HomeGuidelines for Special Outstanding Talent Recruitment and Retainment: Award Payments
Approved by the Executive Yuan on September 21, 2018
- Objectives:
Academia Sinica is committed to recruiting and retaining outstanding research fellows and research specialists to achieve the goal of cultivating talent and enhancing scholarly standards. The “Guidelines for Award Payments for the Recruitment and Retainment of Special Outstanding Talent” (hereafter referred to as the “Guidelines”) have been established to promote this end, based on Articles 2 and 4 of the “Guidelines Governing the Ministry of Science and Technology’s (MOST) Subsidies for College and University Research Awards”. - Eligibility:
- Merit awards: Full-time research staff (excluding distinguished research fellows) who have executed
MOST-subsidized research projects within one year prior to the date of award funding and fulfill the
following qualifications:
- Outstanding AS research staff who are Project Directors of academic research, industrial collaborative research or interdisciplinary research projects that adhere to Article 3 of the Guidelines for MOST Funded Research Projects. AS staff who have performed outstanding teaching and administrative work, and those who have retired in accordance with relevant regulations, are excluded.
- Research staff who accept appointment at AS must be domestically appointed for the first time if they are appointed after August 1 for the year prior to the award’s start date. Staff recruited from other domestic public and private universities or research institutions are ineligible.
- Talent recruitment awards: To ensure the rights of newly appointed outstanding research staff and ensure
the equitable distribution of resources, award recipients (AS Project Directors appointed within three
years who execute MOST-subsidized research projects) should meet one of the following qualifications:
- Have never served as permanent full-time faculty members or research fellows for domestic research institutions.
- Have worked in foreign research institutions for 5 years prior to accepting appointment at AS.
- AS research staff temporarily transferred to other institutions or universities may not accept simultaneous awards from AS and the transferred unit.
- During the award period, recipients may not accept the following concurrent awards from the Foundation
for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship:
- Outstanding Scholar Awards,
- Recruiting Outstanding Young Scholar Award,
- Keeping Excellent Scholars Award.
- Merit awards: Full-time research staff (excluding distinguished research fellows) who have executed
MOST-subsidized research projects within one year prior to the date of award funding and fulfill the
following qualifications:
- Number of awardees and approval ratio:
The number of awards should not exceed 40% of the total number of Project Directors executing MOST-subsidized research projects during the previous year. In order to ensure that AS staff at different career stages can engage in research, no less than 30% of staff who receive awards should be at the rank of associate research fellow or below. - Award Amounts:
- Merit awards: The maximum monthly rate for each person is NT$200,000 (same for below), and the minimum is NT$5,000.
- Talent recruitment awards: Total award amounts for research fellows shall not be less than NT$80,000 per person per month; for associate research fellows, not less than NT$60,000; for assistant research fellows, not less than NT$30,000.
- Source of Funding:
“Executive Yuan National Science and Technology Development Fund” from the Ministry of Science and Technology. - Award Period:
The award period starts from August 1 of the current year to July 31 of the following year. - Amount Funding Quotas:
- The Ministry of Science and Technology will calculate the amount of award funding that AS can apply for.
- AS will decide the total number of applications. Each institute (preparatory office) and research center should apply based on the number of recipients and funding limits. Each division should receive award funding no less than 20% of the current year’s MOST funding.
- Performance evaluation standards:
Institutes and research centers should set evaluation standards according to their respective fields based on research staff’s academic performance in industrial collaborative, international collaborative, and interdisciplinary research, as well as the institute or research center’s mid-term and long-term development goals. Research staff should achieve outstanding performance according to the following requirements (listed for reference):- Attain highly acclaimed research results and technology achievements awarded by distinguished domestic or international academic organizations.
- Attain major research results and technology achievements with notable contributions recognized by the scholarly community.
- Attain research results and technology achievements assessed as excellent by relevant units.
- Attain outstanding performance while participating in AS efforts to set research objectives or government policies.
- Publish monographs that make significant contributions to the scholarly community.
- Publish research papers (technology reports or products) that make significant contributions to the scholarly community.
- Lead or engage in outstanding research.
- Serve as Director or Co-Director of outstanding research projects.
- Participate as keynote speaker at major international academic conferences.
- Receive prominent academic awards.
- Serve with distinction on editorial boards of leading international academic journals.
- Make notable contributions to assisting research work at institutes (preparatory office) and research centers.
- Review process:
The director of each institute (preparatory office) or research center should recommend candidates for approval. Merit awards will be reviewed by the AS Academic Research Performance Assessment Committee, and talent recruitment awards by the Review Committee for Newly-Appointed Staff Academic Research Grants. Review results for both award programs should then be submitted to the AS President for approval prior to disbursement of funding. - Award disbursement and returning funds:
- AS should disburse awards in two installments. In accordance with notification letters of MOST approval, disbursement receipts and requisition lists of awardees should be attached.
- Awards listed in the “Guidelines” should be disbursed to recipients on a monthly basis, with amounts verified and paid according to actual situations. Award funding should be managed as specific accounts for specific purposes.
- During the award period, recipients will have to return funds in proportion to the violation period if
the following circumstances occur. In cases of serious violations, the full award should be
returned.
- Failure to comply with Article 3 of the Guidelines for MOST Funded Research Projects;
- Being suspended by MOST;
- Violation of academic ethics.
- Management of all funds should be processed according to the Accounting Law, Audit Law and Accounting System. Tax deductions should be processed according to the Income Tax Act.
- Performance evaluation:
- Award recipients should submit annual performance reports two months before the end of the award period. Merit awards should be approved by the AS Academic Research Performance Assessment Committee, and talent recruitment awards by the Review Committee for Newly-Appointed Staff Academic Research Grants.
- MOST may revoke or terminate approved funding and deny any future applications if any of the following
occurs at AS:
- Submission of MOST award applications associated with forged documents or false information.
- Failure to submit performance reports on time after receiving notification from MOST
- Failure to disburse funding to award recipients on a monthly basis.
- Other violations of funding regulations.
- The “Guidelines” have been approved by the General Assembly and implemented after approval by the Executive Yuan.
