Fellowship/ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship / Dissertation Fellowship / International Visiting Fellowship

I. Introduction

The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) is the first democracy assistance foundation to be established in Asia, and is devoted to strengthening democracy and human rights in Taiwan and abroad.

One of the Foundation’s core purposes is to promote research into global democratic and human rights development, in order to advance democracy-building theory and practice. In particular, research into Taiwan's democratization experience can provide lessons for other democratizing countries, as well as identify areas where Taiwan still needs to improve. Therefore, comparative research with reference to other newly democratized countries will also be encouraged.

II. Program Description

Postdoctoral Fellows should possess a Ph.D. or equivalent in a relevant field at the time of application, and may have received their doctoral degrees up to seven years prior to application.Fellows may reside in Taiwan for up to one year to carry out in-depth research related to Taiwan's democratic and human rights development.

Applicants are encouraged to form relationships with organizations and institutions dealing with democracy and human rights issues based in Taiwan.The Foundation hopes that through an active exchange of ideas and expertise, Fellows may share their experiences with Taiwanese academics, practitioners, NGO’s, and think tanks, to further encourage democracy and human rights in Taiwan and internationally.

By the end of their fellowship, Fellows should make at least one public presentation at the Foundation, as well as complete a substantial piece of writing for publication, in Chinese or English.Fellows will be expected to periodically report to the Foundation on the progress of their research/study during their stay in Taiwan.Fellows will be encouraged to participate in the wide range of conferences, seminars, and other events in Taipei and elsewhere in Taiwan.There will be limited shared office space available at the Foundation’s headquarters in Taipei.

The stipend amount will be awarded after consideration of the complete application, including in particular the financial questionnaire, provided within this application.

III. Calendar

There are two cycles every year for the Postdoctoral Fellowships: Cycle 1 allows Fellows to begin their research/study in Taiwan in the summer or fall, and Cycle 2 allows them to begin in the winter or spring.

Cycle 1:

Postmark deadline for applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30
Notification of awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 1
Beginning of fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Summer/Fall

Cycle 2:

Postmark deadline for applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .October 31
Notification of awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 1
Beginning of fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Winter /Spring

The application is available online.