TSMC Biodiversity Scholarship
and Research Project Award

Eligibility

To all partners dedicated to the ecological environment, let us jointly advance
biodiversity research and conservation efforts to realize your dreams!

Encouraging currently enrolled undergraduate students in universities and colleges to participate individually or as part of a team.

80,000

Each team will be awarded a maximum
cash prize (NTD).

Rules

Recognizing Master's and Ph.D. students whose research achievements have gained international recognition.

250,000

Each team will be awarded a maximum
cash prize (NTD).

Rules

Providing research funding to universities, colleges, and research institutions.

2,000,000

Each team will be awarded a maximum
cash prize (NTD).

Rules

Subsidizing NGOs, NPOs, research institutions, and other organizations to implement conservation actions.

2,000,000

Each team will be awarded a maximum
cash prize (NTD).

Rules

Common Questions

• Q1:Can participants form cross-disciplinary or cross-school teams for the New Talent Award?
  Yes, provided that the topic is primarily focused on biodiversity and there is a single supervising professor.
• Q2:What are the eligibility requirements for the Elite Award? If a student graduates during the winter break, and the two-year post-graduation period exceeds the application deadline in February of that year, are they still eligible to apply?
  Applicants must be current students or graduates within two years of graduation from Master's/Ph.D. programs in biological resource-related departments at domestic universities/colleges (calculated two years prior to the application start date for the current year. For example, if the application opens on February 15, 2025, Master's/Ph.D. graduates on or after February 15, 2023, are eligible). The applicant must have research results published as the first author or corresponding author in journals issued on or after August 1, 2019, and must provide an endorsement signed by their advising professor. For details, please refer to the Elite Award Guidelines.
• Q3:Besides SCI journals, are SCIE journals also recognized for the Elite Award application eligibility?
  SCIE journal publications are recognized. Please refer to the "Elite Award Incentives Regulations" for detailed information.
• Q4:Can domestic exchange students or overseas students apply for the Elite Award?
  Yes, provided that the research content is strictly limited to Taiwan's biodiversity.
• Q5:If an Elite Award applicant has multiple publications, can they all be listed? Will a lower Impact Factor (IF) affect eligibility?
  The Elite Award evaluation will focus on a single primary paper; additional publications may be listed for reference but will not be included in the scoring. The Impact Factor (IF) is not a scoring criterion. The primary evaluation focuses on the promotion of the research topic, its contribution to conservation, and its future potential.
• Q6:If a research project has already received funding from other organizations, is it still eligible to apply for the Proposal Award?
  Research projects already funded by other entities are ineligible for the Research Project Award.
• Q7:Is the Research Project Award prize money disbursed to the proposing organization for research use, or issued directly to individuals as a personal award?
  Research Project Award prize money will be transferred to the researcher's affiliated institution for research purposes and must be managed as a dedicated fund for the specific project.
• Q8:Can the application forms be filled out in English? Is it possible to conduct the presentation in English during the second-round review?
  Application documents may be completed in English. Applicants also have the flexibility to choose either Chinese or English for their presentations during the second-round review or at the symposium.
• Q9:If the research field is relatively niche or "less popular," will it affect the scoring?
  The panel of expert judges covers a wide range of biodiversity-related fields. Whether a research field is 'niche' or not will not affect the evaluation. For detailed scoring criteria, please refer to the specific incentive regulations for each award.
• Q10:Is it mandatory for award winners to attend the awards ceremony?
  Yes. Award winners are required to attend the awards ceremony and present their winning research at the symposium.

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