DFG and Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MoST)

The Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MoST) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) are pleased to announce a standing open call for proposals for German-Taiwanese International Research Training Groups (IRTG) with two application deadlines per year.

International Research Training Groups (IRTG) are structured doctoral programmes run by German universities in conjunction with universities in Taiwan. As bilateral collaborations, they provide a structured research training programme for doctoral researchers. IRTG promote systematic research cooperation through joint research and qualification programmes as well as through cooperative cross-border supervision of doctoral researchers. A central feature of International Research Training Groups are the coordinated and reciprocal research visits by doctoral researchers at the respective partner institutions.

IRTG can only be established by a university, university of technology or an equivalent higher education institution which has the legal right to confer doctoral degrees. Project-specific costs of the German university are funded through a grant of the DFG. The partner institution in Taiwan receives complementary funding by MoST. The opportunity is open to all disciplines. Funding is available on both sides for a maximum of nine years. As additional support mechanism, both DFG and MoST will make funds available to support preparatory meetings for IRTG applications. Each funding organisation will fund as a rule only those project components that are carried out on its own side. Funds to be used by the Taiwanese side must be requested from MoST; funds to be used by the German side must be requested from DFG.

The application is carried out in two stages. Draft proposals are prepared jointly by the German-Taiwanese applicant group in accordance with the proposal preparation guidelines of DFG (see below). Draft proposals are submitted in parallel to both organisations and shall be reviewed by both organisations separately. The results of the review process will be shared between the agencies. Applications evaluated positively on both sides will be invited to the full proposal stage. The full proposals will again be prepared jointly by the Taiwanese-German applicant group, according to the DFG proposal preparation instructions. Full proposals are submitted in parallel to both organisations and will be reviewed by both organisations.

Support will be granted for those proposals where both DFG and MoST recommend funding.

For the first round of applications, the following schedule applies:

• Submission of draft proposals no later than: 31 December 2021
• Submission of full proposals no later than: 1 October 2022
• Grant decisions: May 2023
• Start of funding: October 2023

Please note that applicants’ personal data contained in a proposal submitted by the applicant’s institution/organisation will be transferred, if necessary, to the MoST. Note that their base or place of data processing is not located in a member state of the European Union or in another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. This information is transferred as part of the decision-making process on the proposal. Before transferring this data the DFG ensures that MoST-Taiwan have an adequate level of data protection in place through sufficient guarantees. For this purpose, the DFG concludes standard data protection clauses as adopted by the European Commission (Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR) with MoST-Taiwan. A copy of the agreed “Standard contractual clauses for the transfer of personal data from the Community to third countries (transfer between parties responsible for data processing)” can be sent on request by contacting the DFG Head Office in Bonn.

Further Information

Comprehensive information about Research Training Groups is available on the DFG website:

• www.dfg.de/gk/en

The “Guidelines Research Training Groups and International Research Training Groups” (DFG form 50.07) provide a concise overview of the funding programme:

• www.dfg.de/formulare/50_07

It is advisable to also consult the “Guidelines for Differentiating International Research Training Groups from Research Training Groups” (DFG form 1.312):

• www.dfg.de/formulare/1_312

Draft proposals shall be prepared according to the “Draft Proposal Preparation Instructions for Research Training Groups and International Research Training Groups” (DFG form 1.303):

• www.dfg.de/formulare/1_303

Full proposals shall be prepared according to the “Proposal Preparation Instructions – Proposals to Establish Research Training Groups and International Research Training Groups” (DFG form 54.05):

• www.dfg.de/formulare/54_05

Funding for preparatory workshops is requested from DFG according to the “Proposal Preparation Instructions for Preparatory Meetings International Research Training Groups” (DFG form 1.306):

• www.dfg.de/formulare/1_306

For the MoST requirements, please contact MoST directly.

Detailed information about the collaboration between DFG and MoST can be obtained at MoST Taiwan:

• Ms. Vivien Lee
  Department of International Cooperation and Science Education
  phone +886 2 27377150
  vvlee@most.gov.tw

Contact at DFG Head Office:

• Dr. Sebastian Granderath
  Division Research Careers
  phone +49 228 885-2881
  sebastian.granderath@dfg.de