The International Institutes Cooperation Programme

 

The International Institutes Cooperation Programme (in Dutch SII)  is one of the education programmes of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Development Cooperation. The SII programme is a higher education programme focused on South-South cooperation. It finances higher education projects with a regional or multi-country focus and in which the activities are demand-driven. The programme may finance (a combination of) activities in the fields of policy development, research (in the field of higher education), capacity building, higher education management, training of trainers, curriculum development, short courses, Masters degrees, Ph.D programmes, seminars, staff and management training and scholarships. For each project at least one of the beneficiary countries must be a bilateral partner country for Dutch development cooperation (see Annex 2)

 

The SII has two main aims:

1. to strengthen the higher education sector in developing countries by supporting organisations and cooperative initiatives which aim to improve the quality, relevance and accessibility of higher education;

2. to increase the opportunities open to people from developing countries to participate in higher education in their own region.

 

The Priorities of the Ministry regarding SII include:

1. More emphasis on institutional capacity building. Study in the region is only instrumental in this.

2. More emphasis on networks/network advantages.

3. More emphasis on indicators of results and final impact.

 

Applications can be submitted by international or  regional organisations, as well as by local organisations representing a network in developing countries.

 

The minimum requirements for applications are:

1. Initiatives should have a regional or multi-country focus.

2. Proposals should be demand driven.

3. Applicant organisations should have sufficient organisational capacity.

4. At least one of the beneficiary countries must be on the list of 36 partner

5. countries of the Netherlands.

 

Project proposals (and further reports) should be written in English.

 

For more information:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Education and Development Division

Mr. Hillard Tempelman

Mr. Frank Sellies

P.O. Box 20061

2500 EB The Hague

phone: + 31 70 348 7349 /4265

fax: +31 70 348 6436

[email protected]
[email protected]
 

Annex 1: Specific requirements for project/programme proposals and/(financial) reports

1. Subdivision in targets, results, activities and (financial) means is important. These sections should be measurable and specific.

2. The budget in the financial report should be based on the budget of the project proposal (same currency, same items).

3. Changes in real expenditures (compared to the project proposal) should be clarified in the financial report.

4. The budget should always have a clear relationship with the project plan and/or annual report.

5. If possible the budget should be based on price and quantity (p x q).

6. Expenditures should be stated on a cash basis of accounting (total expenditures/total revenues and the SII financed part of it).

7. The budget should be balanced for the whole period. 

8. Revenues from other donors should be stated.

9. Financial means already existent beforehand should be stated. 

 

Annex 2: SII country list

 

Countries with a structural development co-operation relationship with the Netherlands