MOFA Taiwan Fellowship 2027
The 2027 MOFA Taiwan Fellowship supported foreign experts and scholars conducting advanced research in Taiwan for 3 to 12 months, with monthly grants, a direct round-trip economy-ticket subsidy, and accident insurance. The 2027 call is closed and no later cycle is announced on the official pages reviewed.
MOFA Taiwan Fellowship 2027
The 2027 MOFA Taiwan Fellowship is a closed research-fellowship cycle and should now be read as a historical reference. The official announcement from the Center for Chinese Studies (CCS), which administers the fellowship for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), set the online application period at May 1 to June 30, 2026. The official Taiwan Fellowship news page repeated those dates and directed applicants to the online system. That deadline has passed.
The official pages reviewed for this update do not announce a 2028 call. The program’s introduction says it normally accepts applications in May and June, but that general pattern is not a published 2028 deadline. Readers should therefore use this page to understand the completed 2027 round and its requirements, then check the official Taiwan Fellowship site for a new call before preparing or submitting anything. Do not treat the date in the metadata as a live invitation to apply.
Key details
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Program | MOFA Taiwan Fellowship 2027 |
| Program owner | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Administrator | Center for Chinese Studies, National Central Library, Taiwan |
| 2027 application period | May 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026; closed |
| Funding type | Research fellowship for a stay at a Taiwan university, college, or research institution |
| Monthly grant | NT$60,000 for professors, associate professors, research fellows, or associate research fellows; NT$50,000 for assistant professors, assistant research fellows, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, doctoral program students, and mission-recommended candidates |
| Research period | 3 to 12 months |
| Travel support | One direct round-trip economy-class ticket between the country of residence and Taiwan, subject to regional maximums |
| Insurance | Group accident insurance during the research term: NT$1,000,000 for accidental death and NT$50,000 for accident-injury medical benefits |
| Core documents | Application form, resume with publication list, three-page research proposal in principle, and two recommendations or one recommendation plus institutional consent |
| Selection route | Online application, ROC mission preliminary review, MOFA evaluation committee, then host-institution consent for selected candidates |
What the fellowship supports
MOFA established the Taiwan Fellowship for foreign experts and scholars who want to conduct advanced research at universities, colleges, or academic institutions in Taiwan. The official guidelines specify social sciences and humanities topics related to Taiwan, cross-strait relations, Mainland China, the Asia-Pacific region, or Sinology. This is a research stay, not a degree scholarship, tuition award, or general-purpose internship. The applicant proposes a defined project and is responsible for making research arrangements with a cooperating institution in Taiwan.
The distinction matters. A suitable project needs a reason to be conducted in Taiwan: access to archives or collections, interviews and field contacts, collaboration with a local scholar, policy research, or another source of evidence that cannot be replicated as well from the applicant’s home institution. A proposal that merely describes a broad interest in Taiwan without a workable research plan would not match the program’s stated purpose.
The 2027 cycle was announced by CCS on April 21, 2026. That announcement identified CCS as the administrator and said the 2027 Taiwan Fellowship materials had to be submitted electronically no later than June 30, 2026. A separate Taiwan Fellowship news item dated April 30, 2026 gave the same May 1 to June 30 window and linked to the online application page. Those official notices establish the closed deadline recorded above.
Eligibility
The official guidelines identify the main recipient categories as foreign nationals who are professors, associate professors, assistant professors, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, or doctoral program students in relevant departments of overseas universities. Research fellows at an equivalent level in academic institutions abroad may also qualify. The guidelines also provide for candidates recommended by ROC (Taiwan) overseas missions when their field concerns Taiwan’s foreign relations or cross-strait relations.
The subject requirement is as important as academic rank. The project should sit within the social sciences or humanities and address Taiwan, cross-strait relations, Mainland China, the Asia-Pacific region, or Sinology. The official materials do not describe this as an unrestricted travel award for every discipline. Applicants should be able to explain both the academic contribution and the specific value of carrying out the research in Taiwan.
There is a clear exclusion: people currently conducting research, teaching, or studying in Taiwan are ineligible under the guidelines. Someone who changes location, institutional status, or research arrangement should not assume that the restriction disappears; the next official call and the Taiwan Fellowship team should be consulted for the applicable rule.
Financial support
The monthly grant is paid at the beginning of each month. Professors, associate professors, research fellows, and associate research fellows are listed at NT$60,000 per month. Assistant professors, assistant research fellows, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, doctoral program students, and other candidates recommended by ROC (Taiwan) missions are listed at NT$50,000 per month.
The fellowship also provides one direct round-trip economy-class ticket between the recipient’s country of residence and Taiwan. The guidelines give maximum subsidies by area: NT$35,000 for Northeast and Southeast Asia, NT$60,000 for Europe and West Asia, NT$55,000 for North America, NT$75,000 for Central and South America, NT$90,000 for Africa, and NT$65,000 for Oceania. The subsidy is tied to the actual purchase price and the program’s documentation rules, so recipients should retain tickets, e-tickets, receipts, or other proof of payment.
Group accident insurance applies during the research term. The guideline describes NT$1,000,000 for accidental death and NT$50,000 in accident-injury medical benefits. This is not a promise that every health or travel expense will be covered. Applicants should budget housing, food, local transport, research costs, visa-related preparation, and any expenses above the fellowship amount.
The 2027 application process, preserved for future reference
No new submission can be made through this page for the 2027 round. The sequence below records what the official procedure required and gives future applicants a checklist to compare against a later call.
1. Assemble the application documents
The official application procedure lists a resume including a publication list, a research proposal, and two letters of recommendation or one recommendation plus one letter of agreement from the highest administrative director of the applicant’s institution. The guidelines describe the proposal as three pages in principle using a standard research format. The application form itself is also required.
The proposal should name the research question, explain its Taiwan connection, identify the planned host or cooperating institution, and show what can be completed within a 3-to-12-month period. A concise work plan is more useful than a long general statement. Applicants claiming the senior stipend tier should ensure that their academic position is documented consistently across the form and resume.
2. Complete the online application
The next step in the official procedure is to fill in the online application and upload the required documents. The 2027 online system was available during the May 1 to June 30, 2026 application window. A later cycle may alter the form or required uploads, so applicants should use the link from the new official announcement rather than rely on an old saved form.
3. Send the complete packet to an ROC mission
After online submission, applicants were instructed to print the complete application form and send all application documents by post to the ROC (Taiwan) Embassy or Representative Office in or nearest to the country of residence, as appropriate. The online step therefore was not the whole process. Mailing, mission jurisdiction, document certification, and local delivery time needed to be planned before the closing date.
4. Undergo mission and MOFA review
The ROC Embassy or Representative Office receives the application, verifies the information, and evaluates the applicant’s academic influence or potential. It supplies comments and a recommendation for the MOFA evaluation committee. MOFA forms the committee with scholars, experts, and MOFA representatives to screen candidates. Selection is therefore not an automatic result of meeting the minimum academic category.
5. Secure host consent after selection
The official guidelines say the candidate receives and submits to MOFA a Letter of Consent for Research from one or more universities or academic institutions in Taiwan, completing the fellowship application process. The application procedure likewise says selected candidates should contact a ROC university or research institution and obtain consent. Applicants should identify plausible hosts and make a credible research plan before applying, while understanding that the formal consent step follows selection.
6. Complete authorization, visa, and arrival steps
After the consent requirement is completed, the Taiwan Fellowship team issues a Grant Authorization Letter and officially recognizes the recipient. The procedure page says recipients then apply for the FR visa with that letter and begin research in Taiwan. The guidelines distinguish visa handling by research period: a fellowship shorter than six months uses a visitor visa, while a fellowship over six months uses a residence visa; the visa is marked for a Taiwan Fellowship recipient and fees are waived according to the official guideline.
Preparing a credible project
A strong application should connect the research question to concrete Taiwanese resources. State which archive, library, university, research center, dataset, policy source, interview community, or academic network is needed. Explain why the work cannot be completed as effectively without the Taiwan stay. If the project depends on interviews, describe the population and access plan without implying that contacts are already guaranteed. If it is archival, name the collections or source types to be consulted and explain how the work will proceed if access is limited.
The duration should follow the work rather than inflate the budget. A three-month project needs a narrow question and a short list of outputs. A longer stay should justify each additional period with research activities, host interaction, analysis, or writing. The monthly grant and ticket subsidy are useful but do not remove the need for a personal budget. The official guidelines state that expenses above the fellowship amount are the recipient’s responsibility.
Recommendation letters should address the applicant’s research ability, the project’s academic value, and the feasibility of the Taiwan plan. They should add evidence rather than repeat the publication list. The institutional consent option is specifically described in the official documents; applicants should confirm who is authorized to sign it before asking for a letter.
Recipient obligations
The official guidelines require recipients to keep the approved research proposal and research area unchanged unless MOFA approves a change. Recipients must submit written research findings of at least 20 pages to CCS within three months after the program ends, attend academic seminars and relevant activities held by MOFA or commissioned organizers, and acknowledge Taiwan Fellowship support in related oral or written research reports.
Recipients must follow ROC law and cannot engage in part-time work without MOFA consent. During the fellowship, they may not receive scholarships from other governmental agencies or public or private academic institutions and schools based in Taiwan. Recipients must also arrange their own research in Taiwan and provide their travel itinerary and cooperating institution information to the relevant ROC mission before departure. These obligations should be treated as part of the project plan, not as paperwork to handle after arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the 2027 fellowship now?
No. The official 2027 application period ended on June 30, 2026. This page preserves the completed cycle for reference.
Has the next cycle been announced?
No 2028 call is listed on the official Taiwan Fellowship pages or the CCS news pages reviewed for this update. The program introduction describes a recurring May-and-June pattern, but that is not a confirmed deadline. Wait for a new official announcement before relying on dates, forms, stipend rules, or document requirements.
Who was eligible for the 2027 round?
Foreign professors, associate professors, assistant professors, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, doctoral program students, and equivalent research fellows at overseas institutions were listed. Mission-recommended candidates in relevant Taiwan foreign-relations or cross-strait research could also qualify. People currently researching, teaching, or studying in Taiwan were ineligible.
How much support did the 2027 round provide?
The listed monthly grant was NT$60,000 for senior academic ranks and NT$50,000 for assistant-level, post-doctoral, doctoral, and mission-recommended categories. The package also included a direct round-trip economy-ticket subsidy subject to regional caps and accident insurance under the published limits.