Evaluation of GRÓ's master's and doctoral scholarship programme

1. GRÓ central should promote the SP as a strategic continuation of the postgraduate diploma, offering a pioneering example of how sound educational inputs can maximise the impact of ODA funds towards realising international development cooperation goals and the SDGs.
2. The four training programmes in collaboration with GRÓ central are encouraged to explore different options to develop a coordinated and clustered approach to post scholarship support to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the SP.
3. The four training programmes should explore and share ways to strengthen representation and participation of diverse partner institutions in the SP as a means to strengthen buy-in and enhance individual, organisational, and institutional capacity building.
4. GRÓ central is advised to establish a master’s and doctoral scholarship budget line based on training programmes‘ projections for a five-year period and informed by current postgraduate student needs and estimates to facilitate long-term quality planning across all programmes.
5. GRÓ central and the four training programmes should develop a comprehensive funding and promotion strategy to supplement/complement core MFA funding.
6. GRÓ central and the four training programmes are encouraged to actively seek opportunities to develop as a cross-sectoral community of practice through implementation and monitoring of the 2022-2027 Theory of Change, and to ensure cross-cutting themes such as gender are better addressed.
7. The MFA should ensure the position of GRÓ director general is for at least a three-year period to ensure long-term management and institutional memory.
8. The training programmes should continue to take the lead in education and research decision making given that the academic freedom of the training programmes has proven to yield positive results.
9. GRÓ central and the four training programmes should develop a common scholarship package informed by best practices and create a link on the GRÓ webpage for all information related to the scholarship programme.
10. GRÓ central in collaboration with the training programmes is encouraged to explore the feasibility of establishing formal agreements with partner universities in Iceland and internationally to increase academic and social wellbeing of scholarship recipients and strengthen the relationship between academia and development cooperation.

Primary conclusions indicate that the scholarship programme, as an extension of the diploma training programme, is a core activity that contributes to capacity development in partner countries as outlined in GRÓ’s Theory of Change and Strategy 2022–2027. Fellows who have been granted scholarships have been particularly proficient as change agents by contributing to important results at the home country level, even beyond the academic sphere. However, findings also raise questions about the need to ensure greater financial security and wellbeing of students while engaged in academic studies, in particular for doctoral students. The findings also reveal opportunities to maximise the educational and development impact of GRÓ through strengthened strategic collaboration between the four training programmes and GRÓ central.

Read more about evaluations in international development, initiated, prepared and managed by the Directorate for Internal Affairs within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, here.