Criteria & registration

Do you want to take your career in a new direction? The Marina van Damme scholarship can help you do so!

With the Marina van Damme Scholarship Ms. Van Damme, the Delft University Fund, Eindhoven University Fund, University Fund Wageningen and the Twente University Fund aim to support talented female alumni that completed their master's programme and PhD at one of the four technical universities in the Netherlands (TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, Wageningen University and the University of Twente) that need a nudge to take the next step or a new direction in their career. The scholarship consists of a cash prize of € 9,000 and an award. This prize is intended for broadening or deepening knowledge in the form of, for example, a training program, module or courses at an accredited institution. 

CANDIDATES

Candidacies may be submitted to the University of Twente Fund by the University of Twente alumna. A plan must accompany the candidacy indicating the developments the candidate has made after completing her study programme, including a curriculum vitae, her dream and motivation, the steps she believes she can take to achieve them and how she intends to use the scholarship to do so. She also describes how she thinks the Marina van Damme Network can help her and what value she brings to the network. Application for this scholarship should be made by the candidate herself to the university fund of the 4TU university where she obtained her degree.

criteria

The panel applies the following assessment criteria:

1. Candidates must have obtained a master's degree or a PhD from the University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, or Wageningen University & Research. Preference is given to alumnae from technical fields of study working in a technological environment.
2. The application is important for the candidate's personal development. It must concern:
   a. a groundbreaking and/or cross-discipline step,
   b. or new direction in her career. 
3. Preference will be given to women who have already established a career (at least 4 years of work experience outside the home university, a PhD track will only be considered if a career in academia is pursued)
4. The preference is for women whose parents did not benefit from an academic study programme;
5. The application is demonstrably feasible within 4 years;
6. The application will be implemented at a well-known educational or research institution or company, at home or abroad;
7. The application should clearly demonstrate why the scholarship is essential for realising the step or turn in their career and how they intend to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in their professional career;
8. The application must demonstrate the way in which the candidate is building on her previous education;
9. The application clearly shows the added value the Marina van Damme Network offers for the candidate's career development and the contribution the candidate herself would be able and willing to make to the network;
10. It is permissible, and may even support the candidacy, for a candidate to also apply for additional funding from other funds. Therefore it is desirable and advisable that candidates explicitly cite any additional applications in the application. 

Plan of Action

A Plan of Action (max three A4 excluding CV and appendices) must be attached to the candidature, including:

• A brief description of your education and career to date;
• A brief description of the intended step or new direction in your career (see criterion 2) and its importance for your personal development;
• A brief explanation of how the scholarship will be used to achieve the intended step or new direction;
• A brief explanation of how the candidate plans to apply the acquired knowledge and skills within her professional career in the future;
• A brief explanation of the feasibility of the plan, including the extent to which the candidate will have the necessary space in her current job to undertake the training/course, preferably supported by a letter of recommendation/admission from the institute where the training will be received;
• A brief explanation of what added value the Marina van Damme network has for the candidate's career, as well as the contribution the candidate can/will make to the network;
• A description of any applications related to other funds for this plan; 
   

In addition, we would like to receive as attachments:

• A budget and timeline;
  The grant is expressly not intended to (co)finance a PhD degree project or start-up. Goods, travel or accommodation expenses, may be eligible for limited reimbursement from the scholarship, costs should be in balance with the overall plan. The financial explanation and the plan show how the scholarship contributes to the personal development and career step of the candidate.
• Your CV (max. 2 A4);
• A high-resolution photograph of you which, should you be nominated and/or receive the scholarship, may be used when announcing the nominees and winners.

Selection

The plans will be assessed by a jury. The jury may preselect nominees who will be asked to further explain their plan through an interview or presentation. Grant awards will be announced through the University Funds.

ACCOUNTABILITY

After the panel awards the scholarship the winner may begin implementing her plan. The awarded amount may be declared, possibly in parts, by submitting (collective) receipts that justify the expenditure. The candidate can consult with the University Fund about payment of an advance, if this is necessary.

The candidate has four years to accomplish her plan. The University Fund will follow the winner in the progress of her plan. Exceptional situations will be assessed by the University Fund in consultation with Ms Van Damme, or a representative of the Marina van Damme Foundation, and the jury. The end result must be established by means of a qualification, certificate or diploma. In addition, the winner is expected to share a final report reflecting on the application of the scholarship and the impact on her career.

REgistration and procedure

Candidacies for the Marina van Damme Scholarship opened as of April 1st, 2025. By sending an email to universiteitsfonds@utwente.nl you can submit your pre-application, the deadline for this is 15 June. You can submit your plan using this form until 15 July at the latest. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Wannyn at the above e-mail address.