The Sheng Yen Education Foundation (the “Foundation”) provides grants to support young scholars doing research in Contemporary Chinese Buddhism and the thoughts of Master Sheng Yen.
1. Eligibility:
(1) Ph. D. graduate students (from domestic or international universities) with approved dissertation proposals or have passed the qualification exams.
(2) This application must be submitted within two years of the dissertation proposal being approved.
(3) The dissertation must be written in Chinese, English, or Japanese.
(4) The dissertation must be related to Chinese Buddhism or the thoughts of Master Sheng Yen.
2. The Grant:
(1) Available grants— generally, there are 5 grants available to Ph. D. students per year. Note, the actual number of grants awarded may differ each year, depending on various factors, including annual budgets, number of applicants, and application review.
(2) Grant amount— for each Ph. D. student, NT$200,000 (including tax).
(3) Payment Schedule—the first payment in the amount of NT$80,000 will be awarded upon approval of the grant application; the second payment in the amount of NT$80,000 will be awarded after the student completes two-thirds of their dissertation and has submitted this portion of the dissertation to the Foundation for review; the final payment in the amount of NT$40,000 will be awarded upon the Foundation’s receipt of the completed dissertation( a hard copy and an electronic copy should be sent tothe Foundation).
3. Required Documents:
(1) The completed application form;
(2) Personal identification documents (personal identification card, and certificate of enrollment);
(3) Personal statement (please include information on your family, education background, extracurricular activities, self-evaluation, and lifetime goals and objectives);
(4) A copy of your curriculum vitae;
(5) Official Ph. D. transcript
(6) Dissertation prospectus (including your research plan, literature review, research method, timetable, and expected contribution); please also include the approval of the prospectus that is signed by your advisor or a member of the committee;
(7) Two draft chapters from your dissertation;
(8) Published papers or related works;
(9) Two recommendation letters. The letters should describe the candidate’s research abilities, the significance of the candidate’s dissertation, and an overall evaluation of the candidate. The recommender should upload the letter to the system generated link; and
(10) Other reference documents.
4. Application Period:
The application period for this grant is July 1st to September 30th of each year. The required documents (as specified above) should be uploaded to the system generated link during the application period. Applicants who are ineligible for the grant, sent in an incomplete application, or applied outside the application period will not be considered.
5. Review Process and Announcement:
The selection committee at the Sheng Yen Center for Chinese Buddhist Studies will review all qualified applicants and make the final determination. All applicants will be notified of the decision by February 28th of the year following their application, and the results will be announced on the Foundation’s website (www.shengyen.org.tw).
6. Grantee’s Rights and Responsibilities:
(1) Grantees shall complete their dissertations and graduate within the maximum period of study, as set by their respective universities. If a grantee is unable to complete their degree within that time, the grantee must provide a written explanation to the Foundation. If such grantee fails to provide a written explanation, the Foundation will not make payment on any remaining grant balance, and may recover any portion already awarded to the grantee.
(2) Grantees must certify that the submitted application and attached documents are true and correct, that they are the author of the dissertation, and that the content of the dissertation does not violate academic ethics or copyright regulations (e.g., plagiarism). Failing such certification, the Foundation has the right to retract the grant and recover any portion of the grant already awarded to the grantee.
(3) Grantees must inform the Foundation of any changes to their research proposal. If grantees fail to report such changes, the Foundation reserves the right to retract the grant and recover any portion of the grant already awarded to the grantee.
(4) When the dissertation supported by this grant is completed and published, the publication should state that the dissertation was supported by the Foundation’s grant. In addition, the grantee must submit an electronic copy of the completed dissertation to the Foundation.
(5) Upon completion of their dissertation, grantees must attend conferences held by the Foundation and present their dissertation and research.
These rules are formally submitted by the Sheng Yen Center for Chinese Buddhist Studies, and are effective upon approval by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The same procedures are required to implement future amendments.