The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) yesterday announced that it would terminate funding for a research project and recover previously disbursed subsidies after investigators found that student athletes had been inappropriately compelled to provide blood samples.
The project was cohosted by former National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) women’s soccer coach Chou Tai-ying (周台英), who allegedly forced players to participate in research between 2019 and last year.
Chou allegedly threatened students with the loss of graduation credits if they refused.
Photo: CNA
The NSTC said it would recover previously allocated subsidies of NT$2.46 million (US$81,725) from NTNU and NT$800,000 from National Central University and reduce NTNU’s annual management fee ratio by 2 percent, or about NT$9 million.
Chou and fellow project leader Chen Chung-ching (陳忠慶) have also been suspended from council-funded projects for five and four years respectively, it added.
They would not be permitted to apply for subsidies or grants, or to carry out any research projects under the council, it said.
The case came to light after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) exposed the incident in November last year, prompting the council to ask NTNU to launch an investigation.
An ad hoc group was formed a month later, which initiated a review of potential breach of academic ethics in July, it said.
The council also set up an interdepartmental task force with the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to investigate whether similar cases exist in sports or research involving human participants, it said.
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