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I: Objectives
The Ministry of Culture (“the Ministry”) has drafted these guidelines with the aims of broadening the international view of the people of Taiwan, bettering their understanding of the cultures, histories and social development of Regions of Western
and Southern Asia and strengthening bilateral exchange.
II: Scope
The phrase “Regions of Western and Southern Asia” as used in these guidelines specifies the following 39 nations: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon,
Moldova, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, The United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
The phrase “Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects” as used in these guidelines specifies international cooperation and coordination between Taiwan and Regions of Western and Southern Asia for residency, study, creative writing, traditional
art, exhibits, field research, interviews, surveys or other activities specified by the Ministry.
III: Applicant Eligibility
Public and private colleges, universities, other academic institutions, legal entities or civic groups registered or established in accordance with the laws of the Republic of China are eligible.
IV: Types of Projects Eligible for Subsidy
Category A - Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Taiwan:
Recommended individuals from Regions of Western and Southern Asia invited to Taiwan for cultural exchanges and collaborative projects
Category B - Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia:
Individuals invited to cultural exchanges and collaborative projects held in Regions of Western and Southern Asia
Category C - Bilateral or Multilateral Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia and Taiwan:
Promotion of bilateral or multilateral cultural exchanges or collaborative projects between Taiwan and Regions of Western and Southern Asia (To qualify for this category, applicants and persons from Regions of Western and Southern Asia must jointly
hold bilateral or multilateral cultural exchange and collaboration projects in their respective countries or in two or more countries, as long as one of the venues is within the Republic of China.)
V: Qualification Criteria for Recommended Invitees
1. Recommended invitees to Taiwan from Regions of Western and Southern Asia must meet the following eligibility requirements:
a. Must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed above (Regions of Western and Southern Asia) and may not be subject to regulations of their home country requiring military service or be subject to other travel restrictions.
b. Must have been continuously active in eligible activities listed above (Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects) for three years or more before the announced deadline for receiving applications and must have concrete evidence of their
accomplishments.
c. May not have been employed or studying in Taiwan during the six months immediately preceding the start date of the activity of their application proposal.
2. ROC citizens applying for cultural exchanges or collaborative projects in Regions of Western and Southern Asia must demonstrate that they meet the following conditions:
a. Must be an ROC citizen and not subject to overseas travel restrictions arising from compulsory military service or other legal issues.
b. Must have been continuously active in eligible activities listed above (Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects) for three years or more before the announced deadline for receiving applications and must have concrete evidence of their
accomplishments.
VI: Subsidy Amounts, Scope of Support, and Subsidized Items
1. Subsidy Amounts and Scope
The upper limit for the subsidy amount for each awarded project is listed below according to the category of project seeking subsidy:
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- Category A projects (Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Taiwan) applicants are eligible for up to NT$1 million of subsidy per project.
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- Category B projects (Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia) are eligible for up to NT$1 million of subsidy per project.
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- Category C projects (Bilateral or Multilateral Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia and Taiwan) are eligible for
up to NT$1.5 million of subsidy per project.
2. Subsidized Items
See Appendix A: Subsidized Items for Each Category of Subsidy
VII: Application Procedures
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The Ministry will announce the application period each year. The application period and schedule shall be announced separately by the Ministry.
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Applicants shall register their application before the announced deadline on the Ministry’s web site and deliver the required application materials in person (or via a proxy) or posted by registered mail to: Policy Research Division, Department
of Cultural Exchange, Ministry of Culture. The front of the envelope should indicate: “Application for 22XX (year) Subsidy for Cultural Exchange and Collaboration Projects between Regions of Western and Southern Asia and Taiwan.” The date of receipt of applications
shall be the postmark for mailed applications or the date of the Ministry receiving stamp for applications delivered in person. Late applications will not be accepted.
VIII: Application Documents
Eight copies of the application must be submitted. Applications and attached materials will not be returned regardless of whether or not the application is awarded.
Required Documents
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Online application
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Documented proof of applicant’s legal establishment or registration
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Project Plan
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Personal information forms of invited individuals
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Applications for Category A or C projects must include a letter of intent to collaborate from recommended invitees from Regions of Western and Southern Asia to come to Taiwan to participate in exchanges. (The letters must be signed directly by
the recommended invitee and include clear and correct contact information.)
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Applications for Category B or C Projects must attach the letter of invitation from the event organizer and an introduction to the event.
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A list of budgeted expenses
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An affidavit
IX: Review and Assessment of Applications
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The Ministry will engage experts and academics to form an evaluation committee and will evaluate the application based on the professionalism and experience of the applicant as well as the importance, professionalism, contribution, feasibility,
reasonableness of the budget items, amount of requested subsidy and other aspects of the project.
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Experts and scholars invited to participate in evaluations must sign an agreement agreeing that once the Ministry has completed the review meetings and the results of the evaluations are confirmed, that the names of all the reviewers will be
publicly announced.
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Once review is completed according to the rules and a decision is made to award a subsidy, and the signed committee review is sent to Ministry officials for approval, in addition to informing the subsidy recipient of the evaluation result, the
list of names of the committee members, the evaluation result (including the list of subsidy recipients, project name and amount of subsidy) are publicly announced, and published to the Ministry’s subsidy award web site.
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Committee decisions may be made when a quorum of two-thirds of the members is present. Recommendations may be made with the agreement of the majority of members present. Members are to avoid conflicts of interest and engage in fair appraisals.
Committee members shall recuse themselves when the provisions of Article 32 or Article 33 of the Administrative Procedure Act apply.
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The Ministry will conduct spot inspections and evaluations at irregular intervals to evaluate the execution of the program. Subsidy recipients shall respond to inspection feedback from the Ministry.
X: Subsidy of Special Projects
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Applications for collaborative activities that present significant positive benefits or other time sensitive activities or projects may be reviewed by the operations department as special cases as needed.
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Applications for such Special Project subsidies may not be subject to funding, scope and subject, nor the deadline and frequency restrictions for applications outlined elsewhere in these regulations.
XI: Issuing and Cancelation of Subsidies
1. Funding shall be issued in two payments:
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The first payment, fifty percent of the total approved subsidy shall be remitted within 30 days of the subsidy recipient’s signing of a contract with the Ministry and verification of receipt of payment by the Ministry.
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The second payment shall be remitted within one month of the project’s conclusion; or within 45 days after the Ministry audits all receipts, itemized expenditures and expense vouchers (including travel expenses - attach
receipts for lodging, airline ticket stubs and the originals of other receipts, medical insurance expenses – attach receipts, receipt originals for related expenses, receipts for creative production along with the project results report, all sent to the Ministry
for approval before November 30 of the current year.
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If the subsidy recipient does not provide documentation within the deadline or does not provide complete documentation in violation of the rules of the previous paragraph, and the subsidy recipient further fails to provide the outstanding documentation
or fails to provide all required documentation within a deadline communicated by the Ministry, the Ministry shall cancel the recipient’s subsidy eligibility and cancel the program contract, and the subsidy recipient must return the first payment of funding
to the Ministry within the period designated by the Ministry.
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Requests from the subsidy recipient to adjust the number or ratio of disbursements to meet project execution needs must be made before the agreement is signed and will be approved by the Ministry after review.
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Subsidy funds must correspond with actual expense items of the submitted plan and the date of invoices or receipts for expensed items submitted must correspond to the date of their use.
XII: Rights and Obligations
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Subsidy recipients shall actively assist recommended collaboration invitees from Regions of Western and Southern Asia in applying for visas to Taiwan and assist them with networking, their creative work, accommodations and other matters during
their time in Taiwan.
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The Ministry may require that subsidy recipients and recommended invitees accept media interviews, attend cultural events, and work with the Ministry web site and other promotional channels to introduce and promote this subsidy program and its
results.
XIII: Guidelines and Responsibilities for Applicants and Subsidy Recipients
- Applicants must sign an agreement with the Ministry within 15 days of receiving a notification letter of subsidy approval. Failure to reach an agreement within 15
days will result in canceling eligibility for the subsidy. The subsidy agreement shall be set by the Ministry.
- Subsidy recipients shall carry out their project according to the details of the Ministry-approved subsidy plan agreement. If changes are required for reasons beyond
the control or responsibility of the subsidy recipient, the subsidy recipient must notify the Ministry either before or within 14 days and, after receiving approval from the Ministry, shall amend the contract by written agreement.
- In the event that circumstances beyond the control or scope of responsibility of the subsidy recipient result in blocking a part of or the execution of the entire
contracted project, the subsidy recipient must immediately notify the Ministry. Following agreement by the Ministry, the contract will be terminated by written notification. The subsidy recipient shall then provide a report of work completed before terminating
or canceling the contract to the Ministry. The Ministry will settle accounts according to the scope of the contract, either disbursing or collecting overpaid funds.
- Funds must be applied to their designated use and may not be applied to other uses. For expense categories involving individual income, the subsidy recipient must
make income tax withholding payments in accordance with the regulations of the tax code.
- If subsidy recipients do not provide progress materials according to the rules and the quality of the progress materials are unsatisfactory or the reconciling of expenses
is delayed, then in addition to carrying out of the rules of these guidelines and the terms of the subsidy contract, the Ministry will also take these issues into consideration for future subsidy projects.
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To avoid duplicating subsidies, when the same project, or a similar one, has already received funding from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the National Performing Arts Center, the Ministry of Culture or from any other department or
organization under the Ministry, such a project may not apply for a subsidy under these guidelines; those submitted will not be accepted.
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Applications will not be processed for applicants who have previously signed contracts for Ministry subsidies and, having been found to be in severe breach of contract provisions or failed to fulfill their contractual obligations.
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Applicants are not limited to seeking funding for only one project per funding year. An applicant may receive funding for up to three projects in a single year.
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A recommended invitee from Regions of Western and Southern Asia who has received funding from this program for two consecutive years, whether through the same applicant or different applicants, shall not be eligible to receive funding for a third
year.
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If the subsidy recipient must withdraw from the program or leave their residence for a period of over seven days for reasons beyond their control or scope of responsibility, they must notify the Ministry in writing, and only then may leave their
residence. With written approval from the Ministry, residency and living expenses corresponding to the period of absence shall be deducted. The ministry shall cancel or revoke funding of violators.
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Subsidy recipients shall guarantee that works submitted to the Ministry do not infringe upon the rights of third parties. Funding recipients shall be responsible for any violations of the rights of third parties. Subsidy recipients shall be responsible
for compensation for any losses to the Ministry in such circumstances.
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Where subsidy recipients are found to be in breach of these Guidelines, the subsidy contract, or other rules and regulations, the Ministry will, depending upon the severity of the offense, require subsidy recipients to return part or all of the
funds already remitted. Such recipients shall be barred from applying again for a period of two years.
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If the subsidy recipient's project comes to completion with a funding surplus, the extra amount shall be returned according to the original funding ratio. Any interest generated from the funds by the subsidy recipient shall also be returned to
the Ministry in full.
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If the same project is submitted to two or more organizations for subsidy, the applicant shall list all expenses as well as clearly indicating the category and amount applied for from each organization for each expense item. If information is
concealed or misrepresented, the Ministry will revoke eligibility for subsidy, nullify the contract and reclaim all disbursed funds.
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If the project receiving funding from the Ministry conducts procurements and the amount of funding is more than half of the amount of the subsidy and the amount of the subsidy exceeds the officially announced amount then the regulations of the Government Procurement
Act shall apply and shall be supervised by the Ministry.
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The subsidy recipient shall adhere to the Management Guidelines for Government Expenditure Vouchers and shall detail the usage for each subsidized item as well as the total amount of actual expenditures of the project when submitting receipts for final reporting.
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When subsidy recipients apply for payments, they shall be responsible for the authenticity of the receipts for their expenses based on the principle of good faith and shall be held accountable for any false reporting.
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If the Ministry, in the course of review of applications of funds discovers the funding hasn’t been effective, or were not applied for the uses of the subsidy, or reporting was falsified or concealed, then the Ministry, in addition to reclaiming the amount
for these expenses, shall, depending on the seriousness of the offense, bar funding for the project subsidy applicant for one to five years.
XIV: The Ministry will provide interpretation of these Guidelines in cases of differences of opinion or when there is lack of clarity.
Appendix: Expense Items for each Category of Subsidy
Category A: Recommended individuals from Regions of Western and Southern Asia invited to Taiwan for cultural exchanges and collaborative projects
Reimbursable items include the following expenses incurred by recommended invitees during the period of their exchange and collaboration in Taiwan:
1. Transportation costs:
Roundtrip economy airfare for travel between the recommended invitee's home and Taiwan; domestic mass ground transport from the airport to their lodgings in Taiwan; and visa fees.
2. Insurance:
During the exchange and collaboration period in Taiwan, invitee's are required to purchase travel safety insurance providing coverage according to their actual needs of up to NT$4 million.
3. Accommodations, living expenses:
Accommodation and living expenses will be reimbursed based on actual costs incurred, however may not exceed the “remuneration (including living expenses)” listed in the “the highest payment rate for the employment of foreign consultants, experts
and scholars by government agencies standards.”
4. Creation and performance fees:
Exclusive of individual income tax which must be paid by the recommended invitees
5. Promotional expenditures and translation fees
6. Transportation costs for artwork
7. Other relevant expenses approved by the Ministry of Culture
8. The above expenses do not cover recurrent personnel costs, venue or facility-related costs, or equipment costs.
Category B: Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia
Reimbursable items include the following expenses paid by the recommended ROC national for the duration of exchanges and collaboration in Regions of Western and Southern Asia:
1. Transportation costs:
Roundtrip economy airfare for travel between the recommended invitee’s home in Taiwan and the Regions of Western and Southern Asian destination; domestic mass ground transportation from the airport to their lodgings in the destination country;
and visa fees.
2. Insurance:
During their stay in Regions of Western and Southern Asia, ROC nationals are required to purchase individual coverage of up to NT$4 million in travel insurance (reimbursement will be based on actual costs incurred).
3. Accommodation, living expenses:
Accommodation and living expenses will be reimbursed based on actual costs incurred. Expenses shall not exceed 70% of the daily expenses category nor 20% of the living expenses category as specified in the government-issued Personal Daily Living
Allowance table for ROC personnel deployed by governmental agencies on overseas business trips.
4. Creation and performance fees:
Exclusive of individual income tax which must be paid by the recommended invitees
5. Promotional expenditures and translation fees
6. Transportation costs for artwork
7. Other relevant expenses approved by the Ministry of Culture
8. The above expenses do not cover recurrent personnel costs, venue or facility-related costs, or equipment costs.
Category C: Bilateral or Multilateral Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects Based in Regions of Western and Southern Asia and Taiwan
For recommended invitees meeting the criteria stipulated in Article 4 of these Guidelines, reimbursable items include the following expenses incurred in the course of cultural exchanges and collaboration in Regions of Western and Southern Asia
and Taiwan:
1. Transportation costs:
Roundtrip economy airfare for either a route linking the recommended invitee between Taiwan and their Regions of Western and Southern Asian destination, or a
route linking the recommended invitee between their place of residence in Regions of Western and Southern Asia to Taiwan; domestic mass ground transport from the airport to their lodgings in the destination country; and visa fees.
2. Insurance:
During the exchange and collaboration period in Taiwan, invitee's are required to purchase travel safety insurance providing coverage according to their actual needs of up to NT$4 million.
3. Accommodation, living expenses:
For foreign nationals, expenses shall not exceed the “remuneration (including living expenses)”category as specified in the government-issued “the highest payment rate for the employment of foreign consultants, experts and scholars by government
agencies standards..”
For ROC nationals, expenses shall not exceed 70% of the “daily expenses” category nor 20% of the “living expenses” category as specified in the government-issued Personal Daily Living Allowance table for ROC personnel deployed by governmental
agencies on overseas business trips.
4. Creation and performance fees:
Exclusive of individual income tax which must be paid by the recommended invitees
5. Transportation costs for artwork
6. Promotional expenditures and translation fees
7. Other relevant expenses approved by the Ministry of Culture
8. The above expenses do not cover recurrent personnel costs, venue or facility-related costs, or equipment costs. |