BASIC INFORMATION

Well located at the centre of Continental Europe, Slovakia borders Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. In the north and northeast, Slovakia is flanked by the Carpathian Mountains, and mountainous terrain accounts for over one third of the country’s territory. A relatively small country (49,036 km2 ), Slovakia has a population of 5.4 million. The official language is Slovak, and Hungarian and Czech are widely spoken. Slovakia is a member of multiple international organisations, including the European Union, the World Trade Organisation, NATO, and the OECD. In economic terms the largest proportion of GDP is produced by Services, followed by Industry. Meanwhile, the automotive sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in Slovakia due to large foreign investments from car giants Volkswagen, Peugeot and Kia Motors. Other main industries include nuclear fuel, chemicals, man-made fibres, and electrical and optical apparatus.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Establishment of the National Scholarship Programme for the Support of Mobility of Students, PhD Students, University Teachers and Researchers was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic in 2005. The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic is funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. The following types of scholarships are available: Scholarships for foreign university students to take part in Master’s (graduate) study over a period of one to two semesters (5 – 10 months) at Slovak universities; Scholarships for foreign PhD students to undertake a portion of their studies over a period of 1 to 12 months at Slovak universities or research institutes of the Slovak Academy of Sciences; Scholarships for foreign university teachers and researchers over a period of 1 to 12 months to carry out teaching or research at Slovak universities, research institutes, or nongovernmental organisations (on the basis of an invitation).