A tender is hereby opened for the award of 2 Research Grants for collaboration in the research activities of the project Development of immersive content and resources for training modules on Virtual Reality, at the Department of Communication and Art / DigiMedia under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area: Communication Sciences and Technologies

2. Financing Source: The research grant is funded by the University of Aveiro’s own revenues

3. Admission Requirements:

Students enrolled in a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Technologies, computer science or related areas; or Bachelors or Masters in Communication Sciences and Technologies, computer science or related areas (enrolled in non-degree courses integrated in the educational project of the University of Aveiro).

Candidates must have a degree in the areas of Communication Sciences and Technologies, computer science or other related areas.

Candidates should also have adequate knowledge in the development of interactive applications in Unity and Blender, more specifically in 3D immersive environments, privileging practical knowledge and work experience in 3D modelling, 3D optimization for game engines, lighting and material production, interface and UX design, Game Development and Game Theory, as well as the evaluation of Virtual Reality applications in areas such as UX, Usability and Accessibility.

(View Courses at: Courses – University of Aveiro (ua.pt) and Training at UA – Universidade de Aveiro)

The proof of enrolment must be made available until the contract is awarded, and the candidate may attach a declaration of honor to confirm that they meet the requirements for enrolment in an integrated master’s degree, master’s or doctoral program or in a course that does not confer an academic degree.

If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution it must be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th, which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd, and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act.

4. Eligibility: Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph a) of no.1 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute in the wording given by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, and also the provisions of article 9 of the Scientific Research Grant Regulations of the University of Aveiro.

5. Work plan: Within the scope of the project, a short course on the Design of Immersive Environments in Virtual Reality will be developed and will include a total of 15 lessons. Each of the lessons will include practical examples in Virtual Reality of the theoretical concepts presented. These examples will be aggregated into a single application in 3 languages (Portuguese, English and Spanish) which will then be distributed free of charge. The selected fellows will collaborate with the project’s research and development team and each one will be assigned a job and a workstation dedicated to the project.

The work plan comprises the following tasks:

T1: Design and development of content for an alpha version of the application.

T2: Evaluation of the alpha version of the application, as well as the practical examples of each of the 15 classes, regarding UX, Usability and Accessibility.

T3: Design and development of content for a Beta version of the application.

T4: Participation in the organization of dissemination event to be held in Aveiro in 2025.

T5: Process documentation.

6. Applicable legislation and regulations: Research Fellow Statute, as amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28th; Scientific Research Grant Regulation of the University of Aveiro, Regulation No. 292/2020, published in Diário da República No. 61, Series II, of March 26th; Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).

7. Workplace: The work will be carried out at Department of Communication and Art / DigiMedia of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor Rui Manuel de Assunção Raposo and Professor Mário Jorge Rodrigues Martins Vairinhos.

8. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 6 months, starting in December 2024, possibly renewable for a further 3 months, up to the maximum limit of approved funding. Under no circumstances shall it exceed the limits defined in nos. 5 and 6 of article 9, of Regulation no. 292/2020, of February 28th, published in Diário da República, no. 61, Series II, of March 26th (Scientific Research Grant Regulation of the University of Aveiro).

9. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to 990,98€ according to the table of values of monthly maintenance allowances, set out in Appendix III of the Scientific Research Grant Regulation of the University of Aveiro, subject to any updates that may occur and are applicable. The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.

10. Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be the following: a) curriculum vitae assessment, b) interview, with the respective value of a) curriculum vitae assessment (60%), b) interview (40%).

11. Composition of the Selection Jury: Prof. Doutor Rui Manuel de Assunção Raposo (Chair of the Selection Jury), Prof. Doutor Mário Jorge Rodrigues Martins Vairinhos (permanent member), Prof. Doutor Sérgio Rafael Tomé das Neves Eliseu (permanent member), Profª. Doutora Rita Alexandra Silva Oliveira (alternate member) Prof. Doutor Pedro Jorge Couto Cardoso (alternate member).

12. Deadline for applications and how to submit applications: The call is open from October 16, 2024, to October 31, 2024, and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted.

Applications must be formalized by sending a letter of application accompanied by the following documents: Curriculum Vitae, certificate of qualifications, declaration of honor and other supporting documents deemed relevant. They shall also indicate the e-mail address to which by such indication they accept to be notified for all purposes within this procedure.

Applications should be sent by e-mail to raposo@ua.pt

13. Form of publication/notification of results: The results of the evaluation shall be made public no later than 60 working days after the closing date for submission of applications and shall be notified to the applicants. The candidates are informed, in a prior hearing, under the terms established in the Code of Administrative Procedure, of the probable meaning of the final decision, and may, within 10 working days of this notification, express their opinion on this decision. The final results may be appealed to the Rector, to be submitted within 10 working days from the respective notification.

14. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until February 28, 2025, for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection.

The models of the grant contract and of the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor are available at Research fellows – sgrh – Universidade de Aveiro (ua.pt).