Taiwan NSTC proposal guidance

Reviewed 2026-10-01. NSTC (國家科學及技術委員會, formerly MOST) requirements depend on the call, division, project type and year. Start with the research-project area and the applicable call in the solicitation directory. The date convention matters: ROC year 115 is 2026 and 116 is 2027. Never turn an old 114年度 deadline or August start date into a current application schedule.

Establish the applicable rules

1. Record call title, version/date, responsible division, project type, research field, eligibility, application period and institutional deadline.
2. Retrieve the current common forms, division-specific forms and special-call attachments. Record the downloaded filename and revision so another reader can reproduce the requirements.
3. Read the research-project operating rules, revised April 10, 2026. Eligibility of the institution and PI, concurrent-project limits and special program conditions need explicit checks; this guide is not an eligibility decision.
4. Have the institution reconcile call instructions with general rules. Do not use a colleague's past successful proposal as the controlling form specification.

CM03 and associated forms

CM03 is the research-content narrative. Abstracts and project information may belong in separate forms such as CM02; do not treat all application fields as CM03 sections. Use the exact current form headings and instructions. The Humanities division and Engineering division publish separate materials. This skill does not assert a universal table of page limits, fonts, abstract lengths or keyword counts across divisions.

Before writing, extract these exact constraints from the selected package:

A research-architecture diagram can clarify methods and dependencies, but is not a verified universal mandatory CM03 element. Community LaTeX/Overleaf classes are not NSTC-issued forms or proof of compliance. If one is used, compare the final output to the actual call template and visually check pagination and Chinese font rendering. No community template installation or compiled example is validated by this skill.

Narrative development

Adapt these writing prompts to the official headings; they are drafting advice.

Background and objectives (背景及目的)

• Define the problem, its importance, the precise knowledge gap and research question.
• Critically compare relevant domestic and international work, including foundational evidence as well as recent literature. Cite prior work and supervised theses accurately.
• Explain what is new, why it is plausible, and how it advances the selected field.
• For continuing work, distinguish completed results from new proposed activities.

Methods, steps and schedule (研究方法、進行步驟及執行進度)

• Connect each objective to a design, method, dataset/model, analysis and validation.
• State assumptions, scientific uncertainties, feasible alternatives and decision points.
• Explain required equipment/access and each year’s deliverable work.
• Justify international collaboration or travel when requested in the application.

Expected work and outcomes (預期完成之工作項目及成果)

• Separate outputs (datasets, methods, papers, trained personnel) from longer-term outcomes (uptake, policy or clinical benefit).
• Give achievable metrics and a measurement plan. A promised paper count, journal rank, licensing income or adoption target is not evidence it will happen.
• Tie resources, personnel and timing to the proposed deliverables.

A useful consistency chain is: problem -> objective -> methods -> work packages -> validation -> outputs. If one link is absent, revise the research plan before polishing language. Do not force a commercialization story onto basic research unless the call requires it. No universal passing score, second-project cutoff or success percentage is established here; use the program's published review rules and actual feedback.

Budget and ethics

Under the April 2026 operating rules, research equipment means a directly relevant item costing at least NT$10,000 with useful life at least two years. Use current institutional procurement and quotation requirements; NT$200,000 is not a universal price-comparison trigger established by this guide. Distinguish research personnel, consumables/other operating expenses, equipment, travel and management costs using the actual forms.

The rules permit specified research investigator fees (研究主持費) for eligible funded projects. Do not equate these with ordinary salary, prohibit all PI payments, or assume multiple concurrent fees are allowed. Check the relevant project type, current rate, exclusions and institutional administration. Justify travel with actual purpose, itinerary and permitted rates rather than a canned NT$70,000-100,000 amount.

The rules require first-time PIs and the specified first-time participating researchers to complete at least six hours of academic-ethics training within the three years before institutional submission and provide evidence to the institution. For newly hired first-time participating researchers after the project starts, check the three-month-from-hire requirement. Preserve the distinction between applicant and institutional certification responsibilities.

Do not invent data, achievements, partner commitments, ethics approval or equipment access. The NSTC academic-ethics rules cover fabrication, falsification, plagiarism and inappropriate ghostwriting. Keep the investigator responsible for the substantive research plan and satisfy the institution's current authorship and AI-assistance rules.

Submission and final checks

Use the Academic Research Service Network (學術研發服務網) linked from NSTC. The PI prepares the application and sends it to the institution; the institution reviews and forwards it with required certifications. A PI's completed online draft does not prove NSTC receipt. Leave time for institutional review and confirm its earlier deadline, which can differ from the national deadline.

Check that the selected call, year, division and research-field codes match the proposal; all required forms are included; budgets reconcile; cited evidence is real; Chinese and English summaries agree; and the exported files satisfy the actual limits. Save the submitted package and receipt only after authorized institutional submission. No authenticated portal, credentials, upload, or API workflow was tested in this refresh.