Cross-cutting Action: Technological Development (Dev Tech) [ingenierie@pepr-ensemble.fr]
The PEPR eNSEMBLE (Research Programme – Digital Collaboration) is structured around 15 projects (including five Targeted Projects and ten call-based projects) and five Cross-cutting Actions (AT, for Actions Transverses). Among these, the Technological Development AT (Dev Tech) aims to:
- Democratise / standardise: transform research outputs into concrete, robust, and scalable resources contributing to a structured technological foundation for digital collaboration; develop standards and specifications that support internal and external dissemination.
- Aggregate / federate: ensure coherence among contributions from different projects and integrate them into a shared dynamic.
- Support / advise: provide recurring services tailored to the various disciplines involved in the PEPR.
In this context, the PEPR eNSEMBLE is launching a technological needs survey in order to identify proposals emerging from the programme’s projects, in line with the objectives and missions of the Dev Tech AT.
Objectives of the technological needs survey
Through this process, the Dev Tech Cross-cutting Action seeks to identify proposals aligned with its missions (see above).
For each proposal submitted, and following possible exchanges with its authors to refine and clarify it, the AT will assess its relevance within the PEPR framework. Where appropriate, it may suggest an alternative framework or place the proposal on hold.
Groups of related proposals, or those contributing to the same objective, will then be formed. These groupings will help identify actions to be implemented within the AT, each potentially encompassing several of the initially submitted proposals.
Finally, as the AT has a dedicated budget for recruiting engineers, job descriptions will be developed to define the required profiles and competencies associated with these actions. Recruitment will be on fixed-term contracts of 24 months, with hiring, supervision, and hosting managed by the AT.
The first recruitments are scheduled for early 2027. While these positions are not intended as extensions of existing engineering contracts, PhDs, or postdoctoral posts, individuals currently funded by the PEPR are eligible to apply.
Types of expected needs
Expressions of interest may fall within one of the following categories (non-exhaustive list):
- Scaling up an existing resource.
Example: generalising a prototype developed for controlled experimentation; adopting a more versatile or extensible technology to ensure operational deployment.
- Articulation of contributions, within a single project or across multiple projects.
Example: adapting a collaborative mode involving multiple intelligent agents and humans for large-scale use.
- Packaging of a resource developed within the PEPR for internal use or external dissemination (e.g. industry or partners).
Example: building a remote collaborative mixed-reality environment for use by other PEPR participants.
- Production of a core resource for digital collaboration to simplify design, development, and evaluation processes.
Example: creating an editor for conceptual notation, scripting, or workflow configuration; developing a platform for logging experimental data.
- Demonstration of one or more contributions within a shared case study.
Example: mixed-reality collaboration for hybrid teaching, or application to La Suite Numérique (DINUM).
- Generalisation or formalisation of theories, models, and standards.
Example: establishing a library of application cases and associated software components.
- Translation of PEPR results into usable methodological tools.
Example: a tool to assist in drafting responses to calls for proposals.
- Other specific needs: to be specified by applicants.
Note:
A “resource” refers to any service, application, software component, or API essential to digital collaboration.
A “proposal lead” refers to any researcher in the HCI community, whether or not involved in a PEPR project, who identifies a need aligned with the AT’s objectives.
Information required in submissions
Applicants are invited to structure their responses as follows:
- Relevant PEPR project(s)
- Position within the project(s), in relation to mapping, challenges, axes, and/or work packages
- Involved partners (laboratory and supervisory institution)
- Type of need (from the list above)
- Proposal lead
- Link to current PEPR contributions
- Name of the PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, or staff member concerned (if applicable)
- Any related project
- Current state of the solution
- Concise description of expected outcomes (maximum 10 lines)
- Expected benefits for the eNSEMBLE community (not only the originating project)
- Challenges, barriers, or limitations preventing autonomous implementation by the proposer or an engineer within a project
- Potential application domains
- Required competencies for the developer (essential and desirable)
- Required equipment and any constraints
Submission procedures
Responses must be submitted as a PDF file to: ingenierie@pepr-ensemble.fr
Submission deadline: 30 September 2026
After the submission period, applicants may be contacted to clarify expressed needs, refine job descriptions, or explore opportunities to consolidate or pool converging proposals.