| Article 1 In order to provide incentives for academic development,
enhance teaching and research standards, and encourage
universities to develop their own individual strengths,
the Ministry of Education (hereunder “the Ministry”)
establishes National Chair Professorships, in accordance
with the provisions of Paragraph 2 of Article 17 of the
University Act, and has formulated these Regulations.
Article 2 Each National Chair Professorship shall be awarded to
a full-time university professor who when recommended
or selected is still actively engaged in ongoing academic
research and teaching; held in high esteem; playing a
leading role in shaping the direction of academic thought;
and an exemplary role model in the academic community.
In addition, the person shall satisfy one of the following
requirements:
1. Be an academician of Academia Sinica;
2. Have received a Ministry of Education Academic Award; or
3. Have some outstanding achievement equivalent to being
an Academia Sinica academician or to receiving an
Ministry of Education Academic Award, in an academic
or professional field in Taiwan or in another country.
Article 3 Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for a
National Chair Professorship set out in the preceding
article shall be recommended to the Ministry by universities
after each candidate’s eligibility has first been officially
reviewed by their university and approved by the Teacher
Evaluation Committee. Each university may recommend up to
three candidates in each field and the selection shall be
made by the Ministry.
The Ministry’s procedures to select National Chair Professors
are as follows:
1.A separate Review Board will be set up for each of five
categories, based on different academic fields: the
Humanities and Arts; Social Science; Mathematics and Natural
Science; Biology and Medical and Agricultural Science; and
Engineering and Applied Science. From nine to eleven
prestigious scholars and experts shall be appointed to be
members of each Review Board. The Standing Committee of the
Ministry of Education Academic Review Committee (hereunder
abbreviated to “the Academic Review Committee”) shall
designate the convener of each Review Board.
2.The Review Boards shall conduct the first review, after
undertaking a detailed evaluation of the academic research
and teaching performance of each of the candidates and fully
discussing and analyzing each.
3.Each Review Board shall forward all the material pertaining
to each candidate who has passed the first review to three
or four scholars or experts for further evaluation, after
which it will conduct its second review. Each Review Board
will then give their recommendations of candidates for a
National Chair Professorship to the Standing Committee.
4.The Standing Committee shall review and discuss the results
of each evaluation of each of the recommended candidates
referred to in the preceding subparagraph, and then draw
up and submit a list of candidates for a National Chair
Professorship to a meeting of the Academic Review Committee
to discuss and deliberate over.
5.The decisions shall be made with the agreement of two thirds
of the members present, after discussion and deliberation at
a meeting of the Academic Review Committee attended by at
least half of its members. The National Chair Professors are
selected based on the number of votes received by each of
the candidates.
6.If any National Chair Professorship remains vacant after the
selection procedure, a further ballot may be cast if a
majority of the members present at the meeting of the Academic
Review Committee members attended by at least half of its
members agree. If a second ballot still fails to result in
anyone receiving the number of votes stipulated in the
preceding subparagraph, that National Chair Professorship
shall remain vacant.
If a member of the Academic Review Committee is one of the
current recommended candidates for a National Chair Professorship
, that person shall withdraw from participating in all associated
review and ballot-casting procedures.
Article 4 A maximum of thirteen National Chair Professorships shall be
approved and awarded each year. The number available in each
different disciplinary category is stipulated in Subparagraph
1 of Paragraph 2 of the preceding article. There is an annual
quota of two such professorships in the Humanities and Arts
category, two such professorships in the Social Sciences category
, and three such professorships in each of the other disciplinary
categories
Article 5 The term of each National Chair Professorship is three years. If
it is necessary for a National Chair Professorship to be extended
beyond the end of this term, the procedures set out in the
provisions of Article 3 shall be conducted before the term ends.
Any person who has served two terms as a National Chair Professor
shall become an honorary life-time National Chair Professor,
without participating in any further recommendation or selection
process.
Article 6 During the period when they are receiving the associated grant,
National Chair Professors shall set up elective courses that
students from other universities may enroll in, deliver lectures
around the country, and publicize research and teaching
achievements, in order to enhance the quality and general climate
of academic research and teaching in Taiwan.
Article 7 In addition to the necessary resources provided by each university
that recommended a particular National Chair Professorship, the
Ministry shall provide NTD one million annually, which shall be
allocated each year as follows:
1. A personal grant for each National Chair Professor: a maximum
of NTD 500,000.
2. Teaching and research funds: for employing assistants, operating
costs, transportation, and equipment.
Any person selected to be a National Chair Professor is not
permitted to concurrently receive any other grant from the public
affairs budget of any other government agency (organization).
Article 8 If any of the following circumstances occur, a National Chair
Professor’s personal grant shall be handled in accordance with
the following provisions:
1. If a National Chair Professor does not continue working in a
position as a full-time professor at their original university,
their grant shall be terminated, beginning from the next semester.
The university where the person is newly taking up an appointment
may, however, continue providing similar administrative resources,
and a similar research environment, and offer National Chair
Professorship related courses, and if so, the person may continue
to receive the grant.
2. If a National Chair Professor takes research leave, they shall
report this to the Ministry which shall suspend their grant
starting from the month immediately after the period of leave
begins. Grant payments will resume when the period of research
leave ends and will continue until the expiration of the term of
the National Chair Professorship.
3. If a National Chair Professor is temporarily transferred in
accordance with relevant regulations, for a period of less than
two years, their grant shall be suspended starting from the month
immediately following the temporary transfer. The grant payments
will resume when the temporary transfer ends and will continue
until the expiration of the term of the National Chair Professorship.
Article 8-1 If a National Chair Professor was involved in a case of violation
ofacademic ethics before their selection that would have adversely
affected the decision to select them, or if any material presented
during their selection procedure contained false or incorrect
details, the Ministry shall revoke their eligibility to be a
National Chair Professor and require the personal grant money
referred to in Article 7, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 1 to be repaid.
If a National Chair Professor becomes involved in a case of
violation of academic ethics after being appointed as a National
Chair Professorship and the circumstances are serious, the Ministry
shall deem that person ineligible to have been awarded a National
C hair Professorship and shall cease paying the personal grant money
that was paid in accordance with the provisions of Article 7,
Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 1.
If the Ministry deems a person ineligible to hold a National Chair
Professorship and revokes their eligibility during the period in
which the associated grant is being paid, the Ministry shall cease
its all ocation of the teaching and research funds referred in to
Article 7, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2. If any such funds have been
released for a particular use but have not yet been spent, the
operations for which the funds were to be spent use shall be
discontinued and the unspent funds must be returned.
The procedures for the deeming a person ineligible to be a National
Chair Professor and for revocation of such eligibility referred to
in Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2 are as follows:
1. The Ministry shall organize an investigation team if a candidate
is reported or found to be or have been involved in a case of the
kind referred to in Paragraph 1 or Paragraph 2.
2. After the investigation team makes a professional judgement, it
shall draw up and submit a written report of its investigation
to a meeting of the Academic Review Committee for discussion and
consideration.
3. The meeting of the Academic Review Committee that discusses and
considers the findings shall be attended by at least half of its
members and a decision motion will be passed if two thirds of the
members present agree
Article 9 These Regulations shall take effect on the date of promulgation.
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