Within the next ten years, the Department of Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) of the University of Peloponnese, with an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), will offer twenty (20) scholarships in the memory of the Founder and President of the NGO PRAKSIS, Tzanetos Antypas, an emblematic personality of the Greek civil society, who left us early, leaving behind an important social work legacy.

The scholarships are aimed at strengthening scientific research regarding civil society and encouraging young people to follow the example set by Tzanetos Antypas in the field of social work.

The scholarships are allocated as follows:

• ten (10) scholarships for postgraduate students in the Postgraduate Program "Governance and Public Policies” (€3,500 per student).
• ten (10) scholarships for Doctoral Candidates (€9,000 per student), who will conduct research on issues of civil society, volunteerism, nonprofit organizations and NGOs.

Postgraduate students and PhD candidates will acquire high-level academic knowledge and skills in a Department that follows an interdisciplinary approach, in the subjects of economics and modern governance in the European and international context, as well as on the workings of civil society organizations specifically. They will strengthen their theoretical foundations and gain new opportunities to exploit their abilities, in order to enhance their career prospects in the dynamic field of community service.

The Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Mr Andreas Dracopoulos, stated: “Tzanetos Antypas was a man of inexhaustible energy and vision, a real humanist, who carved a new path with his actions in the field of social service. For the SNF, Tzanetos Antypas was not only a close associate, but also a precious friend. Together, we designed and implemented a plethora of innovative programs that offer protection and life prospects to vulnerable social groups and to our fellow citizens who escape the social protection net. He left us early, leaving behind a great social work legacy and his untimely death has left a vacuum which will be hard to fill. Working with him was a real honor. We will always remember him and continue to support his wonderful work by encouraging and supporting—in practice—young people who wish to follow in his footsteps.”

The selection criteria:

Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of four criteria:

• academic performance, as documented by academic degrees and academic activity,
• financial
• volunteer experience and
• leadership skills

Selection process:

The PSIR Department appointed Professor Asterios Huliaras as the Scientific Coordinator of the Scholarship Program, and formed a Three-Member Committee, composed of Sotiris Roussos, Associate Professor, Nikolaos Tzifakis, Assistant Professor and Manos Papazoglou, Assistant Professor (Decision of the 82nd GA of 16.6.2017). The Scientific Coordinator and members of the Committee monitor the scholars’ academic progress and advise them on matters of research and career development.

Interested applicants will need to submit the following:

• a recently updated curriculum vitae, following Europass standards, which will include academic achievements, volunteering experience, professional career information and any research activity.
• a short “letter of motivation”, (up to 400 words) on why they believe that attending the postgraduate or PhD program will benefit their career in the NGO sector.
• the acceptance of their application to the Postgraduate Program “Governance and Public Policies” or their application for a PhD thesis, by the PSIR GA.
• a letter of recommendation from a person who can assess their professional experience and voluntary action, in collaboration with civil society actors.
• a copy of their income tax return statement for the recent fiscal year.

The documents substantiating the applicant’s academic and professional career are not required to be submitted along with the submission of the application dossier, but must be made available to the Evaluation Committee when requested. All applications must be submitted electronically by September 30th, of each academic year. The Academic Committee meets in the first week of each new academic year, i.e. in September, and decides on the allocation of scholarships. Those selected during the first stage of the selection process will be called for an interview by the members of the evaluation committee.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is not involved in the process of candidate selection and evaluation, for which the University of Peloponnese is solely responsible.

Payment of scholarships and obligations of scholars:

For those selected for the postgraduate program, the €3,500 scholarship will cover the tuition fees as defined by PSIR, and the remaining amount will be paid upon the successful completion of the program within the stipulated time period and after obtaining the relevant certificate from the PSIR Secretariat.

For those selected for the PhD program, the €9,000 scholarship will be paid in three annual installments, one per academic year, and the final one following the successful support of the dissertation and after obtaining the relevant certificate from the PSIR Secretariat. The PhD candidate must submit an annual Progress Report to the Evaluation Committee and the General Assembly of PSIR for approval. Furthermore, PhD Candidates must submit an annual copy of their tax return statement from the most recent fiscal year, by July 31st. The Committee assesses whether substantial progress is being made on the research project and whether the requirements for paying the installment to the scholar are being met.

The President of PRAKSI, Mr Alexis Margalias, is appointed as an external evaluator, who has the ability to advise the Three-Member Committee and the Scientific Coordinator on the selection and progress of candidates, as well as on the improvement of the evaluation procedures.

All funds are paid through the University of Peloponnese Research Committee (ELKE). All fellows are required to comply with the relevant PSIR regulations applicable to postgraduate students and PhD candidates. Fellows must inform the Three-Member Committee in good time if there are any reasons why the cannot complete the program for which they have been selected.

Dates:

The application deadline is September 30, 2017. Applications are submitted electronically at pedis@uop.gr. Subsequently, the three-member evaluation committee meets in the first week of October 2017, followed the scholarship selection process.

Contact:

University of the Peloponnese, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Aristotelous 1 & Athinon Ave, Corinth, Greece.  Tel. +30 27410 40040, fax. +30 27410 50050, e-mail: pedis@uop.gr, http://pedis.uop.gr/

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About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation [(SNF) (www.SNF.org)] is one of the world’s leading private, international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. Since 1996, the Foundation has committed more than $2.4 billion, through almost 4,000 grants to nonprofit organizations in 113 nations around the world —including a new SNF initiative to expand its support of the Health sector in Greece with a series of infrastructure and education projects, expected to exceed $240 million.The SNF funds organizations and projects, worldwide, that aim to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact, for society at large, and exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also supports projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare.

In Greece, the SNF has continued to respond to urgent local needs by providing relief against the severe effects of the country’s socioeconomic crisis through three nearly complete major grant initiatives totaling approximately $380 million, in addition to its ongoing grants.

The SNF’s largest single gift is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in Athens, Greece. The project’s total cost exceeded $860 million. The SNFCC was designed by the renowned architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and includes the new facilities of the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. The Foundation delivered the SNFCC to Greek Society on February 23, 2017. Following the handover, the SNF announced its commitment to continue supporting the SNFCC for five years, through grants of $53 million that support the implementation of public programming and help cover a portion of SNFCC’s operational costs. All events funded with the SNF’s support are free to the public.