HomeGuidelines for Recruiting Consultants, Visiting Specialists, and Scholars at Academia Sinica
Passed by the Third Council of Academia Sinica on May 15, 2008
Approved by the President of Academia Sinica on June 16, 2008
Amended on January 30, 2015
Amended on May 9, 2018
Amended on August 12, 2019
Amended on September 17, 2021
Approved by the President of Academia Sinica on June 16, 2008
Amended on January 30, 2015
Amended on May 9, 2018
Amended on August 12, 2019
Amended on September 17, 2021
- These Guidelines have been established to outline the terms and conditions for recruiting specialists and eminent domestic/overseas scholars to participate in vital research and management tasks as well as academic development planning at Academia Sinica.
- Recruitment Candidates and Qualifications
Outstanding scholars and specialists from the industry, the government, or the academia may be recruited regardless of their nationality. Recruitment candidates include Distinguished Visiting Chairs for Nobel Laureates and Equivalent Prize Honorees, Distinguished Visiting Chairs/Consultants, Visiting Professors, Visiting Associate Professors, Visiting Assistant Professors, or Visiting Specialists. These recruitment categories are based on Legislative Yuan and Ministry of Science and Technology regulations.
In addition to research experience in their respective fields with proof of qualification, candidates should meet the following requirements:- Distinguished Visiting Chairs for Nobel Laureates and Equivalent Prize Honorees: Nobel Laureate, National Academy Fellow, or holding equivalent global academic honor as stipulated by the General Assembly.
- Distinguished Visiting Chairs/Consultants: Candidate must meet one of the following criteria:
- Internationally recognized professor with publications during the past five years serving at a renowned domestic or overseas university.
- Internationally renowned specialist or scholar who is highly regarded in academia.
- Outstanding accomplishments in applied science or technology and similar work experience.
- Visiting Professors: Qualified professor or distinguished specialist/scholar.
- Visiting Associate Professors: Qualified associate professor or distinguished specialist/scholar.
- Visiting Assistant Professors: Qualified assistant professor at a university or assistant research fellow at a research institute, with esteemed research results published during the past three years.
- Visiting Specialists: Candidate with specialized skills and experience in research development and/or management at a technology institute.
- Application Materials
The recruiting unit should submit the following documents to Academia Sinica for review:- Minutes of one of the following meetings: Institute (Preparatory Office) or Research Center Council, or the Central Administrative Office Permanent Review Committee for Recruited Consultants, Visiting Specialists and Scholars
- Recruitment rationale,
- Work plan,
- Diploma and proof of work experience (photocopy),
- Curriculum vitae and representative publications,
- Other supporting documents
All documents should be submitted for review two months prior to the commencement of recruitment as outlined in Article 4.
- Review Procedures
Review procedures for the recruitment of consultants, visiting specialists, and scholars are as follows:- Initial Review: Appointment periods and remuneration should be reviewed by the relevant Institute (Preparatory Office) Council or Research Center Council or the Central Administrative Office Review Committee for Recruited Consultants, Visiting Specialists and Scholars.
- The Central Administrative Office Permanent Review Committee consists of the Secretary General (convener), the Executive Secretary of the Central Academic Advisory Committee, and directors from each unit at the Central Administrative Office (including the Accounting Office, the Personnel Office, and the Ethics Office).
- Secondary Review: The recruitment proposal should be forwarded to the AS Review Committee for Recruited Consultants, Visiting Specialists and Scholars for review, followed by final submission to the Academia Sinica President for approval and appointment.
- Appointment Periods
Appointment periods are for two years, renewable according to research performance and work requirements by the relevant Institute (Preparatory Office) Council or Research Center Council and the Central Administrative Office. - Remuneration and Budget
Recruited personnel should be paid in accordance with the attached “Payment Standards for Consultants, Visiting Specialists and Scholars Recruited by Academia Sinica”.
Recruiting units should budget the necessary funds for recruitment.
If the recruited individual is a retiree of government agencies or public schools, he/she should not receive remuneration of more than the basic wage, and the full period of appointment should not exceed six years. However, the aforementioned restrictions will not apply if the recruited individual is performing essential planning and management work at Academia Sinica. - During the appointment period, recruited personnel may go abroad for special reasons (e.g. overseas conference, field research, or project execution) for up to three weeks with approval from the recruiting unit (excluding public holidays). If the appointment is less than one year, the days permitted abroad should be calculated on a pro rata basis. For longer trips abroad, remuneration will not be made for days exceeding three weeks. However, exceptions may be made where specific research work requires an extended period abroad, with approval obtained from the recruitment unit and reported to Academia Sinica.
- Changes in recruitment conditions such as the appointment period of recruited personnel must be submitted to Academia Sinica for review and approval.
- The recruiting unit should sign the “Agreement for Visiting Personnel(s) of Academia Sinica” with the recruited individual. The intellectual property rights resulting from research during the recruitment may be negotiated and specified in contracts signed by both parties, including the ownership, application and other relevant issues. The contract should comply with the Regulations for Ownership and Utilization of Scientific and Technological Research and Development Achievements of Academia Sinica.
- Personal research funds, laboratory space or equipment will not be provided. Recruited personnel may join the full-time faculties at Academia Sinica in conducting research projects subsidized or commissioned by institutes within or outside Academia Sinica.
- Should recruited personnel be involved in academic ethics violations, their cases will be processed according to the “Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of Ethics Committees at All Levels, Academia Sinica.”
- These Guidelines and amendments thereof have been approved by the General Assembly, and approved and promulgated by the Academia Sinica President.
