The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) are launching a call for proposals for outstanding joint research projects. 

This initiative aims to bring together relevant and competitive researchers from Germany and Taiwan to design and carry out collaborative research projects. Funds to be used on the Taiwanese side must be requested from the NSTC; funds to be used on the German side must be requested from the DFG. Special attention is given to the integrated character of proposed projects, from the concept to the work plan. Funding is only available for projects that involve a convincing collaboration between the German and Taiwanese partners and for which the anticipated research benefit is clearly outlined. The collaborative projects selected will receive research funding for a period of up to three years.

All proposals will be reviewed by both organisations separately. The results of the review process will be shared between the agencies. Proposals and reviews will not be shared. Support will be granted for those proposals where both, DFG and NSTC, recommend funding. Please note that at the DFG, there are no separate funds available for these efforts; proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit and teams.

Scientific Disciplines

The present initiative is open to joint research projects in the fields of Engineering Sciences (DFG Review Boards 4.11–4.51(Download)) as well as Humanities and Social Sciences (DFG Review Boards 1.11–1.25(Download)). A further call for proposals, dedicated to the fields of Natural Sciences and Life Sciences, is scheduled to be launched at the end of 2026 with a tentative deadline in February 2027.

Submission of Project Proposals

Applicants for a bilateral collaborative project under this call must submit their joint proposal to their respective funding organisation. Principal investigators (PIs) from Taiwan submit their documents to the NSTC, PIs from Germany to the DFG. All documents must be written in English. Please note that the documents submitted to the DFG and the NSTC must not differ with regard to the research content of the proposal or with regard to the applicants involved. The proposal must include a description of the full proposed research programme and the research team and describe the total resources for the joint project (i.e. the funds requested for both the Taiwanese and German groups).

Proposals must be submitted to both organisations in accordance with the proposal preparation requirements of both sides, respectively. Applicants to be funded by the DFG are requested to fulfil the eligibility requirements of DFG Research Grants. This includes the “duty to cooperate” within Germany for members of non-university institutions with permanent positions.

Please submit your proposal to the DFG by 25 February 2026.

Proposals arriving late and/or those not fulfilling the formal requirements will not be considered. No legal entitlement can be derived from the submission of a project description.

Proposals are to be submitted solely via the elan portal(externer Link) in order to ensure proposal-related data is recorded and documents are securely transmitted. For submission via the DFG elan system, German partners should go to “Proposal Submission” – “New Project” – “Individual Grants Programme”. In the field “Proposal for a Research Grant”, please click the button “Start online form” – “Continue”. Under “Call for Proposals”, you will find “NSTC-DFG-Call 2026”. 

When preparing your proposal, please refer to the “Guidelines for the Research Grants Programme” (DFG form 50.01(interner Link)) and the “Proposal Preparation Instructions – Project Proposals” (DFG form 54.01(interner Link)).

If this is the first time you are submitting a proposal to the DFG, please note that you must register in the elan portal before you can submit your proposal. You must do so by 17 February 2026. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day.

Applicants from Taiwan are required to fulfil all requirements for funding and follow the general regulations of the NSTC. 

Equity and Diversity

The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness. With regard to the subject-specific focus of this call, the DFG encourages female researchers in particular to submit proposals.

Good Research Practice

According to a resolution of the DFG General Assembly, DFG funding may only be awarded to research institutions that have implemented the guidelines laid down in the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Good Research Practice(externer Link) in their own regulations. The management of your institution is responsible for implementing the guidelines in a legally binding manner. In order to avoid delays in the disbursement of funding, please verify implementation within your institution in good time. For information regarding the implementation, please refer to the Research Integrity Portal(externer Link). If you have any questions on this subject, please contact the Research Integrity team(externer Link) at the DFG Head Office. 

Further Information 

Please find general information for German Principal Investigators on Individual Research Grants here(interner Link).

When submitting proposals, please use the elan portal(externer Link) and refer to the respective guidelines DFG forms 50.01(interner Link) and 54.01(interner Link). The FAQ on Proposal Submission(interner Link) may also be helpful.

Further information on elan:

• elan portal(interner Link)
• elan flyer(Download)
• elan FAQ(interner Link) 

Contact Person at the DFG Head Office

For researchers in Germany:

Detailed information about the collaboration between DFG and NSTC can be obtained at the DFG Head Office in Bonn:

Privacy Policy

We, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), take the protection of your personal data and its confidential treatment extremely seriously. Therefore, please refer to the DFG’s Privacy Policy(interner Link). If you intend to transmit personal data of third parties, please make sure to do so only if the necessary legitimation under data protection law exist. Before transmitting data of third parties to the DFG, please forward the DFG’s Data Protection Notice to the individuals affected (data subjects). If there is a legitimate interest not to inform individuals beforehand (e.g. for reasons of secrecy or in case of a nomination or candidate proposal), these individuals should be informed no later than at the time of publication.