University College London
Applications closed
Facebook Testing and Verification request for proposals 2019
About
We are at an exciting time in the history of the development of Software Testing and Verification (TAV). Research is increasingly impacting the Tech Sector, with many recent examples of breakthroughs, deployment and adoption. Facebook is playing its own role in the deployment and further development of TAV research with initiatives such as Infer, Sapienz, and Zoncolan, which are well known, but Tech Sector as a whole is also actively working on deployment and development of TAV research.
To recognize and further re-enforce this trend Facebook launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2018. The call, for research in Software Testing and Verification, received 141 submissions and deployed approximately $250k in awards. The quality of submissions was very high, thereby encouraging and allowing us to extend the finding available for this year’s RFP.
To foster further innovation in these topics, and to deepen our collaboration with academia, Facebook is pleased to invite faculty and graduate students to respond to this call for research proposals pertaining to the aforementioned topics. We anticipate awarding a total of up to 10 awards, each of up to $50,000. Payment will be made to the proposer’s host university as an unrestricted gift.
Award Recipients
University of Minnesota
Mattia Fazzini
University of Salerno
Filomena Ferrucci
University of Passau
Gordon Fraser
UC Davis
Cindy Rubio Gonzalez
University of Sheffield
Philip McMinn
Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil
Breno Alexandro Ferreira de Miranda
University of Luxembourg
Mike Papadakis
University of Edinburgh
Ajitha Rajan
State University of New York — University at Buffalo
Weihang Wang
Applications Are Currently CLosed
Application Timeline
Notifications will be sent by email to selected applicants by September 30th, 2019.
Launch Date
May 29, 2019
Deadline
July 26, 2019
Winners Announced
September 30, 2019
Areas of Interest
We are interested in proposals that tackle any topics on testing and verification that have potential to have profound impact on the tech sector, based on advances on the theory and practice of testing and verification. In particular, we welcome proposals that tackle the following:
- Test Flakiness. This includes, but is not limited to, proposals for measuring, reducing, managing and coping better with flakiness; re-formulations of previously proposed testing approaches, e.g. in regression testing, test generation, oracles, etc, that are aware of (or less susceptible to) unavoidable flakiness; theories and techniques for ameliorating the harmful impact of test flakiness.
- Pay-as-you-go Verification. Usually, verification techniques are all or nothing: one gets value only after having specified dependencies and constructed a proof. Ideally, one should get value from verification activities proportional to the effort put in in a way that allows the ideal of fully proven code to be approximated and improved steadily, with measurable value.
Requirements
Proposals should include
- A summary of the project (1-2 pages) explaining the area of focus, a description of techniques, any relevant prior work, and a timeline with milestones and expected outcomes.
- A draft budget description (1 page) including an approximate cost of the award and explanation of how funds would be spent
- Curriculum Vitae for all project participants.
- Organization details; this will include tax information and administrative contact details
Eligibility
- Awards must comply with applicable US 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you typically limit the salary of the PI in the gift?
Most of the RFP awards are an unrestricted gift. Because of its nature, salary/headcount could be included as part of the budget presented for the RFP. Since the award/gift is paid to the university, they will be able to allocate the funds to that winning project and have the freedom to use as they need. All Facebook teams are different and have different expectations concerning deliverables, timing, etc. Long story short – yes, money for salary/headcount can be included. It’s up to the reviewing team to determine if the percentage spend is reasonable and how that relates to the decision if the project is a winner or not.
- Should the proposal be double- or single-spaced? Is there any required/expected font?
We are flexible, but ideally proposals submitted are single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font.
- What is the award cycle or when does the funding year begin and end?
Research awards are given year-round and funding years/duration can vary by proposal.
- Can award funds be used to cover a researcher's summer salary while conducting research?
Yes, award funds can be used to cover a researcher’s salary.
- Can you please explain the budget breakdown in more detail?
Budgets can vary by institution and geography, but overall research funds ideally cover the following: graduate or post-graduate students’ employment/tuition; other research costs (e.g., equipment, laptops, incidental costs); travel associated with the research (conferences, workshops, summits, etc.); overhead for research gifts is limited to 5%.
- We are working as co-PIs and are at the same institution. Is it possible to list both of our names as PI for an RFP proposal?
One person will need to be the primary PI (i.e., the submitter that will receive all email notifications); however, you’ll be given the opportunity to list collaborators/co-PIs in the submission form. Please note in your budget breakdown how the funds should be dispersed amongst PIs.
Terms & Conditions
- By submitting a proposal, you are authorizing Facebook to evaluate the proposal for a potential award, and you agree to the terms herein.
- You agree that Facebook will not be required to treat any part of the proposal as confidential or protected by copyright.
- You agree and acknowledge that personal data submitted with the proposal, including name, mailing address, phone number, and email address of you and other named researchers in the proposal may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used by Facebook for the purposes of administering the website and evaluating the contents of the proposal.
- You acknowledge that neither party is obligated to enter into any business transaction as a result of the proposal submission, Facebook is under no obligation to review or consider the proposal, and neither party acquires any intellectual property rights as a result of submitting the proposal.
- Any feedback you provide to Facebook in the proposal regarding its products or services will not be treated as confidential or protected by copyright, and Facebook is free to use such feedback on an unrestricted basis with no compensation to you.