Introduction
In 1997 the Dutch Language Union introduced a grants system for the promotion of Dutch studies abroad. The system came into force fully in 2001 at the end of a four-year transitional period. The scheme was developed in order to improve the use made of the available budget for promoting the quality and professionalism of Dutch studies abroad and to make the process of awarding grants clearer and less time-consuming both for the recipients and for the Language Union itself.
The grants system has been assessed in recent years in terms of the demand and need for Dutch studies abroad. The experience on the ground has indicated that the memorandum was in need of updating and extension.
The Language Union's Medium-Term Plan (2003-2007) came into force on 1 January 2003. In the past, special budgets were available for the geographical priority regions of Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa and the United States. As from 2003, however, these special budgets have been integrated into the main budget for foreign Dutch studies and the priority regions have since then come under the regular grants system.
A distinction is drawn in this memorandum between:
A. Support for teaching positions
These include :
1. basic grants;
2. project grants;
3. start-up grants;
4. Dutch language assistants allowance;
5. local salary top-up allowance;
6. scholarship fund.
B. Support for academic networks
These include:
7. working grants;
8. Dutch lecturer seminar grants;
9. visiting lecturer schemes;
10. local summer courses.
If an application for a grant does not come under one of the categories listed above the application will be assessed on its merits.
A. 1 Basic grant
1.1 Aim
The Language Union wishes to make effective use of the budget for fixed, smaller grants in order to promote the quality and professionalism of university teaching of Dutch as a foreign language outside the Dutch and Belgian language area. The basic grant is intended for minor forms of expenditure to promote the teaching of Dutch in foreign universities. Examples include the procurement of teaching materials, reference works, literature, equipment and other tangible facilities. The basic grant may also be used to invite guest speakers, to pay the costs of staff education and training or to fund small-scale Dutch language and literature events. The basic grant is not designed to pay or top up staff salaries.
In order to qualify for this type of financial support a Dutch studies specialist teaching abroad must satisfy a number of minimum requirements.
1.2 Criteria
The grant is awarded on application to departments or sections with at least one accredited Dutch teacher.
Accreditation is granted if the lecturer satisfies the following conditions:
1 university degree in the field of linguistics, literature or language proficiency in which extensive attention has been devoted to Dutch language and literature;
2 appointment at an institution of higher education with a job description in which Dutch language and literature forms a substantial element;
3 provision of a course in Dutch studies that forms a recognised part of the university curriculum and so can form part of a course programme.
1.3 Procedure
Dutch departments are invited in September each year to submit an application for a basic grant (a Word-document). Applications must be received no later than 1 December before the next budget year.
The application must be accompanied by the relevant academic details of the lecturer(s); the nature of the appointment and the content of the teaching and/or research assignment; the status of the Dutch studies course within the university curriculum; and a brief expenditure report on the basic grant during the current year. Departments are notified in January about the allocation of basic grants for the calendar year in question.
1.4 Grant levels
The basic grant levels are determined as follows:
· for single teaching posts 1,000 euro a year;
· for departments with at least two accredited lecturers 2,000 euro a year;
· for departments with at least four accredited lecturers 3,000 euro a year.
A maximum of 50% of the basic grant received in any one year may be carried forward for additional expenditure in the following year.
1.5 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the basic grant has been spent should reach the Language Union by 1 December. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the Dutch department/section for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis.
Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required on the development of the Dutch department/section.
A. 2 Project grant
2.1 Aim
Project grants are intended to help enhance the quality of the university teaching of Dutch as a foreign language. In addition the intention is to widen the impact made by Dutch studies departments as centres of knowledge with respect to Dutch language, literature and linguistic culture, education and research. Finally the grant is aimed at promoting:
· interuniversity co-operation at regional, national and where appropriate international level;
· interdisciplinary co-operation within a particular university, at regional level;
· interuniversity co-operation with Dutch and Flemish universities.
2.2 Criteria
Qualifying for support under the scheme are projects that make a structural contribution towards enhancing the standard of education and the dissemination of Dutch language and culture, both within the department itself and at regional or international level (by acting as a central point). The grants are one-off in nature and intended for the implementation of a one-year or multi-year plan.
2.3 Conditions
The project is not applied for by departments but by an individual appointed by a department that may be designated as a central point. The applicant must satisfy the accreditation criteria summarised in point 1.2. In terms of infrastructure and staffing the department to which the applicant is attached must satisfy a number of conditions, such as:
Infrastructure
1 the Dutch studies department is organisationally embedded in an institute for higher education;
2 the department runs a course programme covering various aspects of the subject;
3 the department has a research function, as evident from publications, for example in professional journals;
4 the department serves to encourage other departments in the region.
Staffing
1 the staff is sufficiently large;
2 the staff includes people with PhDs;
3 the composition of the staff is such that various aspects of Dutch language and literature can be taught, including the cultural history of the Netherlands;
4 the staff includes lecturers from the country in question (a general aim of the Language Union).
2.4 Procedure
Departments are invited to submit project applications (a Word-document) for one or more years.
· the form should be submitted - preferably electronically - no later than 1 October before the calendar year to which the grant relates;
· an advisory committee examines the project applications and advises the General Secretary on the projects before the end of December;
· applicants are advised in the course of the following January whether or not their project has been approved.
If a project grant is awarded, 50% of the grant applied for can be transferred in advance. The remaining 50% will be paid upon delivery of the results and the final report.
2.5 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the project grant has been spent should reach the Language Union at the end of the period for which agreements were reached. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the Dutch department/section for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis.
Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required. Supplementary agreements may also be reached concerning interim reports. In the case of projects for which a grant of 50,000 euro or more has been awarded, an independent external evaluator will be appointed.
A. 3 Start-up grant
3.1 Aim
Departments wishing to launch a new and long-term initiative may qualify for a start-up grant.
By awarding such grants the Language Union aims at:
· the extension of an existing department (e.g. provision of an additional lecturer);
· consolidation of an existing course (e.g. turning a minor subject into a major one);
· extension of university teaching of Dutch as a foreign language (e.g. as a new subject).
3.2 Criteria
A start-up grant is awarded to help fund a new and long-term facility. The responsibility for setting up and managing this facility lies with lecturers who satisfy the accreditation criteria summarised in section A 1.2.
A start-up grant may also take the form of a guarantee. In awarding a start-up grant priority is given to applications from departments in EU countries.
3.3 Conditions
For a grant to be awarded a project description must be provided on the basis of which the importance and viability of the facility after the initial period can be assessed. The intended funding of the facility during the start-up period and thereafter must be evident from the project description, with which the university commits itself to certain intentions for the future. In this connection the university must undertake to maintain the facility that was set up with the start-up grant for a period equal to that covered by the grant multiplied by a factor of at least 2.5. In other words, if a grant is awarded for a period of two years the university then undertakes to continue the results achieved for a period of at least five years from the end of the initial two years. Any other conditions for the awarding of a start-up grant will if possible be discussed in advance with the parties concerned.
In accepting the grant the university signifies its approval of the conditions. If the university fails to comply with the agreements the Language Union reserves the right to demand back the entire grant, plus a loading of 20%.
3.4 Procedure
As soon as a department or university indicates that it wants to set up a new facility with the support of the Language Union the faculty or department is invited to draw up an itemised description, including a detailed budget.
On the basis of the project description, including a (multi-year) budget, the Language Union assesses the grant application. The level and duration of the grant are determined on the basis of that assessment. Grants are awarded for a maximum of four years.
3.5 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the start-up grant has been spent should reach the Language Union at the end of the period for which agreements were reached. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the Dutch department/section for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis.
Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required showing how the results achieved relate to the agreements reached and conditions under which the start-up grant was awarded.
A. 4 'Foreign language assistants in Europe' project
4.1 Aim
By the appointment of foreign language assistants in Dutch studies the Dutch Language Union seeks to promote interdisciplinary cooperation in Europe and to support foreign Dutch studies departments in Europe. Foreign language assistants are intended as a supplement for the department and assist primarily with the teaching of Dutch to foreign students of Dutch studies.
4.2 Criteria
Foreign language assistants may be applied for by departments of Dutch in Europe. Foreign language assistants will always be students studying at a foreign university on a Socrates scholarship.
4.3 Package of tasks / content
The foreign language assistants may be deployed for a maximum of four hours a week and for up to 25 weeks. In return the foreign language assistants receive an hourly tuition fee from the Language Union. This payment is wholly independent of their European Union scholarship. In addition the students' activities in the department are wholly independent of their studies; appointment as an assistant may not be regarded as a work placement and does not therefore qualify for course credits.
Foreign language assistants are primarily used to promote the learning of Dutch. As young native speakers with a limited knowledge of language teaching the foreign language assistants are ideally placed to help people of the same age with a comparable level of interest and from similar backgrounds to help develop proficiency in Dutch. In this way they contribute directly towards strengthening Dutch language skills among students in other countries. Since the foreign language assistants are not necessarily prospective Dutch studies specialists, they will be used mainly to help promote students' oral proficiency in such areas as speech skills, vocabulary and communication skills.
Given the foreign language assistants' lack of formal teaching skills they will assist only sporadically in other areas of teaching. Foreign language assistants may also be involved in the general tasks and activities of the foreign department on an ad hoc basis.
The foreign language department will be expected to provide support and guidance for the foreign language assistants. The latter will therefore never be deployed without support or be given a task at a foreign university where no lecturer in Dutch is employed.
4.4 Procedure
Departments wishing to deploy a foreign language assistant must apply to the Dutch Language Union. The list of departments that have been assigned a foreign language assistant will be included on special foreign language assistant pages on the Taalunieversum website (www.taalunieversum.org).
Students in the language area are informed about the possibility of being deployed as foreign language assistants by the national agencies in the Netherlands and Belgium administering the Socrates scholarship schemes. Students can find information on the project on the Taalunieversum website.
Those seeking appointment as a foreign language assistant apply directly to the contact person of the foreign language department shown on the website. The website also contains information on the basic details that students must submit to the departments. The departments then advise the Language Union of the name and address of the foreign language assistant they have selected. The foreign language assistants receive a form from the Language Union. On the form they complete the necessary information, especially the period + number of hours that they want to work as a foreign language assistant. An advance is paid in respect of these activities.
After their stay abroad the foreign language assistants send a report to the Language Union, showing the hours they have put in and reporting briefly on their attachment. The report must also be signed by the lecturer. Once the report has been returned the students receive the remaining amount due to them. The foreign language assistants take a basic training course in teaching Dutch as a foreign language, which may be consulted on the Internet.
A. 5 Local salary top-up allowance for native speakers/lecturers
5.1 Aim
The Language Union's aim in providing this top-up allowance is to enable departments in countries where the financial and economic situation is substantially worse than in the Netherlands and Flanders to attract a native speaker for a limited period as a lecturer. For the time being this type of support is solely confined to countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Language Union is to devise criteria in order to establish whether and to what extent the financial and economic situation in those countries differs from that in the Netherlands and Flanders.
5.2 Criteria and conditions
The top-up allowance is awarded on application if:
· the lecturer and the department meet the accreditation criteria as summarised in section A. 1.2 of this memorandum;
· the department offers Dutch as a major subject;
· the lecturer is able to submit official proof of appointment.
The top-up allowance can be awarded to one and the same person for a maximum of five years. This five-year period commences on 1 January 2003. Upon expiry of that five-year period the department can apply for a top-up allowance for another native speaker/lecturer if the latter satisfies the conditions. A maximum of one top-up allowance a year may be awarded to a department.
5.3 Procedure
The head of the department applies for the allowance (a Word-document) before 1 December.
5.4 Funding
In the case of a lecturer with a full-time appointment the top-up allowance may be up to 7,500 euro a year. In the case of a part-time appointment the allowance will be adjusted on a pro rata basis.
5.5 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
If the Dutch department/section in which the person concerned is working renders account for a basic grant no special account of the top-up allowance need be provided. In all other cases a set of accounts for the top-up allowance received should reach the Language Union by 1 December.
Apart from the accounts a substantive report is also required in such cases on the development of the Dutch department/section.
A. 6 Scholarship fund
6.1 Aim
The scholarship fund has various mutually reinforcing objectives, namely:
· boosting the standard of Dutch studies abroad;
· contributing towards the autonomy of Dutch studies abroad in staffing and academic terms;
· encouraging the development of young academics;
· promoting the accreditation of a Dutch department by national authorities.
6.2 Target group
This scholarship fund is aimed at Dutch studies scholars and other academics, preferably attached to Dutch departments at foreign universities, conducting research in a field of relevance for Dutch studies, and ineligible for a scholarship under the Huygens programme on the grounds of nationality and/or age. The studies may be conducted at a university within the Dutch language area or, if relevant for the research, outside that area. In all cases the research must be aimed at the completion of a dissertation or some other qualification.
6.3 What the scholarship entails
In the case of studies in the Netherlands and/or Flanders a scholarship may be awarded for a maximum of six months. The scholarship amounts to a maximum of 1,000 euro a month, including travelling expenses. In the case of studies outside the Dutch language area applications will be considered on their merits. The money may also be used to pay for specific aspects of the research.
A maximum of two scholarship awards may be made in the course of the research. On the second occasion the scholarship will be solely intended for the completion of the research (e.g. the final writing of the dissertation or checking the literature consulted).
6.4 Selection of candidates
The selection of candidates will be performed by a committee of experts chaired by the General Secretary of the Dutch Language Union. The following documents are required for the assessment of applications:
· Curriculum vitae
· Reasons for the application
· Research plan
· Letter from the supervisor at the host university
· Letter of recommendation from own university
6.5 Application procedure
Applications may be made on the application form (a Word-document) which, together with the documents listed in point 6.4, should reach the Dutch Language Union no later than 1 February. The selection committee will discuss the applications in April, while candidates will be advised of the result of their applications in May.
6.6 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the funds received have been spent should reach the Language Union at the end of the period for which the scholarship was awarded. These accounts need not include all the supporting financial documentation. The documents should however be kept by the Dutch department/section for five years so that the Language Union can conduct an audit on a sample basis.
Apart from the accounts a substantive final report is also required. Supplementary agreements may also be reached concerning interim reports.
B. 7 Academic networks
An important objective of the Dutch Language Union's foreign policy is the promotion of cooperative structures. Cooperation leads to the qualitative and quantitative improvement of Dutch studies outside the Dutch language area. Cooperative structures can also be used to improve the communication with government agencies at home and abroad and with the Dutch Language Union. The establishment of an academic network is designed to meet this need. Such a network may be set up on a regional, national or international basis. Apart from acting as a channel of communication, an academic network also provides the point of contact for the Language Union for seminars, visiting lecturer schemes and local summer courses.
7.1 Aim
In order to facilitate the operation of an academic network, a working grant may be applied for from the Language Union. This grant may be used in order to cover meeting expenses, relocation expenses, personnel costs and information distribution expenses.
7.2 Procedure
The chairperson and/or secretary and/or treasurer of the academic network must apply for the working grant (a Word-document) by 1 December.
7.3 Submission of accounts and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the grant has been spent should reach the Language Union by 1 December. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the Dutch department/section for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis. Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required on the functioning of the academic network.
B. 8 Seminars of university lecturers in Dutch
Biennial seminars of university lecturers in Dutch are held in a number of regions and countries. The preparations for, involvement in and subsidisation by the Language Union tend to vary. It has therefore been decided to standardise the support and subsidisation of such gatherings.
8.1 Aim
The seminars of Dutch teaching staff are regarded as opportunities for in-service and further training of Dutch lecturers, and are in principle held every two years.
8.2 Criteria
The seminars of university lecturers in Dutch are organised by a single point of contact, preferably an academic network.
8.3 Conditions
Those taking part in these seminars will be individuals responsible for teaching Dutch at a foreign university. The academic network or point of contact in the region in question will handle the preparations, organisation and further details of the seminar. The Language Union will not play any role in the logistical preparations.
8.4 Procedure
The academic network or point of contact must submit a substantive proposal, accompanied by a list of participants and itemised budget, to the Language Union. After assessment and approval of the proposal the Language Union awards a grant to the organisation for such a seminar. In principle this will amount to a maximum of 500 euro per participant, although a higher amount may be considered in special circumstances.
8.4 Submission of accounts and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the grant has been spent should reach the Language Union within two months. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the academic network or point of contact for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis. Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required on the seminar.
B.9 Visiting lecturer schemes
The Dutch Language Union seeks to promote contact between Dutch studies within the Dutch language area and outside it. Better contact between the two target groups serves to strengthen the position of Dutch and to enhance professional knowledge. The system of visiting lecturers makes it possible for additional expertise to be attracted temporarily abroad. The visiting lecturers may come from the Netherlands and Flanders or alternatively from other countries if they have specialist expertise. Under the basic grant scheme it is possible for individual lectureships to fund a visiting lecturer. In terms of efficiency, however, the Language Union prefers visiting lecturers to be invited by networks of lecturers. These may be regional networks, but the coordination of a visiting lecturer scheme will preferably be the responsibility of an official academic network.
9.1 Aim
By providing a grant the Language Union seeks to facilitate the implementation of a visiting lecturer scheme. The grant may be used towards travelling and accommodation expenses and a fee for visiting lecturers.
9.2 Procedure
The chairperson and/or secretary and/or treasurer of the academic network or regional network of lecturers must apply for a grant for the visiting lecturer (a Word document) scheme by 1 December. An appropriate balance between the Dutch and Flemish components will be sought in assessing the proposals.
9.3 Accounting for grant funds and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the grant has been spent should reach the Language Union by 1 December. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the academic network or point of contact for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis. Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required on the visiting lecturer scheme.
B. 10 Local summer courses
Students can supplement the normal course programme by attending a local summer course. These are courses in countries where a large number of students have highly specific course requirements or where the students would have great difficulty in taking summer courses in the Netherlands and Flanders for geographical and/or financial reasons. For the time being this type of support is therefore exclusively confined to courses in Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa and the United States. These courses are organised under the responsibility of an academic network.
10.1 Aim
The Language Union's aim in providing a grant is to facilitate a local summer course. The grant may be used to help pay lecturers' fees and the travelling and accommodation expenses of the participants and lecturing staff.
10.2 Procedure
The chairperson and/or secretary and/or treasurer of the academic network or the regional lecturers network apply for a grant for the summer course (a Word-document) before 1 December. An appropriate balance between the Dutch and Flemish components will be sought in assessing the proposals.
10.1 Submission of accounts and substantive reporting
Accounts showing how the grant has been spent should reach the Language Union no later than two months after the completion of the local summer course. Not all the financial records need be included with these accounts. The records should however be kept by the academic network or point of contact for a period of five years so that the Language Union can audit the records on a sample basis. Apart from the accounts a substantive report is required on the summer course.
Wegwijzer – Colofon – Contact – Vrijwaring – Opmerkingen en reacties
