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 an amount of €9,000 and is intended, for example, to increase knowledge or an international orientation in the form of a study programme, internship or project. The scholarship is absolutely not intended for (partly) funding a PhD programme. Applications focused on following a study programme at the university where they also obtained a master's degree or a PhD, will not be approved.
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.
The plan must be compiled by the candidate. The plan must illustrate the connection with the assessment criteria described below. It is an advantage if the winner fulfils an exemplary role.
criteria
The panel applies the following assessment criteria:
- Candidates must have obtained a master's degree or a PhD from the University of Twente;
- The preference is for women whose parents did not benefit from an academic study programme;
- The application is important for the candidate's personal development (it must concern a groundbreaking and/or cross-discipline step or new direction in her career, or a strong international focus achieved by cooperating with one or more prominent foreign institutions);
- The preference is for women who have already built up a career, but women at the beginning of their career may also apply for the scholarship if their application satisfies the third criterion to a high degree;
- The application is feasible;
- The application will be implemented at a well-known educational or research institution or company, at home or abroad;
- The application must clearly demonstrate why the scholarship is essential for taking the career in a new direction;
- The application must demonstrate the way in which the candidate is building on her previous education.
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.
Application checklist to accompany the application you must include a plan of action, which consists of:
- A brief description of your career to date, including a CV;
- A brief description of the intended step or new direction in your career (see criterion 3) 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, supported by a letter of recommendation/admission letter from a professor or institute where the candidate will follow the study programme;
- A description of any applications related to other funds for this plan;
- A budget and timeline.
NB: the action plan as a whole is limited in length (max. three A4s excluding CV and appendixes).
Selection
The plans will be assessed by a panel consisting of a previous winner of this scholarship, an external member, a female researcher from the University of Twente and a University of Twente Fund Board member.
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 end result must be established by means of a qualification, certificate or diploma. The candidate has four years to accomplish her plan. Exceptional situations will be assessed by the University Fund in consultation with Ms. van Damme or a representative of the Van Damme Network (network of former winners). The University Fund follows the progress the winner makes in her plan.
REgistration and procedure
Candidacies for the Marina van Damme Scholarship opened as of June 15th, 2024. Deadline for pre-registration is August 15th, 2024. Nominations may be submitted up to September 4th, 2024, to: Twente University Fund, attentioned Karen Wannyn – Spiegel, room 109 - PO Box 217 7500 AE Enschede, or by e-mail: universiteitsfonds@utwente.nl