Purpose
The Ministry of Education of Taiwan 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 PhD 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. ‘PhD 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.
 
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 PhD 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.

Application Procedure and Deadline

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.

Find all application documents and further requirements at the respective MOE website.