EC Offering a host of Scholarships to Indian Students

Sitra (Finnish National Fund for Research and Development) and the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) offer fellowships for postgraduate studies, research as also teaching institutions in Finland. The scholarship carries euro 800-2,500 a month and an additional euro 1,000 as a travel grant. The pre-requisite for applying is that the visiting student or researcher has established contacts with the Finnish host university or research insitute in advance. For more information log on to http://www.sitra.fi/en

Slovakia awards a National Scholarship Programme (NSP) for students, Ph.D. pupils, university teachers and researchers. The partial scholarships are available for part of Master studies from one to two semesters, Ph.D., work for one to 12 months and for research institutes or non-governmental organisations. For details log on to http://www.saia.sk/

The European Commission (EC) is also offering a host of scholarships to Indian students as part of the Erasmus Mundus Programme - named after the famous reformist in early 16th century, Erasmus, who lived independent of country, religion and everything that could interfere with the free development of his philosophy and thought.

The above programme is supported by a network of consortia of European countries that grant scholarships and financial aid to students from non-European countries interested in pursuing their education abroad. The scheme has been on offer in India for the past few years at the Masters level. European universities send their recommendations regarding scholarships to the European Commission. And the EC's specialised agency, based in Brussels, makes the final selection of qualified students.