| Legislative： |
1.Promulgated December 22, 2011 (No.1000225470D)
2.Effective from January 1, 2012
3.Revised April 10, 2015 (No.1040020914C)
4.Revised April 1, 2022 (No.1112501004) |
| Content： |
Purpose
The Ministry of Education (abbreviated below to ‘MOE’) has formulated these directions to encourage international scholars (with the exception of those from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao) to undertake short term research in the Republic of China (Taiwan),
in order to provide them with opportunities to increase their understanding of Taiwan’s culture and society, and to promote mutual understanding and interaction between Taiwan and the international community.
Eligibility
a. An international scholar who is a Ph.D. student or a postdoctoral research fellow, with the exception of anyone currently holding an R.O.C. passport, is eligible to apply for a Short Term Research Award (abbreviated below to ‘STRA award’).
b. ‘Ph.D. student’ refers to a student who is currently undertaking a doctorate program at an overseas government approved and registered public or private university or college; a ‘postdoctoral research fellow’ refers to a scholar who has been awarded a Ph.D.
by any government (ROC or overseas) approved and registered public or private university or college, and is now undertaking a research project at such an overseas university, college, or institute of higher education. Priority will be given to specific research
proposals by scholars who have completed a dissertation, book/s, and/or other publication/s.
c. Please note that anyone in any of the following circumstances is not eligible to apply:
1. Anyone who at the time they apply is visiting, residing, studying (including undertaking an internship), teaching, or undertaking research activity in Taiwan;
2. Anyone who has received an STRA award within the last 5 years;
3. Anyone who is currently receiving some form of financial assistance from a government agency or an educational institution in Taiwan to undertake a research project;
4. Anyone who would be an exchange student under some formal academic co-operation agreement signed between a university or tertiary college in Taiwan and an overseas university or college during the period undertaking the proposed research in Taiwan.
Short-Term Research Period
a. The short term research period must be for a duration of between 2 and 6 months.
b. The short term research period is aligned with each fiscal year, and in principle, the research is to be undertaken between March 1 and December 31.
Availability
Approximately 20 STRA awards are available each year; the actual number depends on the annual budget for the particular fiscal year.
Research Topic Area
The research topic area to be investigated in Taiwan must be related to Taiwanese humanities disciplines, social sciences, culture and/or arts, and/or related comparative research.
Award Value
a. A Ph.D. student will receive a monthly research subsidy of NTD $25,000; a postdoctoral fellow will receive NTD $40,000.
b. Recipients will also be reimbursed for an economy class round trip airfare for the most direct route between their place of residence and Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, or Matsu. The maximum airfare subsidy available for traveling to and from Asia, Europe, the
Americas, Africa, or Oceania respectively will be determined in accordance with Ministry of Education regulations. Applicants are responsible for any expenses exceeding the set maximum.
Applicants Must Submit the Following Documents:
a. 3 copies of the Application Form (see appendix 1)
b. A postdoctoral fellow must provide a photocopy of their Ph.D.; a Ph.D. student must provide certification of their current enrollment and transcripts and documentary evidence of the academic programs they have completed.
c. At least two letters of recommendation: one from a senior official of the institution, university, or college where the applicant is currently working or studying (for example: the president or vice-chancellor of a university, the director of an institute,
dean of a college, head of a department, or head of a research institute, or a senior official from another institution or organization); another from a teaching scholar or expert in the applicant’s field. If the applicant is a Ph.D. student, a certification
of their current enrollment must also be submitted.
Application Procedure & Timeline
a. Applications to undertake a research project in Taiwan in the following year must be submitted to the university, college, or research organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education—such as the Center for Chinese Studies, or the National Academy
for Educational Research—in Taiwan at which the applicant would like to undertake research (abbreviated below to ‘host institution’). All the application material stipulated immediately above must arrive at the host institution no later than September 30 (date
of receipt) each year.
b. The host institution will undertake the initial review of the application and if it supports the proposal, it will assist the applicant to prepare a brief summary of their research proposal in Chinese on a single A4 sheet, and submit that and all other required
documents to the MOE by November 15 the same year for further assessment and approval.
c. The MOE will notify the host institutions of the final STRA award decisions, and the host institutions will then notify the applicants. The MOE will also send a copy of the decision to the Republic of China embassy or diplomatic mission in each successful
applicant’s home country or place of residence by January 31 of the next year.
Ministry of Education Selection Procedure
The applications approved by the host institutions undertaking the initial reviews and submitted to the MOE are then sent to between three and five scholars and/or experts in the applicants' fields of research to review them, and if necessary, the MOE may convene
a meeting to review the applications. The selection of STRA award recipients is based on the following criteria and to be eligible to receive an STRA award, applicants must receive at least 70 points (out of a possible 100) from each person on the selection
panel, taking into consideration:
a. the applicant's potential; outstanding personal performance; and ability to carry out their proposal (30%);
b. the applicant's language ability, and the academic reputation of the research institution within the applicant’s research field and its appropriateness for the proposal (30%);
c. the overall quality and comprehensiveness of the research proposal (including the topic, structure, research methodology, and analysis of the issue/s), its feasibility, and the importance of the project to future development of the applicant’s home country
and Taiwan (40%).
Grant Allocations, Verification & Account Finalization Timeline and Procedure
The host institution where a recipient is undertaking their research must request STRA award payments from the MOE and undertake verification and finalization of any STRA award account matters each year in accordance with the schedule and procedure set out
below:
a. Appropriation requests for a recipient’s research subsidies during their research period in that year which have been verified must be formally submitted with receipts attached by March 15 each year. The research subsidies will be transferred to recipients
on the tenth of each month beginning from the month after they arrive in Taiwan.
b. After the recipient has arrived in Taiwan and submitted evidence of the cost of their plane ticket to Taiwan, and their boarding pass, or flight ticket stub, a written request for reimbursement which must include a receipt may be submitted to the MOE.
c. Within one month of a recipient completing their research project, the host institution must submit two copies of the award recipient’s Research Project Report (using the format shown at appendix 2, and include mention of research results such as research
papers, or published material), and an STRA award funds income and expenditure statement to the MOE to undertake verification and finalization.
d. Expenditure requests, payments, verification, and finalization of accounts pertaining to STRA awards must be handled as stipulated in the MOE Operation Directions Governing Approval of Budget Appropriations and Finalization of Accounts for Subsidies, Endowments,
and Commission Related Expenses Incurred.
Important Details
a. Information for Recipients
1. The recipient must undertake research at a registered university, college, or research institute affiliated with the MOE, and the recipient must actively participate in related academic activities in Taiwan during the research period.
2. The recipient is not permitted to leave Taiwan during their STRA award period without the permission of the host institution. A temporary departure is permitted if exceptional circumstances occur if such permission is obtained, but an overseas stay exceeding
ten days will lead to the forfeiture of one month’s research subsidy, and the recipient is not permitted to apply to receive it later.
3. The recipient is not permitted to undertake any paid work or to accept any other award or subsidy from any other government agency or academic institution during the period they are undertaking research in Taiwan.
4. The MOE does not provide STRA award recipients housing or a research room.
5. The recipient must take out accident and medical insurance which must be effective for the full period of their short-term research stay in Taiwan. Anyone who is not yet insured will not be permitted to receive any research subsidy or airfare subsidy payment
after they arrive in Taiwan.
6. If any person submits any false or dishonest documentation, and this is investigated and verified, they will immediately be disqualified from receiving an STRA award, and must pay back the research subsidy and any airfare subsidy payment that they have already
received.
b. Responsibilities of Host Institutions in Taiwan
1. The host institution must provide the recipient with timely appropriate assistance during the short-term period that the foreign scholar is undertaking research in a relevant department or institute on a campus, or within a research unit, and must handle
matters pertaining to the appropriation requests for the recipient’s research subsidy, and airfare reimbursement, and finalization of the account in accordance with the schedule determined by the MOE.
2. During the period that a recipient is undertaking research in Taiwan, if any documentation they have submitted is found to contain anything false or dishonest, the host institution must immediately stop issuing their monthly research subsidy, and as well
as immediately disqualifying the person from being an STRA award recipient, the host institution must recover the research subsidy and any airfare subsidy payment that the person has already received, and must report the matter to the MOE to be put on record.
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