The application period for the "José Medeiros Ferreira" scholarship for postgraduate courses at the College of Europe will run until January 31, 2014. This initiative falls within a programme launched by the Government of the Azores to award scholarships for postgraduate courses in high quality institutions with the aim of training specialised staff in the Region.

The College of Europe is an institution of international renown, based in Bruges, Belgium, which annually receives over four hundred students in postgraduate courses on European Studies, with specialisation in Law, Economics, Politics and Administration, and International and Diplomatic Relations.

The "José Medeiros Ferreira" Scholarship is intended to support several expenses, including tuition fees, accommodation and food, as well as a round trip from the Azores to the country where the course is being attended. All applicants up to the age of 30 who have applied for postgraduate courses at the College of Europe are eligible for the "José Medeiros Ferreira" scholarship.

Furthermore, applicants are also required to have resided for at least three years in the Region, where they should have completed their secondary education or, exceptionally, junior high school.

The programme developed by the Regional Government aims to award scholarships for postgraduate courses at institutions of acknowledged quality and prestige in the area of specialised teaching on European affairs to promote the "training of specialised staff" in the Region. This initiative pays tribute to Azorean historian and politician José Medeiros Ferreira, recently deceased, who as Minister of Foreign Affairs prepared and formalised Portugal's request for accession to the then European Economic Community.

This measure will cover different areas of specialisation of the College of Europe at the campuses of Bruges, Belgium, and Natolin, Poland. Applicants must hold a master's degree under the Bologna process (or similar), with a final mark equal or above 13, and should be fluent in English and French, both written and spoken; students who are about to complete their degree may be admitted conditionally.

Applications to the College of Europe for the academic year 2015/2016 must be submitted until January 31, through an application available at the electronic address https://www.coleurope.eu/website/study/admissions-apply-online. A copy of the application form must be submitted to the Cabinet of the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations ([email protected]) and to the Directorate-General of European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ([email protected]).

For further information, those who are interested should contact the Cabinet of the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations, through the email [email protected] or the telephone number 296 204 700, or consult the Internet sites at the following addresses: www.azores.gov.pt and www.coleurope.eu.