MERIT
General Information
Opening date
11 August 2024
Deadline model
single-stage
Deadline dates
15 October 2025 00:00 (Brussels time)
Open For Submission
Expected duration of participation
The scholarship period ranges from 1 to 10 month, depending on application time and conditions.
Total funding available
66 500,00 €
Project acronym
MERIT
Full name of the EU funded project
Master of Science in Smart, Secure and Interconnected Systems
Grant agreement number
101083531
Topic
DIGITAL-2021-SKILLS-01-SPECIALISED – Specialised education programmes in key capacity areas
Submission & evaluation process
MERIT Project Targeted Scholarship
Award Procedure and Selection Rules
at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
1. The aim of the Targeted Scholarships (hereinafter referred to as SCHOLARSHIPS) is to increase the accessibility of master’s studies developing advanced digital skills for European citizens and promote the growth of higher-level skills, equality and diversity in computer science.
2. The SCHOLARSHIPS are granted by the MERIT project. MERIT project is co-funded by the European Union under grant agreement No. 101083531. Up to 66500 euros are available to be distributed for the targeted scholarships at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (hereinafter referred to as VILNIUS TECH).
3. The SCHOLARSHIPS can be awarded to persons (hereinafter referred to as APPLICANTS) who are citizens of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the EU) studying in the MERIT project master’s degree programs “Engineering of Artificial Intelligence” (state code 6211BX023) or “Management of Artificial Intelligence Solutions” (state code 6211BX024) (hereinafter referred to as the PROGRAMS) at VILNIUS TECH.
4. Procedures for awarding SCHOLARSHIPS.
4.1. At the end of admission to master’s studies, information about the scholarship procedure is published on the website of VILNIUS TECH and other systems.
4.2. By August 1, the chairman of the study program committee contacts all accepted students and informs them about:
4.2.1. the possibility of applying for scholarships;
4.2.2. the criteria for awarding scholarships;
4.2.3. requirements for the student’s application for a scholarship;
4.2.4. the time limits for submitting the application.
4.3. Applications are accepted until the 15th of October. APPLICANTS are required to submit all documents and information referred to 5.2 paragraph and proving eligibility for scholarship.
4.4. The applications are accepted by VILNIUS TECH Department of Information Technologies.
4.5. Within 5 working days after the deadline for the acceptance of applications, the study program committees of the PROGRAMS assess the received applications, their suitability, award points according to the criteria set out in paragraph 5.3 and thus rank the APPLICANTS.
4.6. Each PROGRAM selects the best-ranked APPLICANTS, but only those who fully meet the SCHOLARSHIP requirements. Other applications are assigned to the reserve list and are reconsidered if any of the scholarship recipients refuse them or loses the opportunity to continue receiving it during their studies.
4.7. Within 5 working days of the meetings of the study programme committees, all applicants who have submitted applications are informed about the decisions taken in relation to their applications.
4.8. Students who have received SCHOLARSHIPS within 10 working days must:
4.8.1. sign a scholarship award agreement, which also specifies the consent to the processing of the student’s personal data, for scholarship management and marketing purposes;
4.8.2. provide the bank details necessary for the transfer of the scholarship.
4.9. Students have the right to appeal about the results of the assessment, presenting aspects that they consider inappropriate in their assessment, factual errors in the assessment of the data provided. In the case of an appeal, the following procedure shall apply:
4.9.1. appeals are accepted by the study programme committee within 3 working days from the date of notification of the results of the assessment;
4.9.2. the appeal must be submitted in writing, indicating the specific places where the student’s score was improperly assessed;
4.9.3. the study program committee must evaluate the appeal within 5 working days and inform the APPLICANT about its results;
4.9.4. if the inaccuracies indicated in the appeal are confirmed, they must be corrected and, accordingly, the order of award of the scholarship is updated.
4.10. In the event of a refusal of the SCHOLARSHIP, disagreement with the conditions or failure to provide the necessary data in a timely manner, the APPLICANT is not included in the list of scholarship recipients, and for the occupation of this scholarship, the next priority APPLICANT who is on the reserve list is contacted.
4.11. After all, scholarships have been awarded, but no later than the 15th of November, the final list of students who have received scholarships is published and their payment begins.
5. Requirements for students. Scholarship award criteria.
5.1. The main requirements that must be met when applying for SCHOLARSHIP:
5.1.1. to be an EU citizen – provide a copy of the identity document indicating nationality;
5.1.2. to study at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in the Engineering of Artificial Intelligence (state code 6211BX023) or Management of Artificial Intelligence Solutions (state code 6211BX024) master’s degree study program – to be included in the lists of full study students of these study programs.
5.2. When submitting an application, the student must provide the following documents:
5.2.1. the application, in which he or she briefly indicates the motivation and plans, where the received scholarship will be used, how it will contribute to the scholarship program aim and students upskilling in advanced digital skills (mandatory);
5.2.2. a copy of the identity document showing the date of birth and nationality of the APPLICANT (mandatory);
5.2.3. a document showing the declaration of residence (mandatory);
5.2.4. copies of documents of links to data sources, illustrating APPLICANTS achievements (optional).
5.3. Criteria by which applicants’ applications are ranked:
5.3.1. Ensuring equal condition for achieving advanced digital skills for region and big city citizens. All APPLICANTS x_A are divided into two categories, according to whether their declared place of residence is between the three largest cities in that country or not. Quantities are obtained, how many APPLICANTS are from the regions (having declared their place of residence not in one of the three largest cities in their residence country) x_(1,R) and how many live in one of the three main cities of the residence country x_(1,M) (for each country, the size of the city is defined by the number of inhabitants). Each APPLICANT living in the region is awarded a score x_(1,M)/x_A , and those living in one of the three main cities of the country are awarded a score x_(1,R)/x_A. The criteria weight is 2.
5.3.2. Promoting gender equality in computer science. All students studying in the PROGRAMS are divided into two categories, according to the gender indicated in their personal identity document. The quantities are obtained, how many men study in the programs in the current period x_P x_(2,M) and how many women are studying in the programs x_(2,F) . Each male applicant is given a score x_(2,F)/x_P , and a woman applicant is given a score x_(2,M)/x_P . The criteria weight is 2.
5.3.3. Developing advanced digital skills among people of different ages. All students studying in the PROGRAMS x_P are divided into two categories, according to age. The quantities of students under the age of 25 years x_(3,Y) and how many 25 years and older students x_(3,O) study in the programs in the current period. Every APPLICANT under the age of 25 is awarded a score x_(3,O)/x_P , and those 25 and older are awarded a score x_(3,Y)/x_P . The criteria weight is 1.
5.3.4. Promotion of gifted students. The entrance scores x_M of all students studying in the programs are evaluated and the lowest MIN(x_M )and highest MAX(x_M) competitive scores are selected. For each APPLICANT whose competitive score x_4 is awarded a score (x_4-MIN(x_M))/(MAX(x_M )-MIN(x_M)). The criteria weight is 5.
5.3.5. Promotion of students contributing to society and personal development in the area of advanced digital skills. It is estimated how much in the last 3 years the APPLICANT has actively participated in various events related to advanced digital skills or their application. The following activities are scored:
5.3.5.1. up to 1 point – participation and achievement at the MERIThON event;
5.3.5.2. up to 0.75 points – participation and achievement in another hackathon-type event related to advanced digital abilities.
5.3.5.3. up to 0.75 points – the establishment of a start-up or company that provides services of competences requiring advanced digital skills or sells a product based on them;
5.3.5.4. up to 0.5 points – participation in MERIT or other courses related to the development of advanced digital competencies;
5.3.5.5. up to 0.5 points – participation in volunteering related to advanced digital skills.
If the APPLICANT has received scores for several activities, the maximum of them is used for the assessment, and not their cumulative sum. The criteria weight is 3.
5.3.6. Elimination of economic barriers to study. According to the motivation given in the application and the justification for the need for financial support, the jury awards a score, from 0 to 1, based on the expediency and reasonableness of the need. The criteria weight is 2.
5.4. The scores obtained by the APPLICANT for each criterion are multiplied by the weight of that criterion and then added together. The maximum amount of points that an APPLICANT can score is 15 points.
5.5. According to the score each APPLICANT received, they are ranked in each program from the highest to the lowest scorer. This is how the queue of candidates for scholarships is formed, where up to 5 of the highest-ranked APPLICATIONS get the SCHOLARSHIP.
5.6. Students undertake to use the scholarship solely for the purpose of study:
5.6.1. reimbursement of tuition fees;
5.6.2. for the purchase of hardware or software necessary to study;
5.6.3. living and travel costs, necessary to assure the study availability;
5.6.4. acquisition of additional training or information sources, improvement of the necessary competencies;
5.6.5. other study-related expenses.
6. The procedure for paying scholarships to students.
6.1. The scholarship is paid every month of the academic year from the award of the scholarship until graduation or till the 1st of July 2026 (whichever comes first) if the student meets the requirements, i. e. does not satisfy any of the conditions referred in the 7.1 paragraph.
6.2. The scholarship is provided for the defined period of study and is paid in the following months:
6.2.1. in the first year of study in October-June,
6.2.2. in the second year of study in September-June.
6.3. The amount of the scholarship is 350 euros per month and it will be fixed for the scholarship period. During the whole scholarship period, one student cannot be awarded more than 10 820 euros from all MERIT project scholarships, what corresponds to the tuition fees in the PROGRAMS for a full 2-year study period..
6.4. By receiving this scholarship, the student does not lose the right to apply for and receive other scholarships, unless otherwise specified in them and double funding is not received in terms of scholarships, getting multiple funding for the same purposes.
6.5. Upon receive of other scholarships rather than MERIT project, the student should additionally provide a written explanation, justifying the absence of double funding inform of scholarships.
6.6. In case of double funding, the MERIT scholarship can be rejected or its size can be reduced, to meet the real expense and income from scholarships balance.
7. Termination of award and payment of scholarship. Redistribution of scholarships.
7.1. The award and payment of the scholarship shall be terminated if the student has completed at least one of the following actions:
7.1.1. discontinues studies;
7.1.2. takes academic leave;
7.1.3. transfer to another study program;
7.1.4. does not pass at least one exam or fail the course during the scheduled semester;
7.1.5. violated the rules of ethics and academic honesty.
7.2. The student can terminate the receipt of the scholarship on his or her own will, for personal reasons. In this case, a written request should be submitted for the termination of the award and payment of the scholarship to the study program committee.
7.3. The award and payment of the scholarship to the student is terminated from the occurrence of the circumstances referred in the 7.1 and 7.2 paragraphs.
7.4. In the cases provided for, upon termination of the award and payment of scholarships to a student, the process of assigning that scholarship to another student for the remainder of the scholarship payment period shall be carried out.
7.5. The procedure and criteria for the redistribution of scholarships are analogous to those for their award, but several changes apply:
7.5.1. APPLICANTS for the redistribution of scholarships are evaluated within one month from the occurrence of the circumstances of termination of the scholarship to the student concerned, but not earlier than 10 working days after the fact of termination of the scholarship;
7.5.2. from the moment of termination of the scholarship, within 5 working days, the students of the relevant study program are informed about the opportunity to submit applications for the vacant scholarship;
7.5.3. from the moment the notice is sent to students, students can submit the necessary documents for applying for the vacant scholarship within 5 working days;
7.5.4. in the assessment of 5.3.5. criteria, it is not the entrance score that is assessed, but the weighted average of the subjects of study in the master’s program being studied;
7.5.5. the study programme committee assesses all applications within 5 working days and informs students about the results of the evaluation of applications within the next 5 working days.Show less
Further information
Regarding questions, related to the call and MERIT studies at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, the main contact is Simona Ramanauskaitė (e-mail. simona.ramanauskaite@vilniustech.lt).
Task description
Students undertake to use the scholarship solely for the purpose of study:
– reimbursement of tuition fees;
– for the purchase of hardware or software necessary to study;
– living and travel costs, necessary to assure the study availability;
– acquisition of additional training or information sources, improvement of the necessary competencies;
– other study-related expenses.
Visibility of the scholarship benefits should be done on scholarship receive.