Grants for research, academic projects and work placements

The Minerva Scholarship Fund (MSF) is a unique scholarship fund established in 2009. It awards grants to Leiden students for study and research projects across a range of academic disciplines.

For students

For donors

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200+

Students

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The MSF supports projects affiliated with the seven faculties of Leiden University: Archaeology, Law, Medicine, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Governance and Global Affairs.

Applications are assessed by a highly professional Allocation Board composed of professors affiliated with the university. Through a rigorous selection process, they determine which students receive a scholarship.

The MSF is recognized by the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration as a Public Benefit Institution (ANBI). Consequently, donations to the fund are deductible from income tax under certain conditions, and the MSF pays no gift or inheritance tax on donations and bequests, ensuring that every contribution benefits the scholarships entirely.

We offer students invaluable experiences

By awarding scholarships, the MSF promotes academic excellence. Watch this video to find out more!

Our mission

Students who wish to spread their wings beyond Leiden are given the opportunity to develop their skills abroad through the MSF scholarship.

This could involve a specific research placement or broadening one’s general knowledge by taking courses abroad. This makes Minerva the first student association ever to recognise the importance of contributing to successful study in and from Leiden – both for its own members and for other motivated students at Leiden University. In this way, it contributes to the development of students and to innovation and progress in science.

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Study

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Research

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Internship

Help us enable even more students to reach their full potential.

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Many students have already achieved their academic goals with the help of MSF

Find out what the fair meant to them and how they excelled thanks to the opportunities they were able to seize.

HANNAH SCHENK

Biomedical Sciences

Over the past six months, I have been undertaking a biomedical placement in the United Kingdom. This forms part of my Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at the LUMC. From a young age, I have had a keen interest in the biology of the human body. As I got older, I learnt more about the immune system; I find the body’s ingenuity in protecting itself absolutely fascinating. For my first Master’s placement, I therefore looked for a topic within...

Law

On 13 January 2023, I landed in Cape Town and shortly afterwards my semester at Stellenbosch University began. After spending two weeks travelling around the Western Cape, I arrived in the university town that would be my home for the next six months. I took courses to fulfil the elective requirements for my Bachelor’s degree in Law and wrote my bachelor’s thesis. I also had the privilege of working at Ikaya Primary School in Kayamandi, the township near...

Middle Eastern Studies

At the end of January 2023, I left for Egypt for five months to live in Cairo and begin work on my Master’s thesis. For this thesis, I investigated how Egyptian identity was manifested in poetry during British rule. In this context, nationalism within the academic world is still often linked to the idea of secular territories. My research, on the other hand, emphasises the role of Islam in strengthening national unity in Egypt and the Arab...

Japanese Studies

From September 2022 to early August 2023, I lived and studied in Tokyo, Japan. For my Master’s in Japanese Studies, it is compulsory to spend a year in Japan studying and conducting research for your Master’s thesis. I therefore attended classes at Keio University and worked on my thesis alongside this. For this, I also received supervision from Keio University on my own initiative. My thesis was on women of mixed heritage in Japan. They have one Japanese...

Philosophy/Liberal Arts and Sciences

Thanks to a generous scholarship from the Minerva Scholarship Fund, I was able to spend June 2023 at the Hong Kierkegaard Research Library at St. Olaf College, Minnesota, USA. The Hong Kierkegaard Library is one of the world’s leading institutions for research related to the 19th-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard...

See all the other students we’ve helped and read their

Testimonials

15th

Nov

Deadline

First application deadline of each academic year.

15th

Apr

Deadline

Second application deadline for each academic year.

Important dates are coming up

Get ready for the two annual application deadlines: 15 November and 15 April. We advise you to start writing your application and gathering the necessary documents well in advance!

More information

Join us and become part of a fantastic organisation!

The Minerva Scholarship Fund remains committed to awarding scholarships to ambitious students in the future. After all, there are no limits to academic self-development. Through its open approach, the fund offers students at Leiden University the opportunity to develop academically. In this way, the fund has created an interesting network of inspiring individuals.

Join in!