HCIL Service Grants
Congratulations to our Awardees:
Forum One Communications: Backyard Jungle User Experience Review
The Institute for End User Computing, Inc: End User Computing Survey
Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies, University of Maryland: Making Lesson Plans Accessible to Teachers
REQUEST FOR SMALL SERVICE GRANT PROPOSALS
HCIL is currently reviewing proposals for small service grants. We are interested in offering our expertise for free for projects that would help improve an organization's day-to-day functioning while taking advantage of our strengths. Our goal is to take on a project that would be interesting for us and good for the world-at-large. HCIL's effort level will vary depending on the project, however we want to use the resources we have to do something outside our usual endeavors.
BACKGROUND
The Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) at the University of Maryland conducts research on advanced user interfaces and their development processes. Interdisciplinary research teams study the entire technology development life-cycle which includes the initial technology design, implementation issues, and evaluation of user performance. Through this work we have developed new theories, methodologies, and technologies.
Our current work includes new approaches to: information visualization, interfaces for digital libraries, multimedia resources for learning communities, zooming user interfaces (ZUIs), technology design methods with and for children, and instruments for evaluating user interface technologies.
ELIGIBILITY
HCIL will accept proposals from non-profit organizations, small businesses, schools, libraries or any other organization that could benefit from our work.
PROJECTS
Projects can range from day long lab projects to research projects. Examples include usability support, database creation, improving information access for seniors and/or minorities, improving computer usability in schools, libraries and retirement communities.
Examples of current and past HCIL projects can be found at: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/research/
DEADLINE
Proposals will be accepted until February 15, 2006.
Decisions will be made by March 15, 2006.
Project completion is scheduled for June 2006.
FORMAT
Proposals should consist of a one page description of the project stating the project location, who will benefit from it and estimated time commitment required. In addition, feel free to include relevant brochures, news articles, links to web pages, etc. Proposals should be sent to the HCIL at the address below either by paper or email.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) - added Jan 12, 2006
If it was your content before this project, it remains yours at the end. The HCIL does not ask for any rights to intellectual property that you bring to the project. As for the software, designs and/or study results that we create, that is typically owned by the HCIL who give the client a royalty-free license to use their work. The effect of this arrangement is that your organization is free, without payment, to use the work created by us. At the same time, we are able to reuse whatever we've built (i.e., not content that you've provided) in subsequent projects should we so wish. We do not have the ability to treat any of your IP as confidential.
CONTACT
Kiki Schneider, HCIL
AV Williams Bldg
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-2769
hcil-info@cs.umd.edu
