Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant

Unity has partnered with Meta Immersive Learning to provide $1M in funding to higher-education institutions to make training and workforce development accessible to all.

Expanding post-secondary XR innovation

The Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant is intended to empower colleges and universities to support learners in expanding their professional and income-earning opportunities through training in XR development with Unity. Funding applications are open from April 25 – June 15, 2022.

Expanding post-secondary XR innovation

Application details

This funding opportunity is open to higher-education institutions across the globe.

Eligibility

Institutions eligible for funding are those creating or growing their courses and programs for teaching XR development and/or leveraging real-time 3D technology to develop innovative educational content and experiences.

Submissions are accepted from institutions, departments, libraries, innovation centers, programs, or course-based projects at any higher-education institution.

Special consideration will be given to institutions and programs that serve underserved student populations or whose innovative educational content is designed to reach underserved learners.

Timeline

Applications are welcomed from Monday, April 25, 2022 at 12:00 am PT through Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 11:59 pm PT. Note that dates and times are indicated in Pacific Time.

All applications submitted will be reviewed. If additional information is required, we will reach out directly. Only applicants selected to receive Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant funding will be notified, from August 1–10, 2022.

Selection criteria

Funding will be awarded based on the following criteria: 

  • Inclusion – The leadership team is demographically diverse. The program primarily serves, uplifts, or includes beneficiaries from underserved groups.
  • Impact – The program has wide reach in the number of students and/or educators engaged over the course of the grant period. 
  • Viability – The project’s scope is realistic and achievable. The right people and infrastructure are in place to accomplish the project’s goals.
  • Innovation The project explores creative use of real-time 3D and immersive technology.

Please review the FAQ section below for additional information.

Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant - how to apply

How to apply

We encourage projects and programs in all stages of development or implementation to apply. Applications can be submitted via the link below. If additional information is required, we will reach out directly. Only applicants selected to receive Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant funding will be notified.

For more information, see the FAQ below.

Create with VR Grant Program

Academic institutions are encouraged to apply to receive classroom sets of Meta Quest 2 headsets as well as training to facilitate virtual reality (VR) creation in Unity.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant?

The Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant is funding awarded by Unity and Meta Immersive Learning for higher-education institutions working on education innovation and workforce development.

Education innovation: Innovating teaching and learning by developing high-quality educational experiences using real-time 3D technology.

Workforce development: Innovating programs, courses, and offerings to equip students with the skills needed to create for the metaverse, effectively increasing and diversifying the global talent pool for XR creator jobs.

Who should apply?

Higher-education institutions teaching or planning to teach XR development skills (courses, degrees, apprenticeships, bootcamps, labs, incubators, etc.) are encouraged to apply.

Special consideration will be given to institutions that serve underserved students.

What stage does my project/program need to be in?

We encourage projects and programs in all stages to apply, whether your program is prototyping an idea to be further developed or is already established with existing impact outcomes.

Are there regions prohibited from applying?

Countries and individuals the United States has introduced sanctions against are prohibited from applying. At present, this includes the Crimea region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.

What criteria do you use to select grant recipients?

Grant recipients are selected using the following criteria:

  1. Inclusion – The leadership team is demographically diverse. The program primarily serves, uplifts, or includes beneficiaries from underserved groups.
  2. Impact  – The program has wide reach in the number of students and/or educators engaged over the course of the grant period. 
  3. Viability – The project’s scope is realistic and achievable. The right people and infrastructure are in place to accomplish the project’s goals.
  4. Innovation The project explores creative use of real-time 3D and immersive technology.
What language should applications be submitted in?

All applications must be submitted in English. We work with creators with varying levels of English ability. Videos or trailers in a language other than English must have subtitles. The project itself does not need to be in English, however, there must be subtitles or translations provided (if applicable) so that judges can properly review.

Who judges the submissions?

Projects will be selected by Unity and Meta employees and/or representatives internally, including Unity Charitable Fund and Meta Education team members, employees from across teams and verticals, and a final committee of judges.

What do the selected projects receive?

Unity and Meta will make grant recommendations from a pool of $1,000,000 USD from Meta Education and Unity’s Charitable Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation.

I've submitted my application. What's next?

No further action is required. You will receive an automatic confirmation email, and all applications submitted will be reviewed. If we need additional information, we will reach out to applicants directly. Only applicants selected to receive Higher Ed XR Innovation Grant funding will be notified.

What does “Grants will be issued from Tides Foundation” mean?

Unity partners with Tides Foundation to manage Unity’s Donor Advised Fund (DAF) for charitable purposes. If the project created by your team is selected, Unity will recommend a charitable grant to your organization to the Unity Charitable Fund at Tides Foundation. After receiving the recommendation, Tides Foundation staff may reach out to your organization during the Foundation's due diligence process to collect additional information about your organization or proposed project. This process can take anywhere from two to six weeks and is a secondary review process.

When do grant applications open and close?

The dates and times below are indicated in Pacific Time. Please give yourself ample time to submit in case of issues with your submission process.

Opens: Monday, April 25, 2022 at 12:00 am PT

Closes: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 11:59 pm PT

Do you grant extensions beyond the application deadline?

Unfortunately, we are not able to grant extensions once the application window has closed.

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