Deadline:
April 30, 2025
Location(s)
Slovakia
Various universities
Overview
The Government of the Slovak Republic approved the establishment of the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic for the support of mobility of students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists in 2005. The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) is funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic supports mobility of international students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists for scholarship stays at higher education institutions and research organisations in Slovakia.
Details
SCHOLARSHIP STAY AND USE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP
The scholarship is intended to cover international scholarship holders’ living costs, i.e. the costs related to staying in Slovakia (food, accommodation, etc.), during their study, research/artistic or teaching stay at universities and in research organisations3 in Slovakia. The scholarship holder can ask for assistance concerning accommodation and formalities related to entering and staying in the territory of the Slovak Republic either his/her host institution, or he/she can handle all the necessities him-/herself.
[3] Legal entity according to the section 7 letters a) – c) of the Act No. 172/2005 on organisation of state research and development funding, as amended, which has a valid certificate of eligibility to carry out research and development according to the section 26a article 11 or article 12 of the same Act – i.e. public, private or state universities, research institutions eligible to carry out a doctoral (PhD) study programme (i.e. external education institutions), Slovak Academy of Sciences and its institutes, departmental research institutes or non-governmental organisations carrying out research and development.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
Selection of scholarship holders is carried out by the Selection Committee appointed by the Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. The Selection Committee award the scholarships based upon the documents attached to applicants’ online applications. The Committee focuses mostly on:
- reasons, why the applicant has decided to study, teach, conduct research or artistic activities in the respective host institution;
- programme of applicant’s study, research/artistic or teaching stay and how the applicant will use the results of his/her scholarship stay for further studies or teaching/research/artistic activities;
- applicant’s professional and personal qualities;
- study or research achievements;
- attitude of applicant’s host institution toward the applicant in the admission/invitation letter;
- overall quality of submitted application.
Scholarships and/or travel allowances are not legally enforceable; to be or not to be awarded a scholarship is influenced by meeting all the formal requirements of the programme according to the respective call for applications, applicant’s quality, content of applicant’s proposed stay and its necessity, and budget possibilities of the NSP according to the respective call for applications.
SAIA, n. o., will inform every applicant about being/not being awarded the scholarship within 8 weeks from the application deadline.
SAIA, n. o., will issue a Letter of Award (official confirmation on being awarded a scholarship in the framework of the NSP) for every scholarship holder. This document will be sent to every scholarship holder together with other information and requirements for the scholarship payment. Eligible applicants under the category A) and B) (students and PhD students) are obliged, in case of being awarded the scholarship, deliver original of confirmation on studies to SAIA, n. o., in Bratislava. This document will confirm that the scholarship holder is still a regular student or PhD student of the respective university/research organisation during his/her study/research stay in Slovakia (in case that the confirmation is issued in other than Slovak, English or Russian language, official translation of the document into one of aforementioned languages is required).
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Eligible applicants for a scholarship in the framework of the NSP:
A) students who:
- are university students at universities outside Slovakia;
- are students of the second level of higher education (master's students), or are students who at the time of application deadline have already completed at least 2.5 years of their university studies in the same study programme;
- will be on a study stay in Slovakia during their higher education outside Slovakia and who will be accepted by a public, private or state university in Slovakia for an academic mobility1 to study in Slovakia.
All 3 conditions must be met. This category does not apply to doctoral (PhD) studies (or their equivalent).
- Duration of a scholarship stay (students): 1 – 2 semesters (i.e. 4 – 5 or 9 – 10 months) or 1 – 3 trimesters, in case the academic year is divided into trimesters (i.e. 3 – 4 or 6 – 7 or 9 – 10 months).
B) PhD students whose higher education or scientific training takes place outside Slovakia and who are accepted by a public, private or state university or a research institution in Slovakia eligible to carry out a doctoral study programme2 (e.g. the Slovak Academy of Sciences) for an academic mobility1 to study/conduct research in Slovakia.
- Duration of a scholarship stay (PhD students): 1 – 10 months.
C) international university teachers, researchers and artists who are invited to a teaching/research/artistic stay in Slovakia by an institution with a valid certificate of eligibility to carry out research and development, which is not a business company3 and it has its headquarters in Slovakia.
- Duration of a scholarship stay (university teachers, researchers or artists): 1 – 10 months.
[1] Section 58a of the Act No. 131/2002 on higher education institutions, as amended.
[2] External education institution according to the Act No. 131/2002 on higher education institutions, as amended.
[3] Legal entity according to the section 7 letters a) – c) of the Act No. 172/2005 on organisation of state research and development funding, as amended, which has a valid certificate of eligibility to carry out research and development according to the section 26a article 11 or article 12 of the same Act – i.e. public, private or state universities, research institutions eligible to carry out a doctoral (PhD) study programme (i.e. external education institutions), Slovak Academy of Sciences and its institutes, departmental research institutes or non-governmental organisations carrying out research and development.
Citizens of any country in the world (except the citizens of Slovakia) can apply for a scholarship stay in Slovakia in the framework of the NSP.
The National Scholarship Programme does not support:
- international students and PhD students accepted for full higher education (bachelor, master, doctoral studies) in Slovakia, or those already studying in Slovakia (full higher education) who would like to fund their studies in Slovakia by the NSP;
- international applicants who within the period of 36 months prior to the application deadline have spent in the territory of the Slovak Republic 12 or more months (in total);
- international applicants awarded a scholarship in Slovakia in the framework of other scholarship programmes (e.g. International Visegrad Fund, Erasmus+, CEEPUS, bilateral agreements, etc.).
In case of repeated scholarship award, the following rule applies:
If the applicant has already been awarded a scholarship in the framework of the NSP for 5 or more scholarship months (in total) on the indicated closing date of the applications, he/she can be awarded the next scholarship only after 3 years from the completion of his/her last scholarship stay in the framework of the NSP.
Dates
Deadline: April 30, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Amount of the scholarship and organisation of the stay
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
