Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, NARLabs.

Industry-academia Collaboration Project

Article 1：

Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as TSRI), an entity under the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs), formulates these guidelines to enhance the effectiveness of TSRI's services.

Article 2：

In these guidelines, the term commissioned project refers to collaborative research, technical services, and educational training conducted at the request of non-governmental and governmental institutions (entities) other than the National Science and Technology Council of the Executive Yuan. It encompasses four categories, including Contract Manufacturing-Type Commissioned Projects, Service-Type Commissioned Projects, Tender-Type Commissioned Projects, and Cooperative Research-Type Commissioned Projects.

Contract Manufacturing-Type Commissioned Projects (Simple Quotation)：

For projects with a total budget ranging from NT$300,000 to NT$1,000,000, the principal investigator may allocate 40% of the total budget to material expenses and labor costs.
For projects exceeding NT$1,000,000, the principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to material expenses and labor costs.

Service-Type Commissioned Projects：

For projects with a total budget of NT$100,000 or more, the principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to labor costs, material expenses, business expenses, and foreign travel expenses. The foreign travel expenses must not exceed 10% of the total budget.
For projects with a total budget not exceeding NT$100,000, the principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to labor costs, material expenses, and business expenses.

Tender-Type Commissioned Projects, Government Procurement, Research Procurement, and General Procurement:

The principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to labor costs, material expenses, business expenses, and equipment and instrument expenses.
If the bidding unit has specified different funding allocation thresholds or ratios, the principal investigator should provide an explanation in advance to the Project Review Committee and allocate relevant expenses accordingly.

Cooperative Research-Type Commissioned Projects：

For projects with a total budget of NT$100,000 or more, the principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to labor costs, material expenses, business expenses, equipment and instrument expenses, and foreign travel expenses. The foreign travel expenses must not exceed 10% of the total budget.
For projects with a total budget not exceeding NT$100,000, the principal investigator may allocate 50% of the total budget to labor costs, material expenses, and business expenses.

Governmental (Entity) Projects：To be conducted in accordance with approved funding and relevant regulations.

Article 3：

TSRI shall handle the funding for commissioned projects through a collecting and disbursing approach, following the provisions of these guidelines and relevant laws and regulations.

Article 4：

The related rights and interests regarding the application, review, fund allocation, and project execution of commissioned projects shall be handled in accordance with the following provisions：

The principal investigator may proceed with the project only after submitting it in accordance with the attached presentation format outlined in these guidelines and obtaining approval from TSRI's commissioned project review committee or the executive meeting.

The funding allocated for commissioned projects shall be sufficient to cover the expenses required for the execution of the project at TSRI. The budget items and allocation principles are explained as follows：

Research Personnel Expenses：
- This category primarily covers research assistant fees for master's and doctoral students. Students at all levels participating in the project are entitled to stipends according to the subsidy standards for research projects set by the National Science and Technology Council of the Executive Yuan.
- For personnel participating in cooperative research-type commissioned projects at TSRI, each individual may lead a maximum of two projects. Principal investigator, co-principal investigators, and co-leaders are authorized to allocate project leadership fees.
- Principal investigators may allocate personnel costs based on the degree of involvement of internal personnel and non-official working hours, provided that the total stipends and performance bonuses received do not exceed three months' salary. Additionally, they must not report working hours, apply for overtime pay, or request compensatory time off due to the execution of the project.
- Full-time experts, researchers, and specialized technical personnel hired on short-term contracts shall be compensated based on their education and experience, in accordance with the salary standard for equivalent positions at TSRI or the full-time assistant salary standard set by the National Science and Technology Council of the Executive Yuan.
- Hourly fees for internal and external guest lecturers shall adhere to the hourly fee standards for part-time university faculty members at the corresponding ranks. For external guest lecturers, adjustment of hourly fees may be considered, provided it does not exceed twice the standard fee.
- The compensation for principal investigators and assisting researchers engaged in research projects related to international cooperation or significant national development is not subject to the constraints outlined in these guidelines.
Material Expenses：
Any consumable equipment, chemical substances, or computer data storage media required for the execution of research projects.
Operating Expenses：
All expenses required for the execution of research projects, including full-time assistant fees, questionnaire survey costs, instrument installation insurance and transportation expenses, instrument maintenance costs, printing and photocopying fees, stationery, paper, postage and telecommunications fees, data retrieval fees, domestic and international travel expenses, registration fees for domestic and international seminars, accident insurance premiums (applicable only to projects with hazardous research nature, coverage limited to a subsidy of up to NTD 4 millions), publication fees (related expenses for publishing in foreign academic journals), expert consultation fees or attendance fees, instrument or computer software rental fees, outsourcing to external entities for subcontracting (costs associated with equipment or software usage), and internet usage fees.
Equipment Procurement Fees：
Acquisition of the necessary equipment for the execution of the project.
Equipment Usage Fees：
Including the operating and usage fees generated by the TSRI's owned equipment during the project execution. The total of this item, along with management fees, must amount to at least fifty percent (50%) of the total project budget.
Management Fees：
Administrative expenses required for project execution. The allocation for this item must account for at least twenty percent (20%) of the total project budget.

Notes on Rights and Interests Attribution for Commissioned Projects：

The ownership of equipment and the right to use the equipment procured using project funds after the project concludes should be negotiated with the contracting party in advance and clearly defined in the contract.
If the contracting party requests exclusive intellectual property rights, the management fees shall be set at no less than thirty percent (30%).

Other Considerations：

The total number of full-time personnel hired for commissioned projects at the Institute should not exceed one-fourth (1/4) of TSRI's total research personnel.
If the project involves hiring university students to assist with the execution, the consent from the graduate’s advisor should be obtained.
For projects undertaken by TSRI involve hiring full-time personnel, their employment period must not exceed the project execution period. If there are subsequent related projects that require renewal of employment contract, approval from the Personnel Selection Committee is required.
If the usage fees for the equipment and facilities listed in the project exceed the originally estimated amount, the principal investigator must provide an explanation for expanding usage fee allocation during the executive board meeting.
In order to encourage pioneering and specialized research, TSRI may engage in advance consultations with the contracting party to carry out projects through collaborative commissioned research. In such cases, a portion of research resources may be provided by the TSRI within its budget. The hardware, software facilities, time, and other resources invested by TSRI shall be converted into equivalent government sponsorship costs. These costs, along with the jointly invested research funds from TSRI, shall serve as a reference for determining the proportion of intellectual property rights sharing in the project outcomes between the two parties.

Article 5：

For any matters not explicitly addressed herein, they shall be handled in accordance with the management guidelines for commissioned projects stipulated by National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) or other relevant provisions.

Article 6：

These operational guidelines shall take effect from the date of announcement after approval by the Director.

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Ms.Chen．TEL：+886-3-5773693 ext. 7614