The Prince Bernhard Scholarships were established in 1991 by the Foundation “The Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Institute”, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of the late Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The programme has also been financially supported by the University of Utrecht and CEDLA. Each year, depending on the amount of applications, one or two scholarships of 5,000 euros are awarded to promising young researchers from the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, or Latin America.

The scholarships aim to support innovative research carried out in the fields of economic, political, or cultural relations between the Netherlands/Europe and Latin America. At least one of the scholarships will be awarded to a research proposal in the field of sustainability.