The application must be submitted using the form provided as part of this call.

The following attachments are mandatory parts of the electronic application:

1. a copy of the confirmation of application, admission, or enrollment at the selected foreign university,
2. a copy of the tuition fee confirmation issued by the university,
3. a signed structured curriculum vitae (CV),
4. a signed motivation letter (maximum 2 pages A4, Times New Roman font, size 12) including information on why the applicant chose to study at the given university, their vision for applying their knowledge in the public administration sector, how they intend to use the acquired education in this field, and which personal qualities or skills make them the most suitable candidate,
5. a copy of the diploma certifying the highest level of education attained to date, along with other relevant educational documents (e.g., language certificates). Notarized copies are not required.

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

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

The application for the Martin Filko Scholarship for the 2025/2026 academic year (hereinafter referred to as the "application"), along with scanned attachments, must be submitted electronically no later than May 12, 2025 (Monday) to the email address: smf@fnpv.sk. The email subject must include the phrase "Martin Filko Scholarship". The maximum size of the application along with attachments is 7 MB. Applications received after May 12, 2025, will not be considered. The submission time is decisive for all applications.

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 evaluated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and two external reviewers 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

The top 9 applicants with the highest scores from the first round will advance to the second round.

After the interview, the applicant will be asked to indicate their preferences among the offered job positions.The Committee will be composed of representatives from the ministries, the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, and the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, which offer the future positions (hereinafter referred to as the "positions"). The Chairperson of the Committee will be a representative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
The final scholarship award decision will be made by the Committee for the Evaluation of Applications for the Martin Filko Scholarship (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee") based on an interview scheduled for June 12, 2025 (Thursday). The date is tentative. The Education Support Fund reserves the right to change the interview date. Invitation to the interview will be sent via email to the selected applicants at least three business days prior to the interview. The format of the interview (in-person or online), location, and time will be specified in the invitation.

Committee members will consider the overall profile and presentation of each applicant. Each member will independently evaluate the applicants in accordance with the preferences of the respective ministry, Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, or Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic 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 seven working days following the Committee’s meeting. The results of the selection process, along with the scores obtained, will be communicated to applicants in writing, either in hard copy or electronic form. Contracts for the award of the scholarship and cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the “contract”) will be signed with the selected applicants. A list of all applicants, including their respective scores, 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 Education Support Fund’s commitment to cover the costs of study and the obligation of the relevant central government authority, which expressed interest in the selected applicant, to offer the scholar a civil service position upon completion of their studies. By signing the contract, the scholar agrees to work for remuneration for 24, 36, or 48 months (depending on the amount of the scholarship) in the offered civil service position.

After the contract is signed, the Education Support Fund will pay the tuition fees and other study-related charges for the academic year 2025/2026 and will begin providing the scholarship to the scholar.

If, at the time the scholar is expected to start working at the respective ministry, Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, or Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, a complication arises that prevents their employment, efforts will be made to place them in another central government authority. The scholar will commit in the contract to accept any alternative offered position.

If the respective ministry, Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, or Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic is unable to offer the scholar a civil service position upon successful completion of studies, and no other central government authorities express interest in employing them, the scholar’s obligation to work in the public administration for 24, 36, or 48 months shall cease, along with the obligation to repay the amount of the scholarship received.

If the scholar, due to their own fault, works in public administration for less than 24/36/48 months or fails to obtain a university degree by completing the studies for which the scholarship was granted, they will be required to repay the full amount of the scholarship. The unpaid portion of the scholarship amount will accrue interest at the rate applied by the Education Support Fund for student loans. The repayment deadline will be specified in the contract.

The Martin Filko Scholarship is a loan that, under the conditions specified in the contract:

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 planned budget allocated for the Martin Filko Scholarship for the academic year 2025/2026 is €161,900 in total. The number of scholarships awarded will depend on the financial demands of 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 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 the public administration according to § 36 paragraph 3 letter d) of Act No. 55/2017 Coll. on the civil service and on amendments and supplements to certain laws, as amended, in order to improve the quality of public policy-making. Within the Martin Filko Scholarship, it is possible to receive funding to cover study costs (tuition fees, living expenses, travel costs, costs for purchasing professional literature, health insurance, and travel insurance) for a maximum of two academic years of study at a foreign university (hereinafter referred to as “study”), with the supported applicant committing to work for 24/36/48 months in the public administration in return. The length of the commitment that the scholarship recipient is required to fulfill in the public administration depends on the amount of the scholarship. The commitment period is 24 months for scholarships up to €25,000, 36 months for scholarships up to €50,000, and 48 months for scholarships exceeding €50,000.

The scholarship program was approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Slovak Republic No. 210/2014 on May 7, 2014, as part of the Action Plan of the National Reform Program of the Slovak Republic 2013, which aimed to improve the quality of public administration and strengthen the analytical capacities of key ministries. It follows the grant program Scholarship of M. R. Štefánik (2006 – 2008) and its renewed provision since 2011.

On March 1, 2017, by a resolution of the Government of the Slovak Republic, the program was renamed the Martin Filko Scholarship in honor of this prominent economist and public figure. Martin Filko was the chief economist of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic and director of the Ministry of Finance’s Institute of Financial Policy. His life credo, "each of us has a mission," was reflected in his efforts to promote the public interest and ensure healthy public finances. This principle is also reflected in the program, which aims to strengthen analytical capacities in public administration and thereby contribute to improving public policy-making. The program enables public administration to recruit graduates of prestigious foreign universities for its work pursuant to § 36, paragraph 3, letter d) of Act No. 55/2017 Coll. on the civil service and on amendments and supplements to certain acts, as amended, in order to enhance the quality of public policy-making. By resolution No. 782 of the Government of the Slovak Republic dated December 18, 2024, the proposal to change the organizational and technical management of the Martin Filko Scholarship grant program was approved. The Ministry entrusted the organizational and technical management 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.