The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic 2020

What is the National scholarship programme?
In 2005 the Government of the Slovak Republic approved the creation of the National Scholarship Programme to support the mobility of students, PhD students, university professors, researchers and artists.
The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) supports educational, teaching, scientific/art internships at universities and research organizations. The program supports bilateral mobility: both foreign scholarship holders to Slovakia, as well as mobility of Slovak scholarship holders outside Slovakia.
The program provides scholarships to cover living expenses during the internship and also subsidies for travel expenses (in the case of applicants from Slovakia, this applies to all categories; in the case of applicants from abroad, this applies only to students and PhD students).

SAIA, n. o.
SAIA, n. o. (Slovak Academic Information agency) is a non-profit non-governmental organization.
It was founded in 1990. With its programs and services, it strengthens civil society and supports the internationalization of education and science in Slovakia. SAIA provides information and advice related to academic and scientific mobility, administers several scholarship and grant programs, and promotes Slovak universities and research organizations abroad.

Main SAIA programs:

• Academic mobility
• CEEPUS - Central European exchange program for university learning
• Promotion Austria - Slovakia, cooperation in the field of science and education
• National scholarship programme of the Slovak Republic
• Service centers EURAXESS for researchers

Information for foreign applicants

What is provided?

• scholarship to cover living expenses
  • to students from foreign universities for an internship at a university in Slovakia (1 - 2 semesters) during higher education (including during master’s degree), if the applicant for the scholarship will have completed at least 3 years of higher education during the internship).
  • PhD students from foreign universities/research organizations for an academic and/or scientific/ art internships (1 - 10 months), during postgraduate studies at a university/research organization in Slovakia, which has the right to implement a postgraduate program.
  • university teachers, researchers or artists from foreign universities/research organizations for teaching and/or scientific/artistic training (1 - 10 months) at a university or research organization
• Subsidies for travel expenses of students and PhD students for study or research internships in Slovakia.

What countries are eligible to apply for a scholarship?

Citizens of any country, except citizens of the Slovak Republic, can apply for a scholarship.

What is the size of the monthly scholarship?

• university student – 350 €;
• PhD student – 580 €;
• university teacher/researcher/artist:
  • without PhD degree (or its equivalent) and less than 4 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist – 580 €;
  • with PhD degree (or its equivalent) and less than 10 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist – 850 €;
  • with PhD degree (or its equivalent) and more than 10 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist – 1,000 €.

The size of the scholarship is calculated in such a way as to cover the costs of living the scholarship holder during an internship in Slovakia.

What is the size of the subsidy for travel expenses?

Students and PhD students can be awarded a travel allowance. Its size depends on the distance (straight line) between the applicant’s place of residence abroad and his place of stay in Slovakia.

• distance up to 750 km – 0 €;
• distance more than 750 km, max. 1 500 km – 100 €;
• distance more than 1,500 km, max. 5,000 km – 300 €;
• distance more than 5,000 km – 700 €.

How to apply?

Applications are submitted online at www.scholarships.sk. The system is open (at least) within 6 weeks before the application deadline. Applications for a scholarship must be submitted in the online system no later than the deadline for submitting applications. Sending the original invitation letter to SAIA Bratislava is obligatory. Detailed information regarding the application regulation and necessary documents is available on the program website. 

Application deadlines

• April 30 till 16:00 CET - internships for the next academic year;
• October 31 till 16:00 CET - internships during the summer semester of the current academic year.

Contacts

SAIA, n. o.
Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava 1
Slovak Republic 
phone number: +421-2-5930 4700, 5930 4711
fax: +421-2-5930 4701 
www.saia.sk
nsp-foreign@saia.sk (information for foreign applicants)
nsp-sk@saia.sk (information for Slovak applicants)