XR Collaboratory Prototyping Grant

Update Dec 14, 2023: The XR Collaboratory Prototyping Grant recipients have been selected:

  • François Guimbretière, Professor, Cornell University

  • Thijs Roumen, Assistant Professor, Cornell Tech

As the number of projects utilizing virtual and augmented reality (XR) continues to increase in academia, more researchers are faced with the challenge of creating XR prototypes that can be easily maintained and applied across different research projects. 

The XR Collaboratory Prototyping Grant is meant to support Cornell faculty and their graduate students in the development of XR applications for research purposes. The grant provides resources to the recipients for applying best practices when building high-fidelity 3D user interface (3DUI) prototypes. The grant aims to achieve this objective by providing both monetary support and technical guidance. The grant will:

  1. Provide funds to support 50% of total costs (stipend, tuition, and insurance) for one graduate research assistant (GRA) during Spring semester 2024. The amount will be based on AY23/24 rates for graduate student stipend, tuition, and health insurance coverage; award amount will be determined based on Cornell campus location.

  2. Provide technical guidance through recurring meetings with XR Collaboratory

  3. Provide access to XR Collaboratory’s internal package repository

Teams that have prior experience in building AR/VR/3DUI prototypes are especially encouraged to apply.

Example scenarios:

  • The team is working on several 3DUI prototypes with overlapping features and would like to create modules that can be shared across different projects

  • The team has existing prototypes and code base, but would like to refactor their work with maintainability and modularity in mind

  • The team is working towards a user study for a 3DUI-related research project and is looking for ways to improve the iterative process between implementation and evaluation stages

Eligibility

Applicants must be faculty members at Cornell. This grant is open to Cornell faculty members from all campuses.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals should include the following information:

  1. Name and affiliation of faculty member leading the project and graduate student to be supported

  2. Summary of the project and its AR/VR/3DUI component

  3. Expected project outcome/status at the end of Spring semester 2024

  4. Description of technology stack (hardware and software)

  5. Related or relevant research completed by the team to date

  6. Confirmation that the faculty will contribute the remaining 50% of the Spring 2024 GRA

The proposal should be no more than two pages, submitted as a PDF file via submission form linked below.

Selection Criteria

  • What impact will this grant have on the project?

  • How important is a 3DUI prototype for the overall project?

  • Has the team previously implemented 3DUI prototypes for research or developed AR/VR applications?

Award(s)

Up to two proposals will be awarded grants. Each grant will be equal to 50% of total costs (stipend, tuition and insurance) for one graduate research assistant (GRA) student during Spring semester 2024. It is required that the faculty has funding to support the named student for the remaining 50%. The grants must be used during Spring semester 2024.

Submission Schedule & Questions

Submit proposals (PDF format) here:

Proposals are due by November 28, 2023, 5pm ET

Selections will be announced on December 14, 2023. Subsequent to submission, proposers may be asked follow-up questions or clarifications during the review process.

Questions can be submitted to Harald Haraldsson, Director, XR Collaboratory, here 

About XR Collaboratory

The XR Collaboratory at Cornell accelerates activities in augmented and virtual reality through course offerings, projects, and cross-campus collaborations. Our primary interests are in 3D user interfaces and interaction design for head-mounted displays. We build high-fidelity prototypes with our students through projects and coursework, and collaborate with Cornell faculty on exploratory AR/VR-related research across disciplines such as computer vision, computer graphics, and human-computer interaction.