Applications for the College of Europe and the "José Medeiros Ferreira" Scholarship, awarded by the Government for attendance in postgraduate courses in 2018/2019, are open until January 17, 2018.
 
The Regional Government awards this scholarship annually for attendance in a postgraduate course on the campuses of Bruges, Belgium, or Natolin, in Poland. It is intended to support tuition fees as well as accommodation and round trip from the student's residence to the country where the course is being attended.
 
The "José Medeiros Ferreira" Scholarship is awarded following the admission of applicants from the Autonomous Region to the Azores to the College of Europe. Hence, applicants for this scholarship should have been previously admitted for attendance in a postgraduate course at the College of Europe in Law, Economics, Politics and Administration, International and Diplomatic Relations and European Interdisciplinary Studies.
 
Applicants for this scholarship must be aged up to 30 (at the beginning of the course). They are also required to have concluded their secondary education in the Region and to have resided in the archipelago for at least three years.
 
In the academic year 2017/2018, the scholarship was awarded to Rodrigo de Melo Borges Fernandes Vaz for attendance in a postgraduate course in International Relations of the European Union and Diplomatic Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges. He was the fifth scholarship holder under this programme promoted by the Government of the Azores.
 
With this programme, the Azorean Government aims to foster the training of regional staff with expertise in matters related to the European Union, honouring historian and politician José Medeiros Ferreira, who passed away in 2014. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was responsible for the preparation and formalisation of Portugal's application for accession to the then European Communities.
 
Founded in 1949, the College of Europe is a private education institution of recognised international prestige that has great tradition in the study, analysis and discussion of European affairs. Its campuses located in Bruges (Belgium) and Natolin (Poland) annually receive more than 400 postgraduate students.
 
Applicants for the different specialisation courses offered by this institution are required to hold a university degree. Furthermore, they should be fluent in English and French, both in written and oral forms.
 
All information about the College of Europe and the application forms are available on the European College website at www.coleurope.eu and on the José Medeiros Ferreira Scholarship on the Government Portal at http://www.azores.gov.pt/Portal/pt/entidades/srapre/textoImagem/Programa_de_bolsas_de_estudo.htm.
 
For further clarification, those who are should contact the Office of the Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations at the email [email protected] or by telephone 296 204 700.