VLIR- UOS Masters & Training Scholarships in Belgium for African/Developing Countries 2017/2018

Application Deadline: Application Deadlines depend on candidate’s chosen programme (See’How to Apply’ link below); deadlines generally between November 2016 – March 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Developing Countries

• 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, Suriname.

To be taken at (country): Belgium

Accepted Subject Areas: Only the following English taught courses at Belgian Flemish universities or university colleges are eligible for scholarships:

Master programmes (September 2017)

• Master of Human Settlements
• Master of Science in Food Technology
• Master of Aquaculture (IMAQUA)
• Master of Epidemiology
• Master of Development Evaluation and Management
• Master of Governance and Development
• Master of Globalization and Development
• Master of Agro-and Environmental Nematology
• Master of Rural Development
• Master of Statistics
• Master of Water Resources Engineering
• Master of Sustainable Territorial Development
• Master of Transportation Sciences
• Master of Cultures and Development Studies
• Master of Science in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management (Ocenas and Lakes)

Training programmes organised in 2017 (14-90 days)

• Sustainable Development and Human Rights Law (SUSTLAW) (13/02/2017-05/05/2017)
• Health Management in Aquaculture
• Audio-visual Leaning Materials – Management, Production and Activities (AVLM)
• Food Safety, Quality Assurance and Risk Analysis
• Modern breeding techniques of maize
• I-EBQ (International training on Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Qualitative research methods)
• Clinical Nutrition – the North-South experience

About Scholarship

VLIR-UOS awards scholarships to students from developing countries to study for a master or training programme in Flanders, Belgium. VLIR-UOS funds and facilitates academic cooperation and exchange between higher education institutions in Flanders (Belgium) and those in developing countries, which aims at building capacity, knowledge and experience for a sustainable development.

The master programmes focus on specific problems of developing countries. These are designed to enable graduates to share and apply acquired knowledge in the home institution and country. In the shorter training programmes the focus is on transferring skills rather than knowledge, thus creating opportunities for cooperation and networking.

Selection Criteria: The following criteria will be taken into account for the selection of candidates for a scholarship:

• Motivation. The candidate who is not able to convincingly motivate his application, is unlikely to be selected for a scholarship.
• 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. In case of two equally qualified candidates of different sexes, preference will be given to the female candidate.
• Regional balance. The selection commission tries to ensure that 50% of a 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.
• Previously awarded scholarships: Preference will be given to candidates who have never received a scholarship to study in a developed country (bachelor or master).

Eligibility: You can only apply for a scholarship if you meet the following requisites.

1. Fungibility with other VLIR-UOS funding: A scholarship within the VLIR-UOS scholarship programme is not compatible with financial support within an 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.
2. Age: The maximum age for an ICP candidate is 35 years for an initial masters and 40 years for an advanced masters. The maximum age for an ITP candidate is 45 years. The candidate cannot succeed this age on January 1 of the intake year.
3. Nationality and Country of Residence: A candidate should be a national and resident of one of the 31 countries of the VLIR-UOS country list for scholarships (not necessarily the same country) at the time of application.
4. 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 (ICP and ITP) or newly graduated candidates without any work experience (ICP) can be eligible for the scholarship. The ITP 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.
5. 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.
6. The ICP 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

Number of Awardees: VLIR-UOS will award up to 180 scholarships to first-year master students and 70 scholarships to training participants.

Value of Scholarship: The scholarship covers ALL related expenses (full cost).

Duration of Scholarship: The master programmes will last for one or two academic years while the shorter training programmes will last 14 to 90 days.

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!

Visit Scholarship Webpage for more details

Sponsors: The Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) responsible actor for the Belgian government

Important Notes: All scholars are obliged to return to their country of origin as soon as possible after the study or training programme has ended. Candidates selected for a VLIR-UOS scholarship will be contacted by VLIR-UOS latest mid June.