Orange Knowledge Programme - Overview

The Orange Knowledge Programme is a Dutch capacity building programme. It contributes to societies’ social and economic development by strengthening knowledge and skills of professionals and organisations. This is achieved through focusing on education, in collaboration with Dutch knowledge organisations.

• Funder: the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Manager: Nuffic Global Development
• Duration: from mid-2017 to mid-2024
• Countries: projects are ongoing in up to 54 countries; currently new opportunities are available for 28 countries

Aim

The aim of the programme is based on the Netherlands’ development cooperation policy. The programme:

• strengthens knowledge and skills of professionals active in the priority fields through scholarships and training;
• builds the capacity of organisations in higher education and TVET (Technical Vocational Education & Training), in collaboration with Dutch knowledge institutions.

For more information please check our Theory of Change Orange Knowledge Programme (343.28 kB).

The programme offers opportunities in fields related to the priority themes of the Dutch government:

• Food and nutrition security
• Water, energy and climate
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Security and the rule of law

The countries in the programme each focus on one or more of these themes. Together with the local embassy we decide which themes are applicable for each country. We do this by focusing on the local needs of each participating country.

In addition, the following cross-cutting themes are important in all participating countries:

• Private sector development
• Inclusivity of women and marginalised groups
• Environment

To check which themes apply for your country, or for the country you would like to collaborate with, check the country themes page.

Instruments

The Orange Knowledge Programme consists of 4 types of funding, referred to as 'instruments':

• institutional collaboration projects
  large-scale projects in which Dutch and local education institutions work together;
• group training (Tailor-Made Training - TMT, TMT Plus, refresher courses)
  3 different types of training to support local organisations by training a selected group of staff;
• individual scholarships for mid-career professionals
  funding for individual professionals who work at organisations active in priority areas, to follow a master's or short course in the Netherlands;
• alumni activities
  activities that contribute to diplomatic relations and sustainable development by investing in local alumni.

The countries are divided in 2 categories:

• Full-programme countries or 'category A' countries: in these countries, all instruments are available.
• Compact-programme or 'category B' countries: in these countries there are no institutional collaboration projects. All the other instruments are available in these countries.

Below is an overview of the countries participating in the Orange Knowledge Programme. Please note that the country list may be subject to change for calls in 2023.

* Due to current circumstances, Sudan and Uganda will not be part of the OKP scholarships application rounds in 2023.

Please note: always check the specific call on available instruments and eligible countries.

Organisations

Interested in funding for an institutional collaboration project or group training? We announce our new opportunities on our open calls page.

Is your Dutch education institution interested in hosting individual Orange Knowledge scholarship holders? Find out more on our individual scholarships page.

We advise new institutions interested in participating in the programme to subscribe to the programme updates and/or to contact okp@nuffic.nl.

Embassies

Wondering how to make most out of the Orange Knowledge Programme for your country? Check our embassy information page.

Individuals

Are you a looking for an individual scholarship to study to the Netherlands? Check the information on our Study in NL website.

Already graduated and/or part of an alumni association? Connect with us on LinkedIn!

See opportunities for funding on our page on open calls for group training.

The official policy framework of the programme was published in the Staatscourant, the Netherlands government's gazette, in March 2018 (in Dutch). In August 2018, an amendment about extra funding was published. An additional amendment was published in February 2023 (138.77 kB) on an extension.

As part of our procedures, we publish official programme specifications in the government gazette every quarter. These include budget allocations per instrument and modifications regarding participating countries and/or priority themes.

To view these publications, please check our policy documents page.

If your training or project is granted funding, you are committed to implementing the project and reporting on its progress and outcomes. To give you some guidance, we have gathered all information you need to submit a report and, if applicable, to close your OKP group training or institutional collaboration project.

How to submit a report

There are Orange Knowledge activities ongoing in up to 54 countries:

Check our interactive map on Akvo RSR (akvoapp.org)

We have also summarised the results in our annual reports:

• Annual report 2021 (4.80 MB)
• Annual report 2020 (4.72 MB)
• Annual report 2019 (6.14 MB)
• Highlights of the 2018 annual report

For more examples, read our news articles on the Orange Knowledge Programme.

Staff of education institutions and participating organisations can contact our contact persons. Scholarship holders need to contact their education institution for more information.

Subscribe to our Orange Knowledge newsletter to get information on calls, deadlines and stories:

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