# Funding Statement Guide

Used by `intake_agent`, `formatter_agent`, and `draft_writer_agent`.

## Overview

A funding statement is a mandatory declaration in academic papers. Whether or not the research received funding, it must be clearly stated. Most journals require funding information at submission and include a formal statement in the manuscript. This guide covers format standards for major funding agencies in Taiwan and internationally, statement templates, and the distinction from COI statements.

---

## Taiwan Funding Agency Formats

### 1. NSTC (National Science and Technology Council)

**Predecessor**: MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology), reorganized into NSTC in July 2022.

**Grant Number Format**: `NSTC [Year]-[Discipline Code]-[Category]-[Serial Number]-[Sub-project]`

| Field | Description | Example |
|------|------|------|
| Year | ROC year, 3 digits | 113 |
| Discipline Code | Discipline classification code | 2410 (Education) |
| Category | Grant type | H (Research Project) |
| Serial Number | Application sequence number | 001 |
| Sub-project | Sub-project (if applicable) | MY2 (Multi-year, Year 2) |

**Common Discipline Codes** (Higher Education research related):

| Code | Discipline |
|------|------|
| 2410 | Education |
| 2420 | Psychology |
| 2422 | Management |
| 2418 | Sociology |

**English Format Example**:
```
This work was supported by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan
(Grant No. NSTC 113-2410-H-003-001).
```

**Chinese Format Example**:
```
This research was supported by a research project grant from the National Science and
Technology Council (Grant No.: NSTC 113-2410-H-003-001). We hereby express our gratitude.
```

**Notes**:
- Grants before July 2022 use MOST numbers (e.g., MOST 110-2410-H-003-001); retain the original number when citing
- Multi-year grants should indicate the year (e.g., MY2 for Year 2)
- When a single paper involves multiple grants, list them in order of significance

### 2. MOE (Ministry of Education)

**Common Grant Types**:

| Grant | English Name | Number Format |
|------|---------|---------|
| Higher Education Sprout Project | Higher Education Sprout Project | MOE-[Year]-S-[Institution Code] |
| Teaching Practice Research Program | Teaching Practice Research Program | PBM[Year][Serial] |
| University Social Responsibility Project (USR) | University Social Responsibility Project | MOE-USR-[Year]-[Serial] |
| Yushan Scholar Program | Yushan Scholar Program | -- |
| Study Abroad Programs | Study Abroad Programs | -- |

**English Format Example**:
```
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, through the
Higher Education Sprout Project (Grant No. MOE-113-S-0023).
```

**Chinese Format Example**:
```
This research was supported by the Ministry of Education Higher Education Sprout Project
(Grant No.: MOE-113-S-0023). We hereby express our gratitude.
```

### 3. Institutional Grants

**Common Types**:

| Grant Type | Description |
|---------|------|
| Institutional Research Development Fund | Internal grants managed by the Office of Research and Development |
| Teaching Research Grant | Grants from the Office of Academic Affairs or Center for Teaching Development |
| New Faculty Research Grant | Startup funding for newly hired faculty |
| Interdisciplinary Research Grant | Encouraging cross-college/department collaboration |

**English Format Example**:
```
This work was supported by a research grant from [University Name]
(Grant No. [Institutional Number]).
```

**Chinese Format Example**:
```
This research was supported by an internal research grant from [University Name]
(Grant No.: [Institutional Number]). We hereby express our gratitude.
```

---

## International Funding Agency Formats

### Major International Funding Agencies

| Agency | Full Name | Country | Format Example |
|------|------|------|---------|
| **NSF** | National Science Foundation | USA | NSF Award No. 2345678 |
| **NIH** | National Institutes of Health | USA | NIH Grant R01-GM123456 |
| **ERC** | European Research Council | EU | ERC Grant Agreement No. 123456 |
| **JSPS** | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science | Japan | JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. JP12345678 |
| **ARC** | Australian Research Council | Australia | ARC Discovery Project DP230101234 |
| **ESRC** | Economic and Social Research Council | UK | ESRC Grant ES/V012345/1 |
| **DFG** | Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft | Germany | DFG Project No. 123456789 |
| **SSHRC** | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | Canada | SSHRC Grant 123-2024-1234 |

### International Format Examples

**NSF**:
```
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. 2345678. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
```

**ERC**:
```
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC)
under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant Agreement No. 123456).
```

**JSPS**:
```
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP12345678.
```

**Note**: Some funding agencies (especially NSF) have specific disclaimer requirements that must be quoted verbatim.

---

## Statement Templates

### Funded (Single Source)

**English**:
```
Funding: This work was supported by the [Funder Full Name] [Grant Type]
(Grant No. [Number]).
```

**Chinese**:
```
Funding: This research was supported by the [Funder Full Name] [Grant Type]
(Grant No.: [Number]). We hereby express our gratitude.
```

### Funded (Multiple Sources)

**English**:
```
Funding: This work was supported by the [Funder 1] (Grant No. [Number 1]);
the [Funder 2] (Grant No. [Number 2]); and the [Funder 3] (Grant No. [Number 3]).
```

**Chinese**:
```
Funding: This research was supported by the following grants:
(1) [Funder 1] (Grant No.: [Number 1]);
(2) [Funder 2] (Grant No.: [Number 2]);
(3) [Funder 3] (Grant No.: [Number 3]).
We hereby express our gratitude.
```

### No Funding

**English**:
```
Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in
the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
```

**Chinese**:
```
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from public,
commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies.
```

### Partial Funding

**English**:
```
Funding: This work was partially supported by the [Funder] (Grant No. [Number]).
The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision
to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
```

**Chinese**:
```
Funding: This research was partially supported by [Funder] (Grant No.: [Number]).
The funder had no involvement in the design, data collection and analysis,
publication decision, or manuscript preparation of this research.
```

---

## Distinction from COI Statement

Funding statement and Conflict of Interest (COI) statement are **two separate declarations** that must not be conflated:

| Comparison Item | Funding Statement | COI Statement |
|---------|------------------|---------------|
| **Purpose** | Disclose research funding sources | Disclose interests that could affect research objectivity |
| **Content** | Funder name, grant number, funder role | Financial interests, consulting relationships, equity, patents, etc. |
| **When None Exist** | Still must declare "no funding" | Still must declare "no conflicts of interest" |
| **Journal Location** | Usually before or after acknowledgments | Usually before or after acknowledgments |
| **Disclosure Scope** | Only covers direct funding for this research | Covers all relationships that could affect objectivity |

### COI Statement Templates

**No Conflict of Interest** (English):
```
Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.
```

**No Conflict of Interest** (Chinese):
```
Declaration of Interest: All authors declare that, with respect to the research
reported in this paper, there are no known competing financial interests or
personal relationships.
```

**Conflict of Interest Exists** (English):
```
Declaration of Interest: [Author Name] has received research grants from
[Organization] and serves as a consultant for [Company]. The remaining
authors declare no competing interests.
```

---

## Common Journal Format Requirements

### By Publisher

| Publisher | Location | Format Requirements |
|--------|------|---------|
| **Elsevier** | Separate "Funding" section | Funder name + grant number; use the submission system's funding form |
| **Springer Nature** | Under "Declarations" section | Contains sub-sections for Funding + COI + Ethics, etc. |
| **Wiley** | "Acknowledgments" or separate section | Varies by journal |
| **Taylor & Francis** | "Funding" or "Disclosure statement" | Funder name + grant number |
| **PLOS** | Submission system + manuscript | Enter individually in submission system; must also include in manuscript |
| **MDPI** | Separate "Funding" section | Located after "Author Contributions" |

### By Major Higher Education Journals

| Journal | Format |
|------|------|
| *Higher Education* | Springer "Declarations" format |
| *Studies in Higher Education* | Taylor & Francis "Disclosure statement" |
| *Research in Higher Education* | Springer "Declarations" format |
| *Quality in Higher Education* | Taylor & Francis "Disclosure statement" |
| Journal of Research in Education Sciences (Jiao Yu Ke Xue Yan Jiu Qi Kan) | Chinese format, stated in the acknowledgments section |
| Higher Education Review (Gao Deng Jiao Yu) | Chinese format, stated in the acknowledgments section |

---

## Taiwan-Specific Requirements

### NSTC Grant Outcome Reporting Requirements

1. **Journal article acknowledgment**: When publishing research outcomes funded by NSTC, the grant number **must** be acknowledged in the paper
2. **Number format evolution**:
   - Before July 2022: `MOST [Year]-[Discipline]-[Category]-[Serial]`
   - After July 2022: `NSTC [Year]-[Discipline]-[Category]-[Serial]`
   - Use the agency name at the time the grant was approved when citing
3. **Both Chinese and English declarations required**: If the paper is in English, use English for the funding statement; if in Chinese, use Chinese
4. **Open Access fees**: If APC is paid from grant funds, some journals require additional explanation

### MOE Grant Requirements

1. Higher Education Sprout Project outcomes must indicate "Ministry of Education Higher Education Sprout Project"
2. Teaching Practice Research Program outcomes must indicate the grant number
3. Some grants require specific labeling formats (per annual announcements)

### Institutional Grants

Regulations vary by institution. Recommendations:
1. Check the Office of Research and Development for acknowledgment format standards
2. Use the full institutional name (including the full English name)
3. Include the institutional grant number

---

## Best Practices

### Funding Statement Writing Checklist

- [ ] All funding sources have been listed (including institutional grants)
- [ ] Grant numbers are correct and complete
- [ ] Funding agencies use their official full names (not abbreviations on first mention)
- [ ] If no funding, explicitly declare "no funding"
- [ ] If the funding agency requires a specific disclaimer, it has been quoted verbatim
- [ ] Funding statement and COI statement are stated separately
- [ ] English papers use English statements; Chinese papers use Chinese statements
- [ ] Multiple funding sources have been ordered by significance or alphabetically
- [ ] Funder names reflect the official name at the time the grant was approved

---

## Reference Resources

- NSTC Research Project Guidelines: https://www.nstc.gov.tw/
- Elsevier funding body agreements: https://www.elsevier.com/about/open-science/open-access/agreements
- CHORUS (Clearinghouse for the Open Research of the United States): https://www.chorusaccess.org/
- Crossref Funder Registry: https://www.crossref.org/services/funder-registry/
