Application procedure

Applications should be received before June 1st, 2008. Application forms need to be completed in full to be entered into the selection process.

> Online application form:
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Read more on this page about:
> Fee
> Payment
> Cancellation
> Funding opportunities
> Visa applications

Fee

The course fee is € 2.650,-. This includes all training-related costs as well as drinks and meals, one overnight stay in Birmingham, training materials and travel during the training. Accommodation in The Hague and travel to/from The Hague are not included. You have to make your own arrangements for that. The Hague Academy for Local Governance can help in providing possibilities for lodging in The Hague.

Payment

After filling in your application form, you will receive an invoice for an advance payment of 50 % of the course fee. This will guarantee the commitment of your employer/sponsoring agency for your participation. Deadline for the advance payment is June 15th, 2008. Payments can be made either by bank account or by credit card.

Please note that your application to the course will only be final after receipt of the advance payment. After receiving your advance payment we will send you a letter confirming your participation in the course.

The remaining second 50% of the course fee should be received by The Hague Academy on 21 August 2008, one month before the start of the course.

Cancellation

If you cancel your participation after 21 June 2008 but before 21 August 2008, 50% of the fee will be charged. For cancellations after 21 August 2008 you will have to pay 80% of the course fee.

Please note that in case of cancellation, a suitably qualified person may replace you without extra charge.

The Hague Academy for Local Governance deserves the right to cancel a course in case there are not enough participants or due to any other unforeseen circumstances. In this case your payments will be reimbursed.

Funding opportunities

Participants to our courses are predominantly funded by their own employer (municipalities, Ministries, NGOs and training or research institutes) or by a donor or development agency. If you are looking for additional funding opportunities, there are a few organizations you could approach. Often they do not specifically present options for individual short term grant seekers on their general websites, but all organisations listed below have been known to facilitate in the funding of training for government professionals at one time or another. Very often their interest in providing funds depends highly on their current programs in a particular country. Therefore we advice you to contact the regional offices of these organisations to discuss possibilities for financial support:

  • United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
    Select your nation's Country Office from the U.N. Development Program website (http://www.undp.org/countries/) for contact information for your country's UNDP mission officer(s). Our training program is typically considered to fall within the UNDP's program area for "Governance" or "Regional Governance".
  • Open society Institute - SOROS foundation
    On the general SOROS website (www.soros.org) you can look up their activities in your county. It is best then to contact the Soros foundation Liasion for your region, whose contact information can be found here (www.soros.org).
  • US Agency for International Development (USAID)
    The U.S. State Department provides a list of Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts (Telephone directory as PDF, 416 Kb). Please contact the USAID officer (indicated by the code AID) at your nearest U.S. Embassy. If your nearest post does not have a USAID officer, you may contact the Economic Officer (indicated by the code ECO) to direct you to the non-resident USAID officer responsible for your country.
  • World Bank
    You may contact your country's local World Bank office for information whether existing World Bank projects in your country are able to provide funding for the training course. This World Bank website (web.worldbank.org) provides information on World Bank activities per country.
  • African Development Bank (ADB)
    You may contact your country's local African development Bank office for information whether existing ADB projects in your country are able to provide funding for the training course. You can find their contact information here. (www.afdb.org)
  • Asian Development Bank
    Select your nation's Resident Mission from the Asian Development Bank (www.adb.org) web site for contact information for your country's (resident) mission office.
  • Ford Foundation
    You may contact your country's regional Ford Foundations office for information whether they are able to provide funding for the training course. Our training program is typically considered to fall within the Ford Foundation work field for "Governance". You can find their contact information here. (www.fordfound.org).
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
    Link to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (www.ebrd.com) and select your country for contact information for your EBRD country office.
  • Nuffic
    Is the Netherlands Organisation for international cooperation in higher education. For short courses organised by The Hague Academy for Local Governance, at present only tailor-made programmes on the request of your organisation are eligible (www.nuffic.nl).

Visa applications

For some countries a visa is compulsory. Please check with The Netherlands and British Embassies or their representatives for visa requirements in your country. Because of the length of time needed for the visa procedure, please make sure to start your application as soon as possible. Once payment has been received on the bank account of The Hague Academy we will send you an acceptance letter which you can use for arranging your visa.