The European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT), formally established on June 1st, 2008, is jointly financed by the University of Tuebingen (Germany) and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Taiwan). Its major objective is to promote postgraduate social science research on contemporary Taiwan, most notably in the areas of politics and law, economics, society and cross-strait relations. The ERCCT provides a platform for European and Taiwanese students at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels to engage in academic dialogue on theory, methodology and content related to specific research projects, to prepare for fieldwork in Taiwan, to assess the empirical findings brought back from the field and to assist students to get their work published by internationally renowned publishing houses.
For that purpose, among other activities, the ERCCT invites Visiting Scholars from both Taiwan and Europe to come to Tuebingen during each summer and winter term to work intensively with the ERCCT Research Fellows in the Taiwan Colloquium. The ERCCT also operates a tutorial system with distinguished academic institutions in Taiwan (see ERCCT Tutorial System & Partners), which provides ERCCT Research Fellows during their fieldwork in Taiwan with an official affiliation, office space, scholarly support and the possibility of academic cooperation with Taiwanese experts working in the same or a related field of research.
In cooperation with Taiwan's Ministry of Education, the ERCCT grants 1-2 ERCCT Fellowships annually to talented and highly qualified applicants for a period of three years. Submissions are evaluated by members of the ERCCT Advisory Board and are granted by the ERCCT Fellowship Committee.
With support from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and in cooperation with its partners the ERCCT entertains a Visiting Fellow Programme. Under the framework of this programme Ph.D. and Postdoc students from our Taiwanese partner institutions are invited to visit the ERCCT for about one month and granted a stipend and travel costs.
