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Q1: How do I apply to become a Yushan Fellow or Yushan Young Fellow?

A: Please consult your institution. You will need to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Education (hereinafter the MOE) through the institution.

Q2: When will my application be reviewed? On which date will the results be announced?

A: The quota of Yushan (Young) Fellows are divided into regular applications. The review process of regular applications is performed once per year. Such applications are accepted normally from April on, and the review results are announced in July.

Q3: What information should be submitted to apply for becoming a Yushan (Young) Fellow?

A: The applicant (the university) must first complete the application form in Mandarin through the Yushan website and submit it. Printed (10 copies) and electronic (1 copy) versions of the application in both Mandarin and English should also be submitted to the MOE or HEEACT. In addition, the applicant should submit a list that records all applications (since a university may apply more than one application). Especially, the applicants of Yushan Young Fellow must also submit two recommendation letters.

Q4: Who is eligible for becoming a Yushan (Young) Fellow?

A: 

(1) A Yushan Fellow must fulfill one of the following criteria:

1. Having served in a top international academic research institution or an internationally renowned company for at least 10 years, having earned favorable reputation in the international academic community or possessing world-leading core technology, and having experience in leading academic research teams.

2. Having won the Nobel Prize, served as an academician in a national-level institution or a research fellow in an essential international association, or won prizes of equivalent levels.

3. Having made significant contributions to academia or industry in the past 5 years.

(2) A Yushan Young Fellow must fulfill one of the following criteria within 10 years after receiving the highest education degree:

1. Having served in a top international academic research institution or an internationally renowned company for at least 5 years and demonstrated development potential.

2. Having experience in executing major research projects.

3. Having made significant academic contributions to the respective field in the past 5 years.

Note: A Yushan Fellow or a Yushan Young Fellow must not be a current faculty member (excluding contract teaching staffs for special projects) or retiree of higher education institutions or academic research institutions in Taiwan and must not apply for grants (i.e., flexible wage) from the MOE.

Q5: What subsidies are provided for Yushan Fellows and Yushan Young Fellows?

A: In addition to the statutory salary, each Yushan Fellow receives at most NT$5 million from the Ministry each year, and the grant is approved for 3 years. If the scholar is in a short-term exchange program, the grant is provided in proportion to the amount of service time. The scholar may also receive at most NT$1.5 million of administration and operation grants per year, and the grant is approved for 3 years. Regarding Yushan Young Fellows, they receive at most NT$1.5 million from the MOE in addition to the statutory salary, and the grant is approved for 5 years. Moreover, each scholar may receive at most NT$1.5 million of administration and operation grants per year, and the grant is approved for 5 years.

Q6: May I apply to become a Yushan Fellow or Yushan Young Fellow again after my term ends?

A:The terms of Yushan Fellow and Yushan Young Fellow are 3 and 5 years, respectively, and respective grants are provided during the term. Scholars who wish to renew their term should achieve favorable performance and undergo quantitative evaluation by their instituion. The evaluation result will serve as a reference for term renewal. 

Q7: For short-term exchange scholars, do they have to stay in the contracted institution continuously for 3 months?

A: No, only the accumulated service time of the scholar within the academic year must fulfill the total service time required by the exchange program.

Q8: Due to specific reasons, the host institution fails to offer a contract to the scholar as planned. If other institutions also provide a contract to the same scholar, will a new application require?

A: Yes. If the scholar decides to accept a contract from a different host institution. The new host institution needs to submit a new application.

Q9: Will this be acceptable if two host institutions submit the Yushan Fellow Program applications for the same scholar simultaneously? Does the scholar need to take any legal responsibility if completing the consent form?

A: The purpose of the consent form is to confirm the agreement of application submission between both parties (the host institution and the scholar). The scholar is suggested to inform the two institutions at the same time. There is a possibility that both applications might be granted. It will be unfair if one of the institutions fails to receive the information.

Q10: Can a subsidized Yushan Fellow participate in Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) projects and serve as a principal investigator?

A: Yes. A Yushan Fellow receives the grant as the salary subsidy, which is different from research subsidy funds.

(More information about MOST research project grant https://www.most.gov.tw/folksonomy/rfpList ) 

Q11: For scholars interested in applying for Yushan Young Fellow Program, if they submit their letter of recommendation written by overseas referees when applying for teaching positions, can they use the same letters for the Yushan Young Fellow application? If not, is it acceptable if the letter of recommendation from their domestic supervisors?

A:Yes. You can use the same letters but the letter of recommendation must include the key word like “Yushan Fellow Program”.

Q12: Is it mandatory for any Yushan Fellows/Young Fellows to mention Yushan Fellow Program in the acknowledgement? If yes, is there any specific format required?

A:Though this is not mandatory, mentioning Yushan Fellow Program in the acknowledgement is advised. Besides, there is no specific format.

Q13: Can Yushan Fellows/ Young Fellows apply for another new application when the program is finished?

A: Yes, Each scholar can renew the application once. The Yushan Fellow Program Application (The 2nd Term) has posted on the website.

Note: Program introduction (https://yushan.project.edu.tw/TopTalent/Home/Intro#section1)

Q14: How to define the start date of the service for short-term exchange scholars?

A: The start date is when the scholars begin their service in the contracted institution. The time spent for quarantine or travelling around Taiwan as tourists are excluded.

Q15: If the host institutions wish to offer extra financial support to the Yushan Fellows / Young Fellows, can the host institutions use the subsidies from MOE or Higher Education SPROUT Project?

Ans: No. It is not included within the usage of MOE or Higher Education SPROUT Project funding. However, the host institutions can use grants from other resources.

Q16: Will MOE offer the agreement of employment to Yushan (Young) Fellows?

A: Yushan Fellows have contracts with the host institutions rather than MOE. MOE is simply providing program grants. Therefore, please consulate the host institutions regarding this relevant issue. 

Q17: For scholars have not received Yushan Fellowship, can the host institutions offer a contract to scholar via different research grants?

A: If the institutions, unfortunately, received no funding from the Yushan Fellow program to recruit scholars, the Higher Education SPROUT Project can be an alternative if needed. Furthermore, institutions can offer a competitive salary and additional research support hoping to strengthen the comprehensive effect of this program in recruiting international research talents.