The application must be submitted via an electronic form, which will be available from March 31, 2026 on the website: https://www.fnpv.sk/stipendium-martina-filka Mandatory information is specified in Annex No. 2.

THE FOLLOWING ATTACHMENTS ARE A REQUIRED PART OF THE ELECTRONIC APPLICATION:

1.    A copy of confirmation of application, admission, or enrollment at the selected foreign university, 

2.    A copy of confirmation of the tuition fee set by the university,

3.    A signed structured CV,

4.    A signed motivation letter (maximum 2 pages, A4 format, Times New Roman font size 12, including information on why the applicant chose the given university, their vision for working in public administration, how they intend to use the acquired education in this role, and what qualities/skills make them the most suitable candidate),

5.    A copy of the diploma proving the highest level of education achieved to date and other relevant educational documents (e.g. language certificates, etc.); certified copies are not required.

For documents not issued in the official state language or in English, a translation into the state language must also be attached (official or notarized translation is not required).

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APPLICATION DEADLINE

The application for the Martin Filko Scholarship for the academic year 2026/2027 (hereinafter referred to as the “application”), together with scanned attachments, must be submitted via the electronic form no later than May 12, 2026 (Tuesday, by 23:59:59), available at:

https://www.fnpv.sk/stipendium-martina-filka.

Applications cannot be submitted after May 12, 2026; the system will automatically block submissions.

Questions and inquiries can be sent via:  https://www.fnpv.sk/contactus  .  In the contact form, please indicate “SMF” in the subject line.

The selection of eligible applicants takes place in two rounds. The first round is preceded by an evaluation of the applications for compliance with the call criteria and an administrative check. If an application is found to be incorrect or incomplete, the applicant will be requested by email to correct or supplement the application within three business days of receiving the notification. Applications not corrected or supplemented within this deadline will be excluded from the evaluation process. Similarly, applications that do not meet the call criteria will be excluded from the evaluation process.

FIRST ROUND OF EVALUATION

Applications that meet the formal requirements will be assessed by the Education Support Fund and two external evaluators, based on the following criteria:

¹ Ranking placement is determined by  https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings. If the university in the relevant field of study is not ranked within the top 100, a ranking value of 101 will be assigned.

SECOND ROUND OF EVALUATION

From among the applicants who score at least 43 points in the first round, the Fund will rank them based on the total number of points obtained in the first round of evaluation and will invite at least the top nine applicants with the highest scores to an interview in the second round. If necessary, the Fund may increase this number.

The final award of the scholarship will be decided by the Commission for the Assessment of Applications for the Martin Filko Scholarship (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) based on an interview, which is scheduled for June 10, 2026 (Wednesday). This date is indicative. The Education Support Fund reserves the right to change the interview date. Invitations to the interview will be sent to selected applicants by email no later than three working days before the interview. The format of the interview (in person or online), as well as the place and time, will be specified in the invitation.
The Commission will consist of representatives of the central government authorities offering the future job positions (hereinafter referred to as the “positions”). The Chair of the Commission will be a representative of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic.

The members of the Commission will take into account the applicant’s overall profile and performance, with each member evaluating the applicants independently in accordance with the preferences of the respective central government authority they represent.

After the interview, the applicant will be asked to indicate their preferences among the offered job positions.

There is no legal entitlement to the scholarship. None of the applicants are guaranteed selection for the offered positions.

The announcement of the overall results of the selection process is expected within one week from the Commission’s meeting.

The results of the selection process, along with the number of points achieved, will be communicated to applicants in written form, either in paper or electronic form. Selected applicants will enter into a scholarship and cooperation agreement (hereinafter referred to as the “agreement”).

The list of all applicants, together with the number of points achieved, will be published on the website of the Education Support Fund.www.fnpv.sk and the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, www.minedu.sk.

A contract will be concluded with the selected scholarship applicants. The contract will include the commitment of the Education Support Fund to cover the costs of the studies, and the commitment of the relevant central government authority, which has expressed interest in the selected applicant, to provide the scholarship holder with a civil service position after completing their studies. By signing the contract, the scholarship holder undertakes to work for 24/36/48 months (depending on the amount of the scholarship) in the offered civil service position in return for compensation. 

After the contract is concluded, the Education Support Fund will cover the tuition fees and costs associated with the studies for the academic year 2026/2027 and will begin providing the scholarship to the scholarship holder.

If, at the time of the anticipated start of the scholarship holder’s employment at the relevant central government authority, a complication arises that prevents their employment, an alternative placement at another central government authority will be sought. The scholarship holder will commit in the agreement to accept any alternative job offer provided.

If the relevant central government authority is unable to offer the scholarship holder a civil service position upon successful completion of their studies, and no other central government authority expresses interest in employing them, the scholarship holder’s obligation to work in the public administration for 24/36/48 months will be waived, as well as the obligation to repay the financial resources equivalent to the provided scholarship.

If the scholarship holder, due to their own fault, works in public administration for less than 24/36/48 months, or does not obtain a university degree by completing the studies for which the scholarship was granted, they will be required to repay the financial resources in the amount of the scholarship provided. Any unpaid portion of the scholarship will accrue interest at the interest rate applied by the Education Support Fund to student loans. The repayment period will be specified in the agreement. 

The Martin Filko Scholarship has the nature of a loan, which, under the conditions set out in the agreement:

1. is interest-free and
2. has a deferred repayment schedule

The scholar is required to submit a report on their study progress at the end of each semester or trimester. For each month the scholar works in public administration (in the agreed position) after completing their studies, 1/24, 1/36, or 1/48 of the principal amount will be forgiven, depending on the length of the commitment.

The relevant central government authority may require the scholar to participate in a summer internship. Such a condition, as well as the scope of the internship, will be specified in the contract.

The scholarship can support a maximum of four semesters or six trimesters of study, even if the standard length of the respective study program exceeds two years. After the support period ends, the scholar must cover any further study-related expenses from their own resources, regardless of their commitment to work for three years in public administration.

The estimated amount of financial resources allocated for scholarships for the academic year 2026/2027 is a total of €154,500.00. The number of scholarships awarded will depend on the financial demands of the individual study programs and the amount of other study-related expenses.

The scholarship covers the following study-related expenses: tuition fees, living costs, travel expenses, costs for purchasing professional literature, health insurance, and travel insurance.

Applicants who already have part of their study expenses covered by other financial sources are also eligible to apply for the scholarship. This fact does not affect the scholar’s obligation to work for three years in public administration. When assessing the total study costs, only the amount requested by the applicant through this grant program will be taken into account.

The length of the commitment is 24 months for a scholarship amount up to €25,000, 36 months for a scholarship amount up to €50,000, and 48 months for a scholarship amount exceeding €50,000.

The tuition scholarship covers the payment of tuition fees and related charges payable to the university. Based on documents provided by the applicant, the Fund for the Support of Education will pay these fees directly to the university’s account. If the applicant has already paid the tuition fees for the academic year 2025/2026, they will be reimbursed upon submission of the relevant documents.

The living expenses scholarship is provided at the amount of scholarships granted to students in the National Scholarship Program according to the country of study. (www.stipendia.sk). The scholarship is granted for a maximum of ten months within one academic year.

The travel scholarship covers two one-way trips or one round trip for the scholarship recipient to and from the place of study during one academic year, based on actual expenses. The maximum amount for travel expenses is €300 per year for students studying at universities in Europe, and €1,500 per year for students studying at universities outside of Europe.

The scholarship for purchasing professional literature is provided in the amount of €200 per year.

The scholarship for covering health insurance and travel insurance costs related to the study stay is provided in the usual amount.

The Martin Filko Scholarship is a grant program aimed at supporting citizens of the Slovak Republic who plan to study full-time at prestigious foreign universities at the level of second or third cycle higher education (master’s or doctoral studies).

The aim of the Martin Filko Scholarship is to attract graduates of leading foreign universities to work in public administration under Section 36(3)(d) of Act No. 55/2017 Coll. on Civil Service, as amended, in order to improve the quality of public policy-making. Within the Martin Filko Scholarship, it is possible to obtain a scholarship to cover study-related costs (tuition fees, living expenses, travel costs, expenses for the purchase of professional literature, health insurance, and travel insurance) for a maximum of two academic years of study at a foreign university (hereinafter referred to as “studies”). In return, the supported applicant undertakes to work in public administration for 24/36/48 months.

The proposal for the grant program aimed at strengthening analytical capacities in public administration (hereinafter referred to as the “grant program”) was approved on May 7, 2014, by Government Resolution of the Slovak Republic No. 210/2014. The proposal to change the name of the grant program to the Martin Filko Scholarship was approved on March 1, 2017, by Government Resolution of the Slovak Republic No. 99/2017.

By Government Resolution of the Slovak Republic No. 782 of December 18, 2024, the proposal to change the organizational and technical arrangements of the Martin Filko Scholarship grant program was approved. The Ministry entrusted the organizational and technical implementation to the Education Support Fund.

The scholarship provides an opportunity for talented students to obtain top-quality education and subsequently apply their knowledge for the benefit of the Slovak Republic.

In case of any further questions, please contact the Education Support Fund at the email address: smf@fnpv.sk via the contact form on our website:

https://www.fnpv.sk/contactus  where the subject line should include “SMF”.