Guidelines for Judicial Reform Research Grants
Last edited: 2026-08-29
Adopted by the Judicial Reform Foundation Standing Executive Meeting on January 4, 2021; amended on December 6, 2021; amended on January 5, 2026.
- Article 1
- The Judicial Reform Foundation (the "Foundation") adopts these Guidelines to promote judicial reform, strengthen policy-oriented research capacity, and cultivate researchers.
- Article 2
- The eligible categories and grant amounts are as follows:
To encourage original research and preserve fairness in the review process, applications are accepted only for works that have not yet been completed. - (1) Doctoral dissertations: total grant of NT$80,000. NT$20,000 is awarded upon passing the first-stage research-proposal review, and NT$60,000 upon passing the second-stage review of the completed dissertation.
(2) Master's theses: total grant of NT$50,000. NT$10,000 is awarded upon passing the first-stage research-proposal review, and NT$40,000 upon passing the second-stage review of the completed thesis.
(3) Independent research papers: total grant of NT$30,000-80,000. NT$10,000-20,000 is awarded upon passing the first-stage research-proposal review, and NT$20,000-70,000 upon passing the second-stage review of the completed paper. An independent research paper must contain at least 20,000 Chinese characters. The Thesis Review Committee shall determine the grant amount case by case based on the research proposal and completed paper. - Article 3
- A funded work must address an issue related to judicial reform, including but not limited to law, political science, sociology, forensic science, rule-of-law education, international human-rights instruments, or related academic fields. Each year's program announcement will identify priority research topics for applicants' reference.
- Article 4
- The Foundation shall establish a Thesis Review Committee composed of four scholars, two members of the Rule-of-Law Education Group, and one NGO practitioner. Candidates shall be recommended by the Rule-of-Law Education Group and appointed after approval by the Standing Executive Meeting. Members serve three-year terms and may be reappointed once.
- Article 5
- The Thesis Review Committee shall:
- (1) Prepare the annual research-grant budget, program, and priority research topics for approval by the Standing Executive Meeting.
- (2) Determine the number of awards and grant amounts.
- (3) Review first-stage research proposals, conduct oral interviews, and select successful applicants.
- (4) Select external reviewers and determine review fees for the second-stage review.
- (5) Review completed works at the second stage and determine successful applicants.
- (6) Determine forms of recognition or support in addition to monetary grants.
- (7) Handle other matters relating to the research-grant program.
- Article 6
- The Foundation shall announce each year's grant program before Judicial Day on January 11. Applicants must submit an application form, research proposal, recommendation letter from an academic advisor or other scholar or expert, and any other documents required by the annual program between June 1 and July 31.
- Article 7
- After receiving an application, the Secretariat shall first review it for compliance with the formal requirements of the annual program. If materials are missing, the applicant will be notified to supplement them within a specified period; an application not completed by the deadline will not be accepted. After the application period closes, the Secretariat shall submit all eligible materials to the Thesis Review Committee for first-stage review.
- Article 8
- The first-stage review consists of preliminary written review followed by an oral interview. The Foundation shall announce successful applicants and pay the first-stage grants by October 1 of each year.
- A first-stage review meeting requires the attendance of more than half of all Committee members. A resolution requires the approval of more than half of the members present.
- At the preliminary written-review stage, the Thesis Review Committee shall review the application materials, determine the number of grants available that year, and select candidates for oral interviews up to that number.
- Following the oral interviews, the Thesis Review Committee shall select the applicants who pass the first-stage proposal review. For independent research papers, it shall also determine the grant amount and deadline for submitting the completed paper. The written and oral reviews shall consider:
- (1) The value of the research topic.
- (2) Whether the research methodology is reasonable.
- (3) Whether the research methodology is feasible.
- Article 9
- Applicants who pass the first-stage review must submit the completed work within the following periods:
- (1) Doctoral dissertation: three years.
- (2) Master's thesis: two years.
- (3) Independent research paper: one to three years, as determined case by case by the Thesis Review Committee in light of the timetable stated in the research proposal.
- The period runs from October 1 of the year in which the applicant passes the first-stage review. An applicant who fails to submit the completed work by the deadline loses eligibility for second-stage review.
- An applicant may submit a written request stating the reasons for an extension. An extension may be granted only once and may not exceed one year.
- Article 10
- The second-stage review consists of external peer review followed by final review. The Foundation shall announce the successful applicants and pay the second-stage grants by January 11 of each year.
- After receiving a completed work from an applicant who passed the first stage, the Foundation shall appoint two external reviewers with expertise appropriate to the research topic and academic field to conduct double-blind review. The Thesis Review Committee shall determine the reviewers and review fees.
- External review should ordinarily be completed within one month. Review recommendations are categorized as follows:
- (1) Doctoral dissertation: (a) Recommend; (b) Do not recommend.
- (2) Master's thesis: (a) Recommend; (b) Do not recommend.
- (3) Independent research paper: (a) Recommend; (b) Recommend subject to revision; (c) Revise and resubmit for review; (d) Do not recommend.
- If either external reviewer recommends against the work, the applicant fails the second-stage review. If a recommendation is "recommend subject to revision" or "revise and resubmit for review," the applicant must complete the requested revisions within 30 days. A work designated "revise and resubmit for review" shall then be returned to the original reviewer for re-review, ordinarily within two weeks. The re-review recommendation is limited to "recommend" or "do not recommend."
- At final review, the Thesis Review Committee shall determine whether a work recommended by both external reviewers satisfies the requirements of the annual program. A final-review meeting requires the attendance of more than half of all Committee members. Unless two-thirds or more of the members present vote against approval, the applicant passes the second-stage review. For an independent research paper that passes, the grant amount shall be determined with the approval of more than half of the members present.
- Article 11
- A Committee member must recuse themself from review and deliberation if the applicant is the member's spouse, a relative by blood or marriage within the third degree, the member's advisee, an examinee for whom the member serves on an oral-examination committee, a person recommended by the member, or if any other circumstance could reasonably affect impartial review. If a required recusal does not occur, the applicant's eligibility for the grant shall be revoked and any grant already received must be repaid in full.
- Article 12
- A recipient may not use the same work to apply for an award, grant, or subsidy from another government agency or civil-society organization. A violation of this prohibition on duplicate funding will result in revocation of eligibility and repayment in full of any grant already received.
- Article 13
- Applicants must ensure that their work does not involve plagiarism, unauthorized adaptation, infringement, or any other violation of academic ethics or copyright law. If such a violation occurs, grant eligibility shall be revoked and any grant already received must be repaid in full.
- Article 14
- When a funded work is formally published, its first page must contain the following acknowledgment: "This work received funding from the Judicial Reform Foundation, for which the author expresses appreciation."
- Recipients must grant the Foundation, without charge and without limitation as to territory, duration, or method, the right to publicly display, exhibit, and transmit the full text of the funded work.
- Article 15
- The Foundation may recognize recipients through public commendation, research presentations, or other activities, and may promote funded works by subsidizing printing costs, publishing monographs or special issues, or other means. The Thesis Review Committee shall determine the forms of recognition and promotion.
- Article 16
- These Guidelines take effect upon approval by the Standing Executive Meeting. Amendments shall follow the same procedure.
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.