Subject: NSTC is soliciting proposals for the 2026 "Key Technology R&D and Field Application Project for Smart Robots." Applications are open from now until February 23, 2026 (internal deadline is February 23, 2026).

Notes:
I. To align with the policy direction of the "Smart Robot Industry Promotion Plan," this project is being planned and promoted. Applicant organizations and project leaders must carefully read this project solicitation announcement (attached). Key points for application are summarized below:

(I) Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A cross-disciplinary research team integrating hardware and software should be formed, composed of scholars from AI, computer science, electrical engineering, control engineering, mechanical engineering, and other related fields of smart robots, with at least one scholar specializing in the application field serving as co-leader.

(II) Industry-Academia Collaboration: Technical partners and application developers must be invited to participate in the collaboration to assist in the implementation of industrial applications. Please attach a letter of intent from partner companies to participate in the project with your proposal, and please ensure substantial participation from partner companies. (III) International Cooperation: International cooperation with representative academic or industry institutions is encouraged to leverage international R&D capabilities.

(IV) The focus is on developing service robot systems capable of autonomous movement and task execution in real-world scenarios, primarily in catering, hospitality, healthcare, logistics inspection, and disaster relief. AI-driven key technology development will be implemented, with research findings applied to industry and social welfare.

(V) This project has a rigorous evaluation and exit mechanism to eliminate teams with poor performance. Furthermore, the NSTC may, based on review results, merge project teams, adjust team members, or modify project funding and implementation content.

II. Applicant institutions, project leaders, and co-leaders must comply with the relevant regulations of the National Science Council's Subsidized Special Research Project Operation Guidelines. Each project leader may apply for only one project under this project.

III. Applications for projects that do not receive funding under this project will not be accepted. IV. This project will be fully implemented through online application. All application forms must be created through the "Academic Research and Development Service Network" on the NSTC website (https://www.nstc.gov.tw). When applying online, please select "Special Topic Research Project" under "Application Project"; under "Special Topic - On-Demand Projects", select "General Strategy Project", choose "Integrated Project" for research type, "Engineering Department" for project affiliation, and "E9848 Forward-Looking Robotics Module and System Integration" for academic discipline code.

V. Contact Person for this Project:

(a) For questions regarding the project content, please contact Researcher Tsu Ching-Chun, Engineering Department, NSTC, Tel: (02) 2737-7527, e-mail: cctu@nstc.gov.tw. (ii) For questions regarding the use and operation of the online application system, please contact the NSTC Information System Service Hotline: (02) 2737-7590, 7591, 7592, e-mail: misservice@nstc.gov.tw.