Yu Ying-shih, the recipient of the first-ever Tang Prize in Sinology and a professor emeritus of Chinese studies of Princeton University

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) A new fellowship established with funds donated by Yu Ying-shih, the recipient of the first-ever Tang Prize in Sinology and a professor emeritus of Chinese studies of Princeton University, has begun accepting applications.

Yu donated his NT$10 million cash prize from the Tang Prize to the establishment of the "Yu Ying-shih Fellowship for the Humanities" to support promising researchers and scholars in the humanities fields with the financial assistance needed to complete dissertations and other academic works, according to the Tang Prize Education Foundation.

The focus of the fellowship is research on various fields of humanities and sinology, including history, linguistics, archaeology, philosophy, religion, classical studies, literary studies, and the arts.

Young scholars under the age of 45 in any of the recognized fields engaged in the writing of a doctoral thesis or academic publication are eligible to apply for the fellowship, which will be awarded to six recipients each year.

There will be three recipients of the Academic Publication Scholarship, worth NT$360,000 (US$11,030) each, and three who will be given the Dissertation Scholarship, worth NT$240,000 each.

The application deadline for the 2015 fellowship falls on Aug. 31. Any student or writer engaged in a dissertation or big academic writing project are encouraged to apply, the foundation said.

Detailed information is available on the website of the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica, which is in charge of awarding the fellowship.

The biennial Tang Prize was established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin (尹衍樑) to honor top researchers and leaders in four fields -- sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology and rule of law. The first award ceremony was held in Taipei last September.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)
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