Programmes Programmes: North-South-SouthTo the applicant

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Finland's Development Policy Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Millennium Development Goals Ministry for Foreign Affairs

To the applicant

An applicant in this context is a network of higher education institutions. Applications are prepared at a Finnish higher education institution, with an appointed coordinator in each network. Funding is allocated to networks with at least one Finnish and one Southern higher education institution. The networks can apply for funding for teacher and student mobility, intensive courses and measures that promote networking (administrative visits and network meetings). The networks apply for funding for 2 academic years at a time.

Each network has both an academic and an administrative coordinator at coordinating Finnish institutions and partner institutions. The administrative coordinator is usually the international coordinator of the institution or department. Network collaboration requires a clear division of labour between the academic and the administrative coordinator, as well as active communication with contact persons in partner institutions.

Finland’s primary cooperation partner countries and regions are prioritised in the selection. The North-South-South Programme is applicable to projects in all those countries which are eligible to Official Development Assistance (ODA) as defined by the OECD.

List of ODA countries (pdf)

Priority countries and regions (pdf)

The application includes

Online application form, with details of the applicant/coordinating institution of higher education and the network’s partner institutions, as well as basic information and budget of the activities to be funded. Also, details of the participants of teacher and student exchanges and of the grants applied. Other documents listed below are attached to the online application form.
Project plan. The project plan is built on the set-up of the Logical Framework planning tool. The project plan should briefly describe the history, needs and present situation of collaboration, beneficiaries, project objectives, results, implementation, action plan, resources, budget, risks and assumptions, organisation and reporting, and monitoring mechanisms.
Letters of intent from the partner institutions, with the following information:

contact information of the institutions and contact person, and the signature
name of the network
indication of commitment to network collaboration
statement of in-kind contribution of the institution, such as: “the institution will take care of student and teacher exchange arrangements without remuneration”

4. Signature: the application form is signed by the Rector or other legal representative of the coordinating Finnish higher education institution.

Selection Criteria

In selecting the networks to be funded, attention is paid to

• contribution to the guiding principles of development policy (effectiveness and complementarity in particular),
• clarity and viability of the network
• suitability with regard to Finnish expertise and know-how in higher education collaboration.

Effort is also made to include a wide spectrum of educational sectors in the Programme.

Assessment criteria of projects:

Effectiveness: the plan is based on the priorities and needs of the partner country; the project yields sustainable results; and it ensures ownership of the cooperation partner.

The plan is viable and clear. This applies, for example, to the objectives, network activities and available resources. The division of labour is well-defined and balanced, and the collaboration is based on reciprocity.

The plan demonstrates clearly that the Finnish higher education institution (HEI) has the required expertise and know-how, also making it clear how these will be applied. The goals are linked to the internationalisation strategies of the HEI’s.

The plan makes evident the network’s capacity and plans of promoting South–South cooperation.

The plan ensures that the cross-cutting themes of Finnish development policy, the promotion of gender equality in particular, are implemented in practice.

Complementarity: Network collaboration complements development cooperation in the partner country by, for example, focusing on Finland’s priority sectors and fields. The project is being implemented in Finland’s primary cooperation partner countries and regions.