I. These Guidelines have been drafted by the Ministry of Culture to encourage young people to implement projects that bring civic culture to life. Such projects are to address issues and challenges in culture, society, the environment, and the economy by applying local knowledge and creating social networks that bring together village cultures, create supportive communities, and create new cultural value.

II. Qualifications

1. Republic of China nationals: Must be natural persons between the ages of 20 and 45; application must include a photocopy of relevant ID.

2. Foreign nationals: Must be natural persons between the ages of 20 and 45 and in possession of a valid resident certificate issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Bureau of Consular Affairs or an overseas compatriot resident certificate issued by the Ministry of the Interior. Application must include a photocopy of the relevant resident certificate. This does not apply for persons from China, Hong Kong, or Macau.

III. Period of execution: For 2018 plans, projects are to be executed over a period of no less than six months and between the date of approval and October 31, 2019.

IV. Award amount: Those who a review committee has deemed eligible for an award will receive between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million (the actual amount given will be determined during the review).

V. Evaluation standards, procedures, announcement of results, and recusals:

1. Evaluation standards:

a. Understanding of the issue, and innovativeness and feasibility of the approach;

b. Comprehension of local knowledge and culture, and community participation;

c. Personal growth and leadership shown in the plan;

d. Extent to which the project shows sustainable development potential; and

e. Impact on society.

2. Three stages of evaluation: eligibility confirmation, initial review, and final review:

a. Eligibility confirmation: The MOC will review documents submitted     by the applicant. Where information is found to be missing or inaccurate, the applicant will be notified of a deadline by which missing information must be submitted to the MOC. Applicants who fail to do so by the deadline will be declared ineligible.

b. Initial review: Following eligibility confirmation, representatives of the MOC and scholars and experts invited for the purpose shall form a review panel, which will review submitted documents. Applicants who pass this first review shall move on to the final review.

c. Final review: The MOC will convene the review panel to consider candidates. Applicants reaching this stage will deliver a presentation before the panel. The MOC will conduct onsite reviews when deemed necessary. The recommendations of the panel will be reviewed and approved of by the Minister or the Minister’s designee. Where needed, applicants will be directed by the panel to furnish a revised plan within a specified timeframe, which will be reviewed at a subsequent panel meeting.

3. Results: After the final review has been approved, the results, as well as the names of all reviewers, will be published on the MOC’s website; award recipients will be notified in writing.

4. Recusal: To ensure fairness and secrecy, individuals involved shall agree to keep secret the information that comes before them, recuse themselves where necessary, and abide by the terms of Articles 32 and 33 the Administrative Procedure Act.

VI. Remittance: In principle, award monies shall be remitted in four stages based on progress made on the plan. However, where progress or other reasons necessitate, payment need not be made in stages.

1. First stage: A receipt for first-stage payment; a pledge to execute the project; a copyright authorization; and, for foreign recipients, a copy of the residency permit (the expiration date of the permit must be later than the project completion date) are to be forwarded to the MOC which, after confirming that the information provided is correct, will remit ten (10) percent of the award money.

2. Second stage: Within one month of receiving notification from the MOC, a receipt for second-stage payment and a revised plan (including a chart comparing the original to the revised plan) are to be forwarded to the MOC which, after confirming that the information provided is correct, will remit twenty (20) percent of the award money.

3. Third stage: Where work completed at this point equals or exceeds one half of that contracted, a progress report (including its electronic file) and a receipt for third-stage payment are to be remitted to the MOC which, after confirming that the information provided is correct, will remit forty (40) percent of the award money.

4. Fourth stage: Where all work has been completed at this point, a final report (including its electronic file) and a receipt for fourth-stage payment are to be remitted to the MOC by October 31 of the year after cooperation began. The final thirty (30) percent of the award money will be remitted after these documents have been reviewed and approved of by the MOC.

VII. How to apply and application period:

A. Applications are to be filled out, and relevant documents submitted online, at https://grants.moc.gov.tw/Web/ during the application period. Applications will be accepted between12 p.m., Aug 2, 2018 and 12 a.m., Sep 17, 2018.

B. After submitting the application online, print it out, sign it, and mail it before the deadline (determined by the postmark date) to the Ministry of Culture’s Department of Cultural Resources at 13F, South Building, 439 Zhongping Rd., Xinzhuang Dist., New Taipei City. The envelope is to be marked as addressed to the “Youth Village Cultural Development Project.”

VIII. During the period of project implementation, the following shall be undertaken in compliance with the MOC:

1. Involvement and accompaniment mechanism:

a. In compliance with visits by the MOC and its appointed accompanying mentor, award recipients shall personally, or designate major project implementation personnel, to undertake work reports and provide pertinent information; and shall participate in review meetings or exchange workshops held by the MOC from time to time. When pertinent major work meetings and activities are held, award recipients shall notify the MOC and on-site accompanying mentor of said meetings in advance, such that the MOC may dispatch staff to attend.

b. On-site mentor visit reports will serve as the primary basis for disbursing funds at each stage of project implementation and assessing effectiveness.

2. Inspection and revocation mechanism:

a. Award recipients shall comply with MOC requests concerning research or policy analysis, and fill out and submit related forms accurately and provide pertinent information on results.

b. Applicants shall not provide false documentation or information. Where award recipients are later found to have provided false information/documentation, the MOC will rescind the award and the recipient shall unconditionally return to the MOC any award funds already received.

c. Plans are to be completed in the timeframe and manner listed in the original plan. No applications for extension of the schedule or modification of content may be made except when the on-site accompanying mentor or guidance committee member(s) so recommend(s) in writing. However, where the award recipient is unable to complete the project according to schedule or the implementation timetable due to force majeure or another reason not attributable to the award recipient that results in modification being necessary, said award recipient shall apply to the MOC beforehand to extend the timetable or modify the original plan for implementation after approval by the MOC. Where award recipients do not abide by this regulation, the MOC will determine whether to withdraw or rescind the award in whole or in part depending on the severity of the infraction.

d. Award recipients shall guarantee that they will undertake and complete the project for which the award has been received. If award recipients are unable to undertake and complete the project within the initially allotted time period and according to the original project content; deviate from the original objective; implement it poorly; fail to submit implementation information or reports of results according to regulations; submit reports containing untruthful content or poor quality information on results, are remiss in providing receipts for reconciling expenses; or breach the provisions of these Guidelines, the MOC will set a deadline for completing corrective actions. Where said corrective actions are not completed by said deadline, depending on the severity of the infraction, the project may be halted and the award amount recalculated; or the award may be rescinded, funds already disbursed shall be returned, and such occurrences shall be listed as a major consideration when reviewing future grant applications. Applicants who abandon their projects in media res shall be required to return all funds already remitted to them.

IX. Copyright-related Economic Rights:

I. Information regarding results: Award recipients agree to grant on a gratis and non-exclusive basis to the MOC and individuals it authorizes the right to use on a non-profit basis, with no restriction on time, place, number of times or manner of use, information regarding the results produced from undertaking the project, such as the report on project results, photographs, audiovisual materials (including recordings, microfilms, music-related creations, documentary films, etc.); related publications (such as magazines, community newspapers, surveys, picture books, notebooks, etc.); publicity materials; scripts; written or pictorial records; survey reports; explanatory information; and other copyrighted material detailing results, in order to promote, publicize and market said results. Where information regarding the results of the project involves utilization of the work of a third party, the award recipient shall obtain written copyright permission from said third party. A document bearing said written permission shall be deposited with the MOC. Award recipients further agree not to assert to the Ministry or those it authorizes the moral rights to this work.

II. In order to boost public access efficacy, award recipients shall proactively record, check, and correct information concerning the results of their projects, and determine the scope and application of rights granted for release of said information by the MOC National Archive of Cultural Heritages and Memories (NACHM). Award recipients shall possess or to have obtained copyright for original raw content and materials used in the creation of results information. Award recipients shall upload said information to the NACHM and determine the status of usage rights granted.

III. Explanatory information: In line with Executive Yuan policy on information access, award recipients are to collect, verify, and correct metadata on information concerning their achievements. This information is to be made open to the public for use via the MOC National Memory Database and other relevant platforms in line with the Open Government Data License, version 1.0. The author shall agree to relinquish all copyright-related economic rights and make content open to the public under a Creative Commons CC0 license.

X. Miscellaneous

1. No more than 40 percent of funds awarded may be expended on project personnel costs. Where individuals are temporarily engaged under miscellaneous expenses, hourly wages shall be in line with the Labor Standards Act and Ministry of Labor regulations.

2. The MOC will undertake reporting or withholding income taxes from award funds in accordance with national tax laws.

3. Promotional materials used during the execution of the plan (including information conveyed via new media, invitations, posters, and other published materials) shall clearly acknowledge the Ministry of Culture as the sponsoring or award-granting agency. The MOC-appointed instructor and the MOC are to be given three weeks’ advance notice of promotional events, press conferences, and opening and closing ceremonies.

4. Award recipients are to purchase accident insurance to ensure the safety of individuals participating in events held during the execution of the plan.

5. At the close of the project, award recipients are to upload electronic files of their reports, photographs, audiovisual materials, and publications to the database specified by the MOC. Acceptable file formats will be announced separately.

6. To prevent multiple awards being given by the government for the same project, an identical or similar plan that has already been granted an award by the MOC or agencies under its purview, the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the National Performing Arts Center, or other central government agencies shall not be eligible to receive this award. Where an award has been approved and it is found that the plan has been granted multiple awards, the MOC will rescind the award and demand the return of funds already disbursed.