Heinrich Böll Stiftung Foundation Scholarship Program

Our aim is to support the progress in the area of rural development as well as energy and to help young people to develop long-term policies as the future decision makers in those areas. Since March 2008, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Foundation Turkey Representation (hbs) has been providing scholarships to graduate students who have chosen rural development or energy efficiency/renewable energy as their research and thesis topics, starting from their second or third semesters and for a maximum period of three semesters.

The scholarship program is based on our values such as ecology and sustainability, democracy, human rights, justice and gender equality. We are questioning what we should change radically in practice and at an intellectual level to attain a sustainable life and trying to develop policies accordingly.

The students who would like to study the abovementioned areas under the scholarship program will be supported with a monthly payment of EUR 150 worth of Turkish Liras and at the beginning of each semester, EUR 150 worth of Turkish Liras for research and course book expenses.

Our scholarship students have been quite successful in their studies and have also developed themselves socio-politically. Their success is not only appraised based on their grades but also on their social consciousness and on the entire biographical context. 

The scholarship does not only concern a performance based rewarding. It also requires the students to continue their studies with a target oriented approach, to take responsibilities and be effective at a socio-political level with a broad perspective in line with our expectations. What we mean by socio-political engagement is to take part in student organizations or civil society organizations, to serve as student representatives, etc. 

Our scholarship students have always been open towards extraordinary, innovative and inter-disciplinary research. Their scientific approach is critical and constructive. In addition to submitting regular reports related to their studies throughout the scholarship period, they also make a presentation, in January after the beginning of the scholarship program, about their thesis studies in front of a jury consisting of journalists, academics and NGO representatives.

The expectation from the scholarship program is to help the scholarship students to acquire a systemic way of thinking, methods and skills related to rural development and energy efficiency.

Please follow www.tr.boell.org to make your application for the next scholarship program and to find detailed information about the conditions for application.