Funding, News and Announcements

Meta is pleased to invite university faculty to the 2022 Controls That Matter and Considering Everyone: High-Realism VR Avatars in Virtual Work Settings request for proposals.

In keeping with Meta’s Responsible Innovation principles “Never Surprise People,” “Provide Controls That Matter,” “Put People First,” and “Consider Everyone,” the Reality Labs research team in Pittsburgh is seeking case studies and examples related to the following topics:

1. how teams build controls that preserve future user agency over their data, such as the realistic avatar itself and information from headset cameras and other input used to pilot the avatar;
2. how teams explain to future users when the social signal (e.g., gestures, facial expressions, etc.) the VR system is conveying might not be accurate; and
3. how to improve the VR community’s access to tactical guidance about how to responsibly build in these spaces using existing frameworks and theoretical research.

A total of up to 8 awards are available, with a maximum value of $75,000 USD each.

Eligibility for all calls:

• Proposals must comply with applicable U.S. and international laws, regulations, and policies;
• Applicants must be current full-time faculty at an accredited academic institution that awards research degrees to PhD students;
• Applicants must be the Principal Investigator on any resulting award;
• Meta cannot consider proposals submitted, prepared or to be carried out by individuals residing in, or affiliated with an academic institution located in, a country or territory subject to comprehensive U.S. trade sanctions; and
• Government officials, political figures, and politically affiliated businesses (all as determined by Meta in its sole discretion) are not eligible.

Launch date: February 22, 2022

For more information, you can access the full call, here. 

Deadlines

Internal: March 24, 2022 at 4:30pm. If interested in this opportunity, contact ird@dal.ca. Also click here for guidance on internal deadlines and submission processes.

Funder: March 31, 2022 at 5pm AOE.