European Union Scholarships III Programme
For the Academic Year 2009/2010
Local Grant Scheme
Call for Expression of Interest

1. Purpose:

In line with the objective of bringing the Turkish Cypriot community closer to the European Union (EU), scholarships will be awarded in order to offer additional educational opportunities to Turkish Cypriot undergraduate students, graduates and teachers, raising their knowledge in a technical field and offering the experience of carrying on studies and living in another EU Member State for a better understanding of the EU.

2. Studies:

The European Union Scholarships III programme addresses undergraduate university students, graduates, and teachers . Please note that a scholarship is awarded for the duration of study in another EU Member State, up to a maximum of one academic year and cannot be extended or postponed. For undergraduate students and graduates the period of studies must consist of a full academic year of the programme in the host university starting in autumn 2009, academic calendars varying in different countries.

Scholarships for undergraduate students:

The European Union Scholarships III Programme promotes student mobility. A student enrolled in an undergraduate Turkish Cypriot curriculum will be able to study for one full academic year in another EU Member State university.

Scholarships for graduates:

Scholarships will also cover one academic year of a postgraduate degree at a University  in another Member State. There is no limitation to specific fields or studies/faculty. However, students applying to study in certain areas; Macro Economics, Agricultural Economics, Law, European Studies, Development Studies, Statistics, Econometrics, All Engineering Fields, Urban Planning, Urban Conservation, Spatial/Regional Planning, Water Management, Hydrogeology, Microbiology, Interpretation/Translation, Public Administration, Public Finance will be given priority. Priority will also be given to students who have not already studied in a University in another Member State. Preference will be given to those who can prove that they will be offered a job in the northern part of Cyprus upon completion of their studies. Applications are especially welcome from those already in employment who wish to upgrade job-specific skills.      

Scholarships for teachers:

The European Union Scholarships Programme also allows for teacher training. Teachers, will be able to follow a maximum of one year’s training in another EU Member State university. Such training should represent an added value to the applicants’ teaching skills. There is no limitation to a specific field of studies/faculty. However, the following areas will be given priority; Special Education, School Management, Preschool Education, Program Developing, Classroom Management, Applied Maths, Applied Science, Testing/Assesment.
 
3. Scholarship Includes:

These grants are intended as a contribution towards covering the extra costs involved in studying abroad. A lump sum allowance of € 15,000 shall be granted for one academic year to cover academic fees, the costs of living in the host country and the travel expenses (economy class). For shorter periods of study studies the grant will be reduced pro rata.

Please note that this programme is not a “full scholarship” programme. The allowance may not cover the full cost of living abroad.

4. Eligibility criteria:

Undergraduate Students:
• Must be from the Turkish Cypriot community,
• Must be registered in a university in the northern part of Cyprus and not be eligible for  the Erasmus programme,
• Must have completed at least one year of university studies,
• Must have sufficient foreign language knowledge to continue studying in the language of teaching of the host university or equivalent institution of higher education,
• Must be in good physical health
• May not benefit from a scholarship from another source for the proposed programme.

Graduates:
• Must be from the Turkish Cypriot community,
• Must hold a University Degree, (or obtain a University Degree before the signature of the contract)
• Must have sufficient foreign language knowledge to continue to study in the language of teaching of the host university or equivalent institution of higher education,
• Must be in good physical health,
• Must not benefit from a scholarship from another source for the proposed programme.

Teachers:
• Must be from the Turkish Cypriot community,
• Must be a teacher working in a University or a school in the northern part of Cyprus, 
• Must have sufficient foreign language knowledge to study in the language of teaching of the host university
• Must be in good physical health. 
• Must not benefit from a scholarship from another source for the proposed programme.

Applicants who do not comply with all the above eligibility criteria will be rejected.

5. Important Notes:

• Up to 200 scholarships will be granted for the academic year 2009-2010. 130 of these scholarships will be granted to undergraduate students and graduates and 70 scholarships  to teachers. The deadline for application is 25 February 2009, 18.00 hrs Cyprus time.

• The academic year 2009-2010 is considered to run from September 2009 to September 2010. Teacher grantees applying for short term summer courses should choose programmes taking place in summer 2010.   

• All grantees are required to come back to the northern part of Cyprus upon completion of their studies.

• There are separate application packages for Undergraduate Students, Graduates and Teachers, please make sure to use the appropriate package. They can all be downloaded from the following website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome ; please choose “Others”, “Cyprus”, tick on “grants” and “open”, then “search” and look for “EU SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME III” in the results.
 
• Each application package contains an application form. It is mandatory that you prepare and complete the application form yourself. Forms that show evidence of being prepared and/or completed by third parties (eg consultants) will be rejected. You must sign the form before submitting your application. Unsigned forms will be rejected.

• In case of a need for clarification, please send your question(s) 21 days before the deadline (i.e. before 4 February 2009) to the following address: Bu e-Posta adresi istek dışı postalardan korunmaktadır, görüntülüyebilmek için JavaScript etkinleştirilmelidir . The questions will be compiled and answered in two tranches, the second being published at the latest 11 days before the deadline (i.e. before 14 February 2009) on the webpage https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome ; as mentioned above, please chose “Others”, “Cyprus”, tick on “grants” and “open”, then “search” and look for clarifications of the “EU SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME III” in the results.

• You are advised not to submit your form before checking carefully both tranches of questions and answers.

• Please note that you will be required to submit an acceptance letter from the university you plan to attend as a precondition for final award of the grant. It is not necessary to submit the acceptance letter together with your application form.

• For teachers, the Turkish Cypriot University/ School where the Applicant is enrolled for teaching must fill in and sign the Acknowledgment Form (Annex 1).  

• There is no condition for Graduates to hold a job. However, priority will be given to those that can prove that they will be offered a job in the northern part of Cyprus upon completion of their studies. The job offer form in Annex 1 shall only be used if applicable. 

• The Application Form must be filled in correctly, typed or handwritten in block letters to ensure easy reading, and must be mailed in one (1) original and two (2) copies, together with all supporting documents requested therein (see checklist on the first page of the application form), to:
European Commission
DG Enlargement
Task Force for the Turkish Cypriot Community
Office CHAR 04/005
B-1049 Brussels – BELGIUM

Please allow enough time for delivery to Brussels. It is your responsibility to ensure that the document is received in Brussels before the deadline. Delays in the mail system will not be taken into consideration. Application packages may also be hand delivered during business hours [9.00-18.00] to:

EU Programme Support Office
38-44 Girne Cad.
Nicosia
Cyprus

A receipt will be given upon request

The outer envelope must bear the reference “EU Scholarships III Programme – 2009/2010”, the full name and address of the applicant and the words “Not to be opened before the opening session”.

Applicants who do not comply with the requirements under this bullet point may be rejected.

6. Deadline:

The deadline for the applications is 25 February 2009 at 18:00 hours Cyprus time. Applications received after this deadline will be rejected.

7. Evaluation of applications

The received applications will be evaluated firstly according to the formal administrative requirements and the eligibility criteria, and secondly in terms of quality of the proposed course of study (where and what does the applicant want to study… etc.) Please refer to Annex 2 for information on evaluation stages and criteria.

8. Short-listing and interviews

The 250 technically best candidates will be short-listed and invited for an interview. In case more than one applicant obtains the same score as the 250th position, all such applicants will be interviewed. The aim of the interview is to determine if pre-selected students have the capacity and the motivation to follow classes in another Member State in a foreign language.

9. Signature of the contract

The selected applicants will sign a contract and will receive an advance payment of 80% of the scholarship amount see enclosed a draft contract template with annexes, for information. Please note that the final version of the contract and its annexes might slightly differ from the draft). A final payment of 20% will be madee upon succcessful completion of studies and submission of the required report.
 
Please note that the European Commission will not be able to help applicants find an accommodation. Applicants may contact the international department of their host university/institution in order to know what kind of help they can expect.

For teachers, please note that the European Commission will not be able to negotiate the conditions of their contracts with their Turkish Cypriot university/school. Applicants will have to clarify themselves the contractual/financial arrangements related to their salary and their return.

10. Non-Compliance with the Contract Conditions

In case of non-compliance with the contract conditions, (e.g. non-completion of your course, or non-return to the northern part of Cyprus upon completion of your studies, etc…) the grantee undertakes to repay the grant to the contracting authority.

Annex 2

European Union Scholarships III Programme For the Academic Year 2009/2010

Evaluation steps

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS Check on :

GRADUATESCheck on:

TEACHERSCheck on :