MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP)

The MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP) aims to build bridges through knowledge by offering opportunities for capacity building within organisations in the Middle East and North Africa. It enables young professional impact makers to take part in short courses in the Netherlands, and it facilitates tailor made training for organisations in the region.

The MSP focuses on building strong relations between the participating countries and the Netherlands by fostering strong alumni networks. It contributes to mutual understanding and knowledge sharing. The programme is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Shiraka programme and managed by Nuffic.

The MSP scholarship programme is open to professionals who are nationals of - and living and working in - one of the countries listed below:

• Algeria
• Egypt
• Iran
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Oman
• Sudan*
• Tunisia

*Due to the current circumstances Sudan will not be part of the MSP scholarships application rounds in 2025.

Syria

MSP is not currently open to professionals applying for scholarships from Syria. Applicants with the Syrian nationality may apply if they are residing and working in one of the other MSP countries listed.

The next scholarship rounds will open on the 1st of April, 2025. More information can be found on Study in NL.

Staff of the same organisation or a group of professionals with similar training needs can apply for Tailor-made Training (TMT), given by a Dutch knowledge provider. Organisations with a training need in one of the focus areas selected for their country can submit an application. If the application is selected for funding, Nuffic will publish a call to search for a Dutch training provider who can customise training to meet the needs of the local organisation. Calls for proposals are published regularly, inviting organisations to apply. Specific criteria will be published in a call for proposals.

A TMT provides accessible (regional) training, which is customised to the participants’ actual work environment. It is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of a group of professionals with common training needs and/or the overall functioning of an organisation.

To calls for proposals

When communicating about the MENA Scholarship Programme, please mention;

• the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the funder of the programme;
• use the abbreviation 'MSP' only after mentioning the full name: MENA Scholarship Programme;
• refer to Nuffic as the manager of the programme

For visual communication items;

• use the logo of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the funder of this programme;
• use the MSP Nuffic logo;

As an implementer in the programme we ask you to share experiences and impact stories of alumni with us, and other on social media. To connect with us please tag us at @NufficGLobalDevelopment at LinkedIn or Facebook. For more information on communications please contact msp@nuffic.nl

Promotional material
You are welcome to help us promote the programme with the following material;

• MSP Flyer (12.9 MB)
• MSP experience video - | Elmehdaoui Amel
• MSP alumni on studying in the Netherlands
• Social media posts on MSP, shared on our LinkedIn or Facebook

For more information on the programme, please send an email to msp@nuffic.nl.

When we implement our programme, we acknowledge our Code of Conduct. In our Code of Conduct we describe how we put our mission and values into practice every day. We explain the professional and ethical behaviour that is expected from all of us and those who handle MSP group training.

Read our Code of Conduct