2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

highlighting the contributions that the humanities and social sciences may make to the cause of social reform. The first stage of the plan (2016- 2018) provided total funding of approximately NT$63.8 million to seven projects, and the cooperating local governments have consisted of the governments of Penghu County, Keelung City, Hsinchu, Miaoli County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, and Pingtung county. This collaborative mode l has success f u l l y b r ough t t oge t he r universities and local government, and led to the creation of an interregional cultural development collaboration mechanism characterized by public- private cooperation and fusion. Looking ahead to the future, the plan will seek to foster and sustain structured collaboration and research that also focuses on universities' academic and practical objectives, while also proposing tangible and feasible short-/mid-/long-term improvement recommendations based on the state of local cultural development in relevant areas to serve as a reference for the planning and implementation of local cultural and interregional management policies. c. Promotion of Research in Cognitive Neuroscience After beginning from the acquisition of brain imaging instruments, MOST's promotion of research on cognitive neuroscience has encouraged scholars of the humanities and social sciences to embark on new areas of research via different routes via the "Research Projects in Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Imaging." The brain imaging instruments needed for these projects are now all in service. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has an average use rate of 83%, and magnetoencepalography (MEG), which entered service relatively late, has had a gradually increasing use rate, which reached approximately 51% during the second half of 2016. With regard to the key issues proposed in the "Research Projects in Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Imaging," the first stage of projects had wide- ranging topics intended to plant the seeds of brain research in the humanities and social sciences. In contrast, the second stage is focusing on the establishment of distinctive domestic focal topics in brain imaging research and cognitive science: "Investigation of the relationship between cognitive functioning and brain function in the context of sociocultural and individual traits," and encouraging the formation of interdisciplinary research teams. Funding was provided to 25 projects during the first year of the second stage of the Research Projects in Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Imaging, of which 5 are integrated research projects. A project results announcement meeting was held on October 15, 2016, and a total of 31 research results were shared at this event. (3) Compilation of databases a. Child Development Database This project's goal is to establish a comprehensive long-term child development tracking database for Taiwan with contemporary and local cultural significance. The purpose of this database is to provide a better understanding of the health, cognitive/language, social and emotional, and physical activity development of children in Taiwan from birth to the age of eight, as well as the status and experience of the children's families and childcare environment. The database will examine long-term influences on child development, and provide a reference to help the government draft child health, welfare, family, childcare, and early health intervention policies. The research subjects consist of two groups of children with ages of 3 months and 3 years respectively. The project uses household registration data for Taiwan as a sampling frame, and employs a two-stage sampling method. After first taking small towns/townships and urban districts as sampling units, the project then selects individuals to serve as subjects. Data is collected via questionnaires aimed at parents, relatives, and childcare personnel, and data types consist of child development assessments, visits with the children, and observations at childcare organizations. The first stage of the project is currently underway; development of 0-6 year-old child questionnaire, development of sample management platform and online version of the questionnaire, establishment o f a n i n f o rma t i o n s e c u r i t y s y s t em , a n d establishment of a dedicated project website have been completed, and nationwide data collection via interviews has begun. b. Taiwan Database for Empirical Legal Studies Eleven years have gone by since the Taiwan Database for Empirical Legal Studies was first established in 2006. The database currently contains a "statistical database for the Japanese colonial period," "legal document database," "legal image database," "legal image and audiovisual database," "legal and social change database," and Support for Academic Research Ministry of Science and Technology 43