1.This program aims to strengthen NCKU’s research capacity and cultivate outstanding research talents by fostering international research collaborations. Tenured, tenure-track, and research faculty are encouraged to participate through partnerships with leading institutions, international universities, research organizations, and laboratories. Applicants may submit proposals for either individual research projects or multi-component team initiatives. By fostering research exchanges in priority areas including innovative governance, humanities, health and well-being, net zero carbon emissions, disaster resilience, and AI big data analysis and technology, this program seeks to elevate the university’s research competitiveness and global impact.

2.Application Requirements:
(1) The principal investigator of a multi-component team research project or an individual research project shall be a tenured, tenure-track, or research faculty member at NCKU. Both individual and multi component team applications are welcome. Multi-component team research projects shall involve at least three members, collaborate with overseas partner institutions, and include at least three sub projects.
(2) For team-based applications, an oversea partner institution shall form a counterpart team of equal size to the University side team. The joint team is required to submit a comprehensive proposal, including individual sub-projects, each with a designated budget.
(3) Faculty, researchers, or students participating in this program may be designated as visiting scholars or students or may conduct off-site research. Their specific roles and objectives shall be clearly outlined in the project proposal.
(4) Top international national and private academic institutions recommendations: A. Benchmark institutions: Purdue University, USA; University of Tokyo, Japan B. Top international partner universities: University of Tsukuba, Japan; Université Grenoble Alpes, France; Universität München, Germany. C. Other top institutions: Annual list of top international institutions by the Ministry of Education
(5) To optimize the allocation of research resources, the principal investigator and co-investigators' academic achievements in pertinent university-based projects within the past three years will be assessed.

3.Applicants are required to submit the following application materials to the ORD designated online portal (https://forms.gle/fVeDwP2jB4q2R8LK9 ) by January 6, 2026: a completed grant application form, curriculum vitae of the applicant or team, an overview of the overseas research partner institution(s), a formal letter of cooperation confirmation from the overseas research partner(s), a detailed research project timeline, and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) table.

4.Review Criteria:
(1) Global academic reputation of the overseas partner institutions and collaborators.
(2) Research expertise of the applicant or team, including a comprehensive list of accomplishments from international collaborative projects undertaken at NCKU within the past three years, to demonstrate the ability to successfully execute research projects and foster international collaborations.
(3) Anticipated benefits of undertaking this project or conducting overseas research for the applicant’s or team’s future research endeavors.
(4) Potential for sustained collaboration with the overseas research team, as evidenced by invitation letters or emails from the host institution or principal investigator.
(5) Significance, novelty, and indispensability of international collaboration for the proposed research topic.
(6) Research content, methodology, and feasibility of the proposed project.
(7) Proposed performance indicators (e.g., number of internationally co-authored publications).

5.Grant Amount: For individual applicants, the maximum grant per case is NT$500,000. For teams consisting of three or more members, the maximum grant is NT$1,500,000 per project. The Office of Research and Development (ORD) will review each application and determine the approved grant amount and supported items, subject to the availability of the annual budget.

6.Grant Funding Regulations: Grant recipients shall comply with the University's applicable financial regulations. The primary funding source for this grant is from the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Sprout Project.

7.Project Implementation Period: The project shall commence on the date of approval and conclude on December 31, 2026. To promote international collaboration and the sharing of research experiences, principal investigators are required to participate in the Project Sharing Showcase to present the outcomes of international cooperation. In addition, a self-evaluation report along with projected outcomes are required to submit to ORD by the end of November 2026.

8.Other Matters: To uphold academic integrity and ensure equitable distribution of resources, duplicate applications for funding are prohibited.

9.For inquiries regarding the project, please contact Ms. Tsai of ORD (Contact information: intel.50921; E-MAIL：z11109071@ncku.edu.tw). 

*Supplementary Information
1.Partner Institutions in International Alliances:
Worldwide Universities Network (WUN): https://wun.ac.uk/wun/members/
Campus in Campus (CiC) Initiative: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/academics/top-global-campus/partnerships-cic/
2.Key Partner Universities for International Collaboration:
Imperial College London (UK)
University College London (UK)
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany)
Heidelberg University (Germany)
Technical University of Munich (Germany)
Charles University (Czech Republic)
Université Grenoble Alpes (France)
Kyoto University (Japan)
Tokyo University of Science (Japan)
University of Tsukuba (Japan)
University of Technology Sydney (Australia)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA)
Purdue University (USA)
Georgia Institute of Technology (USA)

Application Files:
Application Form – Individual 
Application Form – Team