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MEARC Research Grants

General Information

MEARC's aim is to strengthen the research on Modern East Asia at Leiden University. MEARC does this by the following programs:

  • Visiting lecturers program
  • Research seminars and lecture series
  • Supporting researchers in the participation and organisation of workshops and conferences
  • Writing-up grants for PhD graduates who wish to prepare their manuscripts for publication

MEARC also strives for a better integration between Area Studies (focusing on a geographical area) and disciplines (such as History, Politics, Philosophy etc). It does this by:

  • Leiden Conferences on Regions and Theories
  • Publications of Working Papers on Areas and Disciplines and production of feature editions of journals in both Area Studies and Disciplines
  • Regular seminar series that bring area studies and discipline-based scholars together

Application Procedure

At the moment, MEARC offers grants for the organisation of and participation in workshops and conferences to individual researchers who are able to contribute to the purpose of MEARC.

Important Information

  1. All grants are tied to tangible outcomes - the recipient has to explain what the eventual outcome of the activity will be.
  2. Grantees have to submit a written report to the centre at the end of their grant period. When publishing the outcomes the support of MEARC has to be acknowledged.
  3. The centre should normally have the first right of refusal for all publications supported by the centre.
  4. Subsidies are normally given only up to 33% (for organization of events such as workshops and conferences) and 50% (for participation in workshops and conferences organized by others) of the needed amount of money. The subsidy has to be matched with funds from other sources.

Applicants should apply directly to MEARC:

The Modern East Asia Research Centre
Leiden University
Arsenaalstraat 1
PO Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands

Email: info@mearc.eu

All applications must include the following items:

  1. A summary of the proposed project
  2. A detailed itemized budget (The sum needs to be supplemented by matching funds, please include this information in the budget)
  3. CV of the applicant (and all workshop organisers) including a list of publications

Deadlines

The deadlines for applications for grants subsidizing the participation in conferences and workshops are normally March 31 and September 30 of each year.

News

In the fall of 2007 MEARC and the Taiwanese Ministry of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding to stimulate research on Taiwan in the Netherlands and Europe in a comparative East Asian perspective. With the Taiwanese Ministry of Education's Bureau of International and Educational Relations (BICER) generous support MEARC is able to give researchers working in the disciplines of politics, history and philosophy, with a regional focus on Taiwan, various forms of research funding.

At the moment we offer a yearly Writing up grant to a recent PhD graduate , we are working on building a European Network of Young Taiwan Scholars, we subsidise a visiting professor and we expand Leiden's unique collection of publications on East Asia, with journals and books on Taiwan in particular. Also, we award 'Faculty Research Grants for Taiwan Studies' twice a year to recent PhDs to carry out field research in Taiwan.

Writing-up Grant

Dr. Yih-jye Hwang was the first to receive the Writing up Grant on 'Taiwan in Comparative East Asian Perspective' and it was made possible with the support of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education. Dr Hwang holds a PhD degree (Category A) in International Politics from the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, Wales. During his one year stay in Leiden, Dr. Hwang is transforming his PhD thesis 'The Birth of the 'Taiwanese': A Discursive Constitution of the 'Taiwanese' as a National Identity' into a book.

Call for Applications

MEARC invites recent PhD-graduates to apply to the second Writing Up Grant. This grant is meant for scholars who have focused on the study of Taiwan in Comparative East Asian Perspective, in the disciplines of politics, history or philosophy. Grant receivers are supposed to transform their dissertation into a book during a period of twelve consecutive months, in which they are to live in Leiden. The application deadline is 15 January 2009. For detailed information about the application procedure, please read more here (PDF).

Faculty Research Grants

The first winners of these 'Faculty Research Grants' were Dr. Winnie King of the University of Bristol. Dr. King went to Taiwan in March of this year to work on her project 'Civil Society, Social Networks and Informal Institutions'. Another winner was Dr. Melody Lu who received her PhD degree from Leiden University in May of 2008. Dr. Lu's fieldwork in Taiwan, during which she collected more data for her research on 'The Politics of Immigration Policy and Border Control in Taiwan and South Korea' was conducted in July 2008.

Call for Applications

MEARC is calling for new applications for two newly offered Faculty Research Grants. The two currently offered scholarships are to facilitate field research conducted in Taiwan. Scholarship receivers are expected to focus on the study of Taiwan in Comparative East Asian Perspective. The application deadline is 15 January 2009. Please read more about the application procedure here (PDF).

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