ESTDEV funds continuing education scholarships for students from development cooperation partner countries

The funds are divided among Estonian educational institutions offering scholarships to students from development cooperation partner countries so they may continue their education in Estonia.

For the 2024/2025 academic year, scholarship funds will be awarded to ten continuing education programs in five Estonian higher education institutions: the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, the Estonian Business School, the Tallinn University, and the Estonian School of Diplomacy.

Funded scholarship programs

The Estonian Business School received 75,487 euros to offer Ukrainian students two change management micro-degree programs.

• "Management of change in war conditions" will provide participants from Ukraine with an understanding of change management and how to implement change in military conflict conditions, keeping in mind the country’s long-term aspirations related to digital and sustainable development.
• "Change Management in the Implementation of the Digital and Green Transformation" will improve the participants' understanding of change management and provide skills for implementing change during the digital and green transformation.

Tallinn University received a grant of 66,476 euros to offer 21 students from Armenia, Botswana, Georgia, Kenya, Moldova, Namibia and Uganda a micro degree in educational innovation and management.

The Estonian School of Diplomacy received a grant of 171,495 euros to offer the post-university continuing education course "International Relations and Diplomacy" to foreign students:

• Ukrainian diplomats and/or civil servants will receive three scholarships for the international study group in the 2024/2025 academic year.
• Four scholarships will be awarded to diplomats and civil servants of all development cooperation target countries in the 2024/2025 academic year.
• Seven scholarships will be awarded to diplomats and civil servants from the target countries in the spring semester of 2024.

Tallinn University of Technology received 44,616 euros to enable students from partner countries to participate in a digital country micro-degree program. The micro-degree course gives the participants a comprehensive overview of e-governance, the digital state and how to enable rapid digital change in the public sector while coping with changes in digital society.

The University of Tartu received 83,647 euros to provide scholarships to foreign students in three different micro-degree programs:

• For the "Foundations of the European Union" micro degree, scholarships will be offered to up to 15 Ukrainian students who are public officials, representatives of civil society or otherwise directly involved in the process of Ukraine joining the EU.
• For the "Use of Technology in Modern Education" program, the scholarship will support the professional development of eight educational workers from development cooperation priority countries.
• Women and young people from ESTDEV’s target countries in Africa (Namibia, Uganda, Botswana and Kenya) will receive scholarships for a micro-degree program in entrepreneurship education and creative project management to support the development of their respective country’s creative economies and related ecosystems.

Kristi Kulu, ESTDEV's programme manager for education, said the scholarship program positively affects both Estonia and partner countries.

"Through the ESTDEV scholarship program, we can share top-level Estonian education and support the development of our partner countries in areas where they have needs and we have a quality education to offer," Kulu said. "Also, the scholarship program provides an impetus for the globalisation of Estonian education."

ESTDEV's scholarship programs make Estonian education more accessible to students from development cooperation partner countries. They enable them to study at the graduate level or receive additional training in fields that help them meet their home countries' development goals. At the end of the training program, the students return home, bringing their new-found knowledge with them.