The Minister for Education, Sports, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima and the Minister for European Funds and the Implementation of the Electoral Programme Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi today launched 7 Scholarship Schemes with a total value of approximately €8 million. These are: Endeavour II Scholarship Scheme; TESS Scholarship Scheme; Arts Scholarship Scheme; Sports Scholarship Scheme; Achieve 360, Reach High II and Live the Language.
Minister Clifton Grima stressed that these Scholarships are a direct investment in students, through which they are being given financial support, to achieve their future aspirations. “With the launch of this year in these scholarship schemes we have so far invested more than €44 million. We believe that strong investment in the educational sector and in students guarantees success for them, for society and for our country,” stated Minister Grima. He stressed that these schemes are testimony to the investment being made in the educational sector.
Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said, “In particular, schemes such as Endeavour II and REACH HIGH II, which are co-financed by European Funds, are directly supporting high-level studies, including Masters and post-doctoral research. Since the start of the Endeavour II scheme, four calls have been published so far with a total investment of €4.8 million from European Funds, while this year another €1.5 million has been allocated from European Funds for the fifth call of the scheme, a concrete investment that continues to strengthen the skills, research and competitiveness of our country, because this investment is leading to more skills in our country.”
Scholarship schemes cover courses of study at recognised Institutions ranging from Training Programmes, to Post Doctoral studies. There are schemes that are focused on academic courses while others on specialised courses on Arts and Sports:
- Malta Arts Scholarships Scheme – aimed at all artists who wish to study on Expressive Arts courses and courses related to this kind of art. These courses are open to applicants from thirteen years of age and above and are considered as Training programmes and Academic Courses leading from MQF Diploma level five (5) to Doctorate.
- Malta Sports Scholarships Scheme – aimed at established athletes who want to improve their performance as well as those students who want to continue studying on academic courses with a specialization in sports.
- TESS Scheme is aimed at studies focused on Ph.D and Masters courses from National Funds. €1.8 million is invested for this scheme every year.
- Endeavour II dedicated to Academic Studies for Masters – co-financed by the European Social Fund plus (ESF+). In this fifth call €2.5 million has been allocated. 60% from European funds and the rest from national funds.
- REACH HIGH II – promotes research programmes at Post-Doctoral level, for those who already hold a Doctoral qualification and will continue to conduct research above this level. This second call is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF+) and will be of €2 million.
- Achieve 360 - A scheme aimed at those students who are high-performance Athletes. A scheme for those students who wish to continue their studies at MATSEC (A level) level but at the same time practice the sport in which they compete. 20 Scholarships are being offered for study and training at the Mediterranean College of Sport .
- Live the Language – The Ministry for Education, Sports, Youth, Research and Innovation is committed to providing financial assistance to young people to develop their linguistic and cultural horizons by undertaking language training in a respective country. This scheme provides an opportunity for a cultural experience in a country while the student is pursuing a language course. A scheme that is also aimed at alleviating the shortage of foreign language skills; providing opportunities for the improvement of the skills of young people, and improving the quality and relevance of skills in line with industry requirements.
The new rules as well as the online application can be found on the site: https://myscholarship.gov.mt/ .
