The Ministry of Culture (“the Ministry”) has drafted these Guidelines and Procedures to help enrich the citizenry’s global vision, to increase Taiwan’s understanding of Southeast Asian cultures, histories, and social development and to promote bilateral exchanges.

．The phrase “Southeast Asian nations” as used in these Guidelines and Procedures specifies the following nations only: Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

．Applicant eligibility
Domestic legal persons or private groups registered in accordance with the laws of the Republic of China (R.O.C.).

．Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1.       They must demonstrate that recommendees meet the following conditions:

a.       Have citizenship of a Southeast Asian nation and are not subject to regulations of their home country requiring their service in the military, nor are they subject to travel restrictions.

b.       Have been active for three successive years in areas defined in Paragraph 2 of this Article, and able to provide proof of accomplishments or results garnered in the field.

c.       Have not resided in Taiwan for business or academic purposes for over a year, counting from the day of the proposal submission.

2.       Exchanges and collaboration projects may take the following forms: activities such as curation, performance, creating/writing, community development, cultural asset preservation, restoration, internship, field work/recording, research, interviewing, reporting, workshops and filmmaking, or participation in/cooperation with civil society’s activities.

3.         The residency period is not to exceed six months.

．Funding principles and qualifications:

Category A: Collaborative Cultural Projects in Taiwan

1.       Funding shall not exceed NT$500,000 for each approved case.

2.         Eligible costs:

a.       The following costs incurred by recommendees while in Taiwan shall be eligible for reimbursement:

i.        Travel expenses: Roundtrip economy airfare for the most direct route linking recommendees from their place of residence to Taiwan; ground transportation in Taiwan (most direct route) from the airport to their place of residence; visa fees.

ii.      Insurance: During the exchange period, coverage of up to NT$4 million in travel insurance (actual costs incurred only).

iii.    Lodging costs of up to NT$1,400 per day (actual expenses incurred only).

iv.    Artist fee (excluding individual income tax, which must be self-reported).

v.      Living expenses of NT$500 per day (actual expenses incurred only).

vi.    Direct costs incurred from promoting results of work done during the project period.

Category B: International Promotion of Project Results

      1. Funding:

i. When applying for funding from the Emerald Initiative, the applicant may submit the project proposal along with another application requesting additional funds for promoting the end result of the collaboration in Southeast Asian regions defined in Paragraph 2 of this Article. The promotion has to take the form of participation in a major Southeast Asian or international festival, exhibition, tour, or performance. The Ministry will allocate funds based on the expected benefits of the promotion plans.

ii. Funding shall not exceed NT$400,000 for each approved case.

2. Eligible costs:

Round-trip economy airfare for the person who is directly related to the project and holds R.O.C. citizenship; shipping costs; insurance premium; exhibition and performance fees; promotional expenditures; translation fees; and other related expenses approved by the Ministry. Recurrent personnel costs, venue or facility-related costs, or equipment costs are not included.

．Application procedure

1. The Ministry, in principle, will accept applications in June and December of each year for one month, with specific dates to be announced separately from these Guidelines and Procedures.

2. Applicants shall deliver their application package in person (or by proxy) or post it by the deadline referred to in the previous Article. Application packages are to be directed to: “Ministry of Culture, Dept. of Cultural Exchanges, Asia-Pacific Section.” The postmark shall serve as proof of receipt by the set deadline for mailed applications; the date stamped by the receiving unit will serve the same function for hand-delivered applications. Late applications will not be reviewed.

．Submission deadline and methods

Applicants are to include ten (10) copies of program plans (including an application form; see Attachment), and one CD-ROM containing all documents requested during the application period. The front of the submitted envelope shall read, “Application for Grants for Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects with Personnel from Southeast Asia.” Application packages will not be returned regardless of the funding decision; applicants are not to request their return.

Project plans shall include:

Category A: Collaborative Cultural Projects in Taiwan

1. A copy of the applicant’s registration certificate and overview of operational history.

2. Evidence of cultural exchange activities the applicant has engaged in within the past three years. This is to include relevant audio/video samples, written reports, photographs, posters and media coverage. Where applicants have previously arranged for international cultural personnel to participate in cultural exchange events in Taiwan, short biographies of the relevant foreign cultural personnel are to be included.

3. Letters of intent to participate in the exchange program by recommendee (signed by the person concerned and including up-to-date contact information); photocopy of the identity card or other evidentiary documentation of citizenship issued by the relevant Southeast Asian nation; résumé; evidence that the recommendee is not in violation of Paragraph 1 of Article 4 and is in compliance with the requirements listed in Paragraph 2 of that same Article concerning artistic works, performances, curations, or results of preservation efforts completed within the past three years; proof of professional competence; results reports; awards won; lists or summaries of media coverage concerning artists’ works; and a CD-ROM containing files of the artists’ printed, audio, or video works in a file type that can be opened with standard personal computer software.

4. Recommendation letters for recommendee as well as an explanation of the selection process employed by the applicant.

5. Project plans are to include: proposed time of residency; objective; the exchange plan; expected results; plan for promoting results, and a description of the location where the recommendee intends to reside while in Taiwan.

6. Project execution schedule.

7. Estimated budget.

    Category B: International Promotion of Project Results

1. An invitation letter from the organizers to participate in a cultural event that matches the criteria defined by Paragraph 5 (Section ii) of this Article, as well as related introductory materials detailing the event.

2. The person responsible for flying overseas to coordinate the promotion must provide name, proof of nationality, a resume, a list of specific accomplishments related to the fields defined by Paragraph 4 (Section ii) of this Article, a detailed description of his/her collaborative role in the proposed project, and other supplementary materials.

3. Project description: Proposal must include planned itinerary, core objectives, international promotion plans, unique characteristics of project results (it reflects Taiwan in what ways?), expected benefits (qualitative and quantitative measures), the presentation of project results, and detailed information on the event/venue(s).

4. Promotion and marketing plan.

5. Estimated budget.

．Review process

1.  The Ministry shall form an evaluation committee composed of experts and scholars that will engage in an initial review of the professional expertise and experience of the applicant as well as the importance, professionalism, benefits, feasibility, soundness of the budget and funding requirements of the project(s). The committee will submit its list of suggested funding recipients and funding amounts to the Ministry for approval.

2.  Committee decisions may be made when a quorum of two-thirds of members is present. One half of this number may count as a majority for voting purposes. Members are to abide by the principle of recusal and engage in fair appraisals. Committee members shall recuse themselves when the provisions of Article 32 and Article 33 of the Administrative Procedure Act apply.

3.  According to Section 1 of this Paragraph, when the application is evaluated and the decision to approve funding is made, after the evaluation results are reported to and approved by the Ministry, the committee, in addition to providing the evaluation results to approved funding recipients, shall make public the list of the evaluation committee members and the evaluation results (including approved funding recipients, project titles, and funding amounts) and publish the above information in the awards and subsidies information section at the Ministry’s official website.

4. According to Section 1 of this Paragraph, the experts and scholars, when invited to serve on the committee, shall fill out a consent form, consenting to allow the Ministry to make public their names and other committee members’ names after the evaluation meeting is concluded and meeting minutes are approved.  

5. The Ministry shall dispatch personnel at irregular intervals to conduct an evaluation of the project’s execution. Funding recipients shall make certain adjustments based on the Ministry’s evaluations.

．Remittances and audits

1. Funds shall be remitted in two stages: Stage One (50 percent of the total) — shall, in principle, be remitted within 30 days of the applicant’s signing of a contract with the Ministry and submission of a receipt. In Stage Two, the remaining funds shall be remitted within 45 days of review and approval by the Ministry, provided that sufficient documentation and relevant information is submitted by the deadline stated in Article 2, excluding total funds not exceeding NT$ 200,000.

2. Within one month of the project’s completion, or by Nov. 30 of the year in question, funding recipients shall submit paper copies of receipts, lists of actual expenditures, original expenditure receipts (especially for travel expenses, such as receipts from travel agencies, airline ticket stubs, and other original travel-related receipts), as well as medical insurance receipts, signed payment slip for artist fee, and other related receipts; and an implementation report for the Ministry to review and approve. Where submission of the aforementioned documentation is late or incomplete, the Ministry will inform the recipient of the deadline for submitting required documentation that is still outstanding. Where recipients have failed to submit said documentation or have submitted insufficient documentation, the Ministry will cancel the recipient’s funding eligibility and declare the contract null and void. In such cases, funding already provided from Stage One shall be remitted to the Ministry in full.

3. Funding received shall be used for items listed in the submitted budget, and dates appearing on original receipts submitted for review must fall within the approved period.

．Rights and duties

1.  Funding recipients shall help their recommendees obtain necessary R.O.C./travel visas, and provide assistance with exchanges, creation, lodging, etc.

2.  The Ministry may require that recommendees participate in media interviews pertaining to their exchange program, attend cultural events, and participate in promotional events concerning the project’s ideals and results, and provide relevant materials for use on the websites of the Ministry and its subordinate organizations as well as other broadcast channels.

．Other

1. Funding recipients are to sign a contract with the Ministry within 15 days of Ministry notification of approval for funding. The contract shall be drawn up by the Ministry separate from these Guidelines and Procedures.

2. Where changes are deemed necessary to projects approved by the Ministry, or where projects cannot be carried out, funding recipients are to provide a written explanation to the Ministry for approval.

3. Funding shall be used toward its designated ends and may not be otherwise directed. Where expenditures necessitate individual income tax being levied, funding recipients are to comply with the Income Tax Act and related regulations.

4. Where funding recipients do not submit results information as per regulations, where information submitted is insufficient, or where submission of information is delayed, this will be dealt with in accordance with these Guidelines and Procedures and the terms of the funding contract. The Ministry will take this into consideration during its future funding reviews.

5. When the same project, or a similar one, has already received funding from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the National Center for Performing Arts, the Ministry, or any of the Ministry’s subordinate organizations, the project will not be eligible for funding from the Emerald Initiative under these Guidelines and Procedures. Where such projects have been submitted, they will not be reviewed by the Ministry.

6. Applications will not be processed for applicants who have previously signed contracts for Ministry funding and, having been found to be in severe breach of contract provisions, have failed to fulfill their contractual obligations.

7. Applicants are not limited to seeking funding for only one project per funding year. Each applicant may receive funding for up to three projects in a single year.

8. The same recommendee who has been funded by this program for two consecutive years (whether through the same or different application partner) will become ineligible and shall not receive additional funding for a third year.

9. Where recommendees are compelled to withdraw from the program or be absent for a period of seven days or longer, funding recipients shall notify the Ministry in writing; the Ministry must issue its approval before recommendees are permitted to leave. Those receiving approval for absence shall have their living expenses and lodging funds reduced by the commensurate amount for the time absent. Those not abiding by the above stipulation shall have funding cancelled or revoked.

10. Funding recipients shall warrant that works provided to the Ministry do not infringe upon the rights of third parties. Where a third party’s rights are infringed upon, funding recipients shall be responsible. Funding recipients shall reimburse the Ministry for any losses such circumstances cause the Ministry to incur.

11. Where funding recipients are found to be in breach of these Guidelines and Procedures, the funding contract, or other rules and regulations, the Ministry will, depending upon the severity of the offense, require funding recipients to return part or all of the funds already remitted. Such recipients shall be excluded from applying again for a period of two years.

12. In the case where a project’s completion ends in a cash surplus, funding recipients shall remit the money to the Ministry according to the original funding ratio; any additional interest generated by the use of funds shall be remitted in full to the Ministry as well.

13. When the same project is submitted to two or more organizations for funding, the applicant shall list the entire content of expenses and the items and amount for which he/she has applied from various organizations. In the case of concealed or falsified information, the Ministry will cancel its funding and recover previous funds.

14. If the project funding involves procurement cases, the case shall be handled in accordance with the Government Procurement Law and related regulations.

15. Upon the completion of the project, funding recipients shall report their expenditures, submit payment vouchers in accordance with payment documentation guidelines, and provide a detailed breakdown of expenditure items and the total amount of all actual expenditures incurred by the project.

16. When funding recipients apply for reimbursement, they shall be held responsible for the authenticity of their report based on the principle of good faith; in the case of concealed or falsified information, funding recipients will be hold accountable.

．The Ministry will provide an explanation where doubts arise, or where there is lack of clarity, concerning these Guidelines and Procedures.