GENERAL OVERVIEW
What is the main objective of the TAMUS-UAAT Collaborative Research Program?
The primary motivation is to encourage collaboration between universities in Appendix 1 (TAMUS) and Appendix 2 (UAAT). While acquiring more external funding is beneficial, the main objective is collaborative research.
How many collaborative awards are anticipated?
About 10 collaborative awards are anticipated after the review cycle.
Is there a cap on the number of awards for each subject area? For example, would there be up to two awards for AI and Quantum Technology and two awards for Health and Science Engineering?
There is not currently a cap on the number of awards for each subject area. However, final decisions will be made based on the merits of the proposal, the quality of the proposal and the number of submissions in each topic.
ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
Who can apply for funding?
Only researchers from the universities listed in Appendix 1 (TAMUS) and Appendix 2 (UAAT) can be funded as PIs or co-PIs. Additionally, under the Taiwan Ministry of Education regulations, UAAT PIs and Co-PIs must be tenure-track or equivalent faculty at the UAAT member university, at the rank of Assistant Professor or above. Collaborators from outside these institutions can participate as unfunded collaborators but must provide some form of resource commitment.
Are there any limits on the number of proposals?
Each researcher may submit only one proposal as PI but may participate as a co-PI on multiple proposals. There’s no limit on the number of projects a researcher can join as co-PI.
Can collaborations include organizations in foreign countries or foreign governments?
Yes, but only funding can go to researchers at the institutions in Appendices 1 and 2 of the Request for Proposal. If you add collaborators not listed in Appendices 1 and 2, they would be unfunded collaborators. For TAMUS and UAAT submissions, each organization is responsible for complying with applicable policies and requirements regarding countries of concern and ensure that all proposed partners, organizations, and government entities meet those requirements.
funding and budget
What is the maximum amount of funding per award?
For both TAMUS and UAAT, the maximum is $100,000 per award, split evenly between UAAT ($50,000) and TAMUS ($50,000), regardless of the number of PIs or Co-PIs involved.
How are subawards handled?
On the TAMUS side, subawards to other TAMUS universities are allowed if multiple institutions are involved. On the UAAT side, subawards are not permitted and all accounting must go through the PI’s university.
Are indirect costs allowed?
No indirect costs are allowed on the TAMUS side. For UAAT funding, indirect costs are optional and capped at 15% of other expenses.
Is there is cap on project-related equipment?
For UAAT, project-related equipment should generally not exceed 10% of the total project budget in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines. For TAMUS, there is no cap.
Are international students eligible to participate?
Yes, as long as participation adheres to the regulations of your own university. Exchange or international students can participate in the project if allowed by their institution. However, these awards are focused on research and proposal submissions do not support student exchange programs. However, any UAAT or TAMUS member university can collaborate to submit a proposal related to talent development. Additional UAAT fellowship and exchange programs are available to support scholar and student exchanges. While the 2026 calls have closed, interested applicants can find information about future opportunities at the websites below:
UAAT International Young Visiting Scholar Program for 2026
UAAT International Student Group Visit Program
Can the budget include internal travel by the PIs to the partnering university?
Travel for research purposes is allowed.
Can the budget include international travel by students to the partnering university?
Yes, some travel can be included for very short-term exchanges, but not for long term stays.
What are the additional resources for UTAAT fellowship and exchange programs?
UAAT has two additional programs. One is the International Young Visiting Scholar Program where UAAT faculty invite young scholars from TAMUS to visit Taiwan for one to three months for research collaboration, teaching or innovation collaboration. Another resource is the UAAT International Student Group Visit Program. Faculty on both sides can partner to design a visiting program for a student for either undergraduate or graduate students.
Proposal Preparation and Submission
Where and how do I submit proposals?
Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF document through an online portal. The submission must be completed in one session. Please use the provided Word worksheet to prepare before beginning portal entry. Attachments uploaded in the portal must use 12 point font with 1” margins.
When is the proposal deadline to submit to our dean and/or our research office?
UAAT side: No university officer approval is required; TAMUS side: We recommend you contact your Vice President for Research Office or research division. Overall, coordination with your university Research Office is encouraged to ensure awareness of all submissions.
Proposals will be directly submitted via the link on the solicitation website. However, the submission portal does not allow applications to be saved in progress, so applicants should begin the portal submission process only when they are ready to complete and submit the proposal. A Word version of the application is available online to assist applicants in compiling the required information before entering it into the submission portal.
Are there page limits or formatting requirements?
Yes, the specific page limits for each section are detailed in the proposal template. Format requirements include single PDF submission and standard margins and font. A copy of the proposal template is available to be downloaded on the website as a worksheet which provides this information.
Is there a section for references or citations? Should we include references in the proposal? If so, is there a preferred format or location for including them?
The proposal template does not include a dedicated references/citation/bibliography section, but there’s nothing to prevent the inclusion of this information to support statements made in the proposal narrative. The appropriate place for the information would be Section 2, Project Description. However, that section is limited to 3 pages, so the inclusion of this information could impact the number of pages available to address the required elements for that section.
Is it considered international collaboration, and does it need to be disclosed?
Yes, this is an international collaboration, but Taiwan is not a country of concern for TAMUS. Applicants should follow their university internal disclosure procedures as required.
How might costs associated with participation in bilateral exchange activities and presentation at meetings be defrayed since they are a requirement in the solicitation?
Virtual activities would reduce the cost and minimize travel and take advantage of other opportunities available through UAAT for additional funding through scholar and student exchange and fellowship opportunities.
Application Topics and Areas
Can I choose more than one research topic or area?
Applicants should select one primary area, with an optional secondary area. This helps ensure appropriate reviewer assignment. Scientific merit is prioritized over strict topic boundaries.
Would a proposal that integrates multiple priority areas have an advantage or disadvantage over proposals solely focused on a single area?
Neither would have an advantage or disadvantage. The focus is the merit of the proposal.
Does the ‘agriculture’ category include forestry, ecology, and conservation?
Yes, agriculture is defined broadly and includes forestry, ecology, conservation, and related fields.
If there is any potential commercial use for the collaboration results, would the proposal be looked at more favorably during the review process?
This is not a requirement. Proposals that do not show commercial use would not be reviewed any less favorably than those that do list a commercial use. However, if this is the outcome of your research, please divulge that at the time of submission by marking the “Intellectual Property of Value Anticipated/Commercial Use” designation in the Project Summary section of proposal submission form.
Can artificial intelligence projects address broader issues or only technical ones?
There is no strict limitation. Projects on artificial intelligence can be technical, engineering-based, or address broader problems, as long as AI is a strong element in the proposal.
There are two areas listed together, “Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technology” and “Health Science and Engineering”. Does this mean AI topics must be paired with quantum technology and health science topics must be with engineering, or are these intended as separate research areas?
For AI and Quantum Technology, if the research involves either artificial intelligence or quantum technology, submission would be under either: 1) AI or 2) quantum technology. Similarly, for Health Science and Engineering, the submission would be under: 1) health science or 2) health engineering. If you are submitting a proposal and it crosses into two of the topics, select one as the primary and the other as the secondary to assist with determination of the appropriate review panel.
For Letters of Commitment, what should be conveyed in the letter?
These letters are meant to convey institutional support for the work and demonstrate support from the relevant departments, institutes or units that will support your proposal (such as for cost share or time commitments). For UAAT proposals, this is also meant to ensure that your department head is aware of your involvement in the collaboration activity and that they support your collaboration.
Collaboration and Networking
Can I collaborate with partners outside of TAMUS-UAAT?
Yes, but only researchers at Appendix 1 (TAMUS) and Appendix 2 (UAAT) institutions can receive funding. External collaborators can only participate as unfunded partners and must show some resource commitment.This effort only supports funds to the researchers at TAMUS and UAAT.
How do I identify potential research collaborators at another institution?
To facilitate self-directed identification of collaborators between TAMUS and UAAT researchers, the UAAT Secretariat has created a simple partner search form and directory for this proposal effort. Researchers who are interested in identifying potential collaborators may submit a brief profile through the form and the information will be compiled in the directory for both TAMUS and UAAT researchers to browse and contact each other directly. The form and directory are available below:
Partner Search Form
Partner Search Directory
For TAMUS members, you may also contact the TAMUS Research Development Office at researchdevelopment@tamus.edu for assistance with the matching process or you may also connect with your institutions Research Development Office.
Is it advantageous from the perspective of proposal competitiveness to collaborate with early career faculty or establish partners between early career faculty and well-established senior faculty with strong research records?
Review Section 6 for the proposal review criteria as we will follow that rubric carefully, which is based on scientific merit and innovation, collaboration, integration, potential for external funding, broader impacts and feasibility and management plan. We recommend submissions adhere to these criteria. We likely will not put as much emphasis on this type of collaboration but more on the merit of the proposal.
Review Process and Evaluation
What are the review criteria?
Proposals are reviewed according to Section 6 of the RFP, based on scientific merit, innovation, collaboration, integration, potential for external funding, broader impacts and feasibility/management plan.
Are KPIs specified for the project?
No, the KPIs are not required. They are optional information in the application.
Program Outlook
Will the program become an annual opportunity?
UAAT considers this program a seed for larger scale collaborations and also possibly as an opportunity to secure and other external resources.
Other
Is it possible to share examples of previous bilateral collaboration projects or their collaboration models?
This is one of the purposes of the proposal submission. The collaboration would be described in the proposal. Each partner knows what they want to do and how they are going to do it and that would be reflected in the proposal submitted. There is no specific model for this as it will depend on the discussions of the partners.
What would the contract/negotiations for this look like?
For TAMUS, System Budgets and Accounting will work with post-award finance at each member university to set up the accounts. There would be no contract and no negotiations because we are moving funds from the System offices to another TAMUS member university. There will be this exchange between the financial teams. For UAAT, the situation is similar. There will be no complex contract negotiation but a financial arrangement between UAAT and the Ministry of Education.
Where can I find Appendices 1 and 2 with the list of participating universities.
That is located in the solicitation, which can be found at this website at the bottom of the page.
This FAQ is intended to provide consistent guidance. In the event of any discrepancy, the applicable RFP governs.