2024 Academia Sinica Catalyst Award Competition: Rules and Guidelines

Catalyst Awards will reward bold, new, potentially transformative ideas to improve the physical, mental, or social well-being for people as they age, and in a measurable and equitable way. Ideas could focus on any step in a lifespan, as long as it ultimately promotes health as people age.

Academia Sinica reserves the right to update the competition rules and guidelines at any time for any reason. Changes to the Rules and Guidelines will be posted to the competition website. Please refer to the current Rules and Guidelines before reaching out with questions.

Applicant Eligibility

1. Applicants must be legal residents in Taiwan.
2. Applications for the Catalyst Awards are open to any individual or team without restriction of disciplines, background or affiliation.
3. An applicant can be the project director of only one proposal each round but may submit multiple proposals as a co-PI.

Application Instructions

1. Please review all info on the NAM website including funded projects for past and current Awardees.
2. Read all Rules and Guidelines, Information and Instructions, Review Process and Criteria, posted on this webpage
3. Download the grant application form (in Word Format) (to be uploaded in PDF format upon completion)
4. Complete writing the proposal, adhering to the rules and instructions stated on the application form (failure to comply will result in disqualification)
5. 5. Complete on-line application (via Google Form), by providing the following info and items:
   1. Project title
   2. Project PI and co-PI(s): name, affiliation, email
   3. Project terms (1 or 2 years)
   4. Budget requested
   5. Upload the written Grant Proposal (<2 pages + Summary Statements)
   6. Upload brief CVs for PI and each co-PI (free format, include contact info, education, research interests/experience, list up to 10 selected recent publications)

1. All proposals must be written in English.
2. Proposals should be no more than two pages in length and may include up to three key references.
3. To facilitate double-blind reviews, applicants should not disclose, in the proposal body, information that can be used to identify the applicant(s), collaborator(s), or organization(s).

1. All intellectual property assignment and management should comply with Academia Sinica regulations.
2. All awardees will be required to submit a 500-word summary report of progress and milestones achieved within one year of the disbursement of the awards.
3. All awardees will be required to participate in a local Annual Forum (around August, 2024) to give short oral presentations on progress made and/or new ideas proposed.
4. All awardees will be prepared to attend a summit (anticipated to take place in summer/fall 2024) to discuss their ideas and the progress achieved against them.
5. Selected project PIs, project directors and subproject PIs should sign the “Project Execution Agreement for the Academia Sinica Healthy Longevity Grand Challenge Competition”
6. Approved projects involving biological materials, genetically engineered materials, animal experimentation and human subjects may not begin until letters of consent from relevant AS committees have been obtained.
7. All personnel who directly perform any AS-funded research activity should receive at least one hour of research-ethics training every three years. Such training must be completed within six months of the project begins.

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• (02) 2787-2612 EG Chen
• (02) 2787-2613 Chien-Hua Pai
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  Taipei 11529, Taiwan