The National Science Technology Council (NSTC) has jointly launched a call for proposals with Germany's BMFTR to encourage academic collaboration between Taiwanese and German scholars in the field of batteries. This initiative aims to integrate and strengthen the complementary research resources and technical expertise of both nations, thereby promoting transnational cooperation and joint development on critical issues concerning batteries and battery technologies.

The project duration shall be three years as a general rule, with implementation scheduled to commence on 1 November 2026.

For projects selected through bilateral agreement, the NSTC will subsidise the Taiwanese team under the ‘Bilateral Agreement Project-based International Collaborative Research Programme’.

The NSTC will subsidise the Taiwanese team for selected projects, with an annual subsidy of NT$9 million per project as a general rule.

The aforementioned programme will have a two-stage application process:

I. Stage 1: submission of a pre-proposal.

II. Stage 2: submission of a full proposal (only if the pre-proposal is invited to participate in stage 2)

The areas of key co-operation themes include the following:

i. Solid state lithium batteries

ii. High energy lithium metal batteries, like low lithium excess or anode-free versions

iii. High power lithium batteries

iv. Material recycling for waste batteries

v. Emerging alternative battery types, like sodium versions

Prospective applicants shall adhere to the following steps:

(1) Complete the online application on NSTC's website.

(2) Download the “NTU Application Form for NSTC Grant for the International Cooperative Project.”

(3)  After acquiring the signatures or seals of the head and dean of the executive department/institute, please email the finalized form to the Division of Research Project Affairs (RPA).

The deadline for submission is by 17:00, on Monday, 13 Apr., 2026.

Please simultaneously submit your online application through the NSTC system prior to the aforementioned internal application deadline, to facilitate the university's compilation and timely submission of the roster to the NSTC as scheduled

Additionally, the NSTC and Germany's BMFTR will host an online exchange and briefing session for this call for proposals on Tuesday, 10 February 2026. The session will outline the collaborative themes, funding details, and application procedures, while also providing a platform to facilitate matchmaking between researchers from both sides.

Those intending to attend the exchange and briefing session to interact with German researchers shall each prepare a self-introduction of approximately 5 minutes. Please submit your presentation file in accordance with the format provided on the NSTC website. Moreover, email your PowerPoint presentation file to the following two scholars:

Dr. Jenna Moorkamp (Jülich), Email: j.moorkamp@ptj.de 

Dr. Hsisheng Teng (鄧熙聖教授) Email: hteng@mail.ncku.edu.tw

Tuesday, 10 February 2026, 4:00 pm (Taiwan) / 9 am (Germany)

The online video link for the Match-making meeting is:

https://ptj-fzj.webex.com/ptjfzj/j.php?MTID=m3bc1037d07fe56ddf20a20196e835043

Contact Person for RPA regarding the project: Ms. Ya-Yin Liu

Phone number: (02) 3366-6309

Email: yayinliu@ntu.edu.tw