EU Scholarship Scheme in Kosovo

The “EU Scholarships Scheme” is an EU funded project for the implementation of the EU Scholarships Scheme for Kosovo. The Programme, named  “Young Cell Scheme” aims to support development within the Kosovo Civil Service, bringing in newly trained specialists in different sectors of EU integration. This year the YCS is in its 9th Round. The project is managed by EC (the European Commission Liaison Office to Kosovo) and implemented by BRITISH COUNCIL.

The “Young Cell Scheme” aims to provide grants to Kosovo graduates to attend a postgraduate Master programme in a EU University. The grant covers all costs related to the studies abroad, and provides also for additional training in English language. The grantees once completed their programmes abroad engage themselves to come back to Kosovo and work for the Government (or for a public institution) for a period of 3 years.

The current project in charge to implement next Round of Selections (Round IX, in 2011/12)is running since 25th July 2011. The main activities of the project are:

-    1) the management of the grants for those students selected in 2011 (Round VIII) who are currently studying abroad (40 students in total);
-    2) the organisation of the selections for Round IX;

-    3) assistance and technical support to the YCS Alumni Association, created by former YCS Grantees in 2011.

In parallel to the above project there it is still being implemented by SOFRECO SA (please see here for more details) the "EU Scholarship Scheme - Round VI" project, which is running since 24 July 2009 and will finish in July 2013, after having been prolonged in 2010. The main activities of this pro project have been (and in part still are) three:
-    1) the management of the grants for those students selected in 2008 (Round V attending 2 years prorammes), 2009 (Round VI) and 2010 (Round VII) who are currently studying abroad in programmes longer than one year (5 students in total);
-    2) the organisation of the selections for Round VII, which awarded 44 grants, and Round VIII, which awarded 40 grants. These new grantees following programmes in the academic year 2011/12 (and 2012/13 for those attending 2 years Masters) are managed and financially supported by the above mentioned project implemented by the BRITISH COUNCIL.

-    3) assistance and financial support to the creation and development of the YCS Alumni Association (created in 2011)

This project takes over from a similar EU funded project that managed Round V grants and Round VI Selections in 2008/2009, always managed by the EC Liaison Office to Kosovo and implemented by SOFRECO SA.

The main beneficiary of the project is the Ministry for European Integration. The project team will also provide support and advise to the MEI and to the EC in order to institutionalise the Young Cell Scheme in the not so distant future.