NICHE, looking back on a good year
At the start of the new year, Nuffic looks back at the progress that was made in the Netherlands Initiative for Capacity development in Higher Education (NICHE) programme in 2012. Effectiveness, relevance and simplification are the key words.
Allocated grants
In 2012, 25 grants were allocated to NICHE projects in eleven different countries. This amounts to € 34.4 million. Mozambique received the most grants, six in total. The projects range from small and relatively straightforward to large and complex consortia.
Priorities
The grants support post-secondary education and training capacity in four focus themes: water, food security, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and security and the rule of law. Requesting organisations are supported by Dutch, local and regional expertise. Close coordination with the Dutch embassies ensures that all projects are in line with the development policy of the recipient countries and match local priorities.
Less is more
Effectiveness and relevance scored high in an 
external evaluation that was conducted last summer. Points for improvement were also formulated, especially on efficiency. Therefore, and, based on feedback from our partners, Nuffic decided to review some of its documentation to simplify the procedures. In 2013, Nuffic aims to continue this path of ‘less is more’, making project management easier while preserving accountability.