Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) Scholarship
The Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) is a full scholarship available to professionals working in (urban) development from a number of developing countries offered by Nuffic. Financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this programme aims to contribute to a society’s sustainable and inclusive development by offering access to education and training to professionals and organisations. There are 3 application rounds per year. You can find the details about each application round in the programme calendarOpens external.
On this page you can find the following information:
- Eligibility criteria and application procedure
- Deadlines and eligible courses
- FAQ regarding the OKP Fellowship
- OKP Interest Registration Form
All candidates who wish to apply for the fellowship need to first submit an application for the academic course of their choice. The following IHS academic courses are eligible for the upcoming spring deadline (Application Round 1, 2021):
What is the application procedure?
Step 1
Check the scholarship eligibility criteria below. To be eligible for the programme you must meet all of these requirements:
- a) Be a professional and national of, and working and living in one of the following countries:▪ Afghanistan ▪ Bangladesh ▪ Benin ▪ Burkina Faso ▪ Burundi ▪ Colombia ▪ Congo (DRC) ▪ Egypt ▪ Ethiopia ▪ Ghana ▪ Guatemala ▪ Guinea ▪ Iraq (new) ▪ Jordan ▪ Kenya ▪ Lebanon ▪ Liberia ▪ Mali ▪ Mozambique ▪ Myanmar ▪ Niger ▪ Nigeria ▪ Palestinian Territories ▪ Rwanda ▪ Senegal ▪ Sierra Leone ▪ Somalia ▪ South Africa ▪ South Sudan ▪ Sudan ▪ Suriname ▪ Tanzania ▪ Tunisia ▪ Uganda ▪ Vietnam ▪ Yemen ▪ Zambia
- Important update on 25 November 2020: the following countries are no longer participating in this fellowship programme: Albania, Armenia, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe. Candidates from these countries are no longer eligible for this fellowship programme. This change is permanent and is effective as from the 2020 Round 3.
- b) Have an employer’s statement that complies with a prescribed format (template will be provided via invitation). All information must be provided and all commitments that are included in the format must be endorsed in the statement. (You will not be eligible for the fellowship if you fail to submit this document);
- c) Not be employed by an organization that has its own means of staff-development. Organizations that are considered to have their own means for staff development are for example:
- Multinational corporations (e.g. Shell, Unilever, Microsoft)
- Large national and/or a large commercial organisations
- Bilateral donor organisations (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid),
- Multilateral donor organisations, (e.g. a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB)
- International NGO’s (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care).
- d) Have an official and valid passport.
- e) Knock-out criteria: Your background fits into one or more priority areas as mentioned in the “OKP country focus document” (see below). This is a knock-out criteria by the OKP programme as your fellowship application will not enter the assessment stage if you do not meet this criteria.
OKP Country focus document – updated November 2020
Step 2
Check which IHS academic courses qualify for the current OKP deadline on this web page or in this programme calendarOpens external. Note the application deadlines.
Step 3
Select your preferred IHS course and apply for it. To apply, visit the page of your chosen course and check the information on the Admission page under this course. Keep in mind that preparing your course application may take some time. We advise you to start on it well in time.
Step 4
Once admitted to the academic course, you will be invited by IHS via email invitation to apply for the OKP fellowship. Keep a close eye on your email. More details will be provided in your admission email.
Step 5
The fellowship outcome will be announced by email (check the programme calendar for the expected outcome date). IHS will send you your application outcome on behalf of Nuffic OKP programme. If you are awarded the fellowship, IHS will take care of the further pre-arrival arrangements for you.
When are the deadlines for OKP applicants?
Eligible programmes:
- Masters programme in Urban Management and Development (all 6 tracks)
Short courses:
- 3-month course on Urban Management and Good Governance in Complex Contemporary Cities
- 3-week course on Developing Social Housing Projects
| IHS academic deadline: | 28 February 2021 |
| OKP application deadline. This is the period in which you apply for the OKP scholarship. Note that you will be invited to do so by IHS only if you are admitted to your preferred course. | 21 March 2021 |
| Expected selection outcome | mid-June 2021 |
To find out more information about this scholarship you may want to visit the Nuffic website
Source: www.ihs.nl
