. Preferably this employment implies the possibility to generate an
impact through the transfer of knowledge, extension activities or otherwise.
Candidates for a training programme should add awritten statementof their
employer confirming the current employment and the reintegration after the
programme. The statement should also confirm the added value of the training
for the applicant and the organization. For a master student, this certificate
is not necessary, but it can be of added value in the selection procedure,
depending on the programme.
-Previous scholarships: Priority will be given to the application of a
candidate for a master programme who has not been granted a scholarship before.
For a candidate for a training programme, the selection committee assesses the
opportunity of awarding a VLIR-UOS scholarship, taking into consideration the
candidates’ previous study and scholarship curriculum.
-Gender: In case of two equally qualified candidates of different sexes,
preference will be given to the female candidate. The selection commission will
aim at a parity or relative balance between the number of male and female
candidates awarded a VLIR-UOS scholarship.
-Regional balance: The selection commission tries to ensure that 50% of the
programme’s scholarships are granted to candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa,
provided there is a sufficient number of qualifying candidates from this
region.
-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, especially when these candidates can provide proof of
leadership potential.
Notification: Candidates selected for a VLIR-UOS scholarship
will be contacted by VLIR-UOS around mid June 2014 at the latest, in order to
start up the visa and flight procedure.
How to Apply: You can apply for a scholarship by
following the guidelines for application on the website of the training or
master programme of your interest. In case of doubt, please contact the
training or master programme. Applications that are sent to VLIR-UOS
directly by the candidate will not be considered. Once can apply for a
programme without applying for a scholarship. Candidates who apply for both but
in the end are not awarded a scholarship, can still register if they are
willing and able to secure own funding or other funding than the VLIR-UOS
scholarship. After having submitted your application file to the programme
of your choice, you will be asked to send a printout of your application file
along with all required documents (diploma transcripts, motivation, etc.) to
the International Office of the host university or university college (not to
VLIR-UOS!).
Scholarship Application
Deadline: The deadline for
applications is determined according to the universities programme. Check
the list of eligible programmes 2014 to find out which calls for
scholarships are currently open.
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