NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

Their core work

Taiwan's principal government agency for funding and coordinating national research programs. Through ERA-NET Cofund participation, NSTC aligns Taiwanese research funding with European joint programming initiatives, enabling Taiwanese researchers to join transnational collaborative projects. Their role is essentially that of a national funding body that co-invests in international research calls spanning health, environment, and advanced materials — acting as the gateway for Taiwan's research community into European collaborative frameworks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), NSTC focused on biomedical translation — cardiovascular disease, cancer research, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine — alongside materials research and water resource efficiency. From 2020 onward, the emphasis shifted markedly toward environmental science: aquatic pollutants, antimicrobial resistance in water, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity governance. This reflects a broader realignment from predominantly health-oriented international cooperation toward environmental sustainability and Green Deal priorities.

NSTC is increasingly channeling its European cooperation budget toward environmental and ecosystem challenges, suggesting future joint calls will prioritize biodiversity, pollution, and sustainability topics.

How they like to work

NSTC participates exclusively as a partner — never as coordinator — which is typical for a non-EU associated country funding agency joining ERA-NET structures. With 126 unique partners across 41 countries, they operate as a broad-network connector rather than a repeat-partner organization. Working with NSTC means gaining access to Taiwanese national research funding streams and researcher pools through co-funded transnational calls.

Exceptionally broad network of 126 partners across 41 countries, reflecting the nature of ERA-NET Cofund consortia which bring together dozens of national funding agencies. Their reach extends well beyond Europe to include international funding bodies from across Asia, the Americas, and beyond.

What sets them apart

NSTC is Taiwan's gateway into European collaborative research — one of the few non-EU, non-associated country funding agencies consistently participating in ERA-NET Cofund actions. Partnering with them provides direct access to Taiwanese co-funding for transnational research calls, which is valuable for consortia seeking to include high-quality Asian research partners with dedicated national funding. Their multi-domain coverage (health, environment, materials) makes them unusually versatile for a single national funding body.

Highlights from their portfolio

• M-ERA.NET3
  Largest individual EC contribution (EUR 59,812) and represents the transition toward Green Deal priorities with focus on batteries and circular economy.
• BiodivRestore
  Represents the strongest thematic shift — from biomedical origins to ecosystem restoration and transdisciplinary socio-ecological research.
• TRANSCAN-3
  Continuation from TRANSCAN-2 across a six-year span, demonstrating sustained long-term commitment to cancer research cooperation.