No. Applicants can propose their own research topics based on their relevance to the listed topics. The PingCAP Review Committee will consider the relevance of your research topic to the target topic when deciding whether to select your project. In general, the more relevant the easier it is to pass.
Project Application Guide
1. General
PingCAP works with the world’s top universities to carry out cutting-edge database research and training. PingCAP is expanding this program with our new PingCAP-University Research Cooperation Program 2022-2023.
2. Application Conditions
For full-time researchers in universities and research institutes around the world:
- Applicants must have a doctoral degree or a postgraduate supervisor qualification
- At least two applicant team members must have passed any path of the Talent Plan program or have been TiDB contributors
- Applicants should have published top-level papers in computer science or related fields
3. Research Topics
Topic 1：ML-based optimizer tuning: cost model, to cardinality estimation model
Topic 2：ML-assisted query optimization
Topic 3：ML-based system anomaly detection framework for distributed database
Topic 4：Realtime incremental materialized view on a distributed environment
For details of the project, please refer to PingCAP-University Joint Research Cooperation 2022-2023 Topics Details.
4. Application process
Write to ur@pingcap.com, with the following information:
- Introduction of you and your team
- The topic you choose or propose
- What the research output you anticipate to
- What your research path will be
5. Project duration
One year from the effective date of the contract.
6. Contact
E-mail: ur@pingcap.com
FAQ
After receiving your application, PingCAP will arrange a review meeting to evaluate the proposal as soon as possible. If necessary, PingCAP will take the initiative to contact the applicant for specific communication and further understanding. In some cases, the applicant may be required to supplement other supporting materials.
Yes. However, the selection result needs to be decided by the PingCAP Review Committee based on the proposal and the communication with the applicant.
Basically there are three funding levels of $50,000, $100,000 and $150,000. We also consider it based on promised deliverables.
Usually, the output of the funded project includes, but is not limited to, a) top level papers, b) patents, c) project reports, and d) prototypes. The specific situation is stipulated by the cooperation contract between the two parties.
PingCAP supports all the funding types of Gift, Grant and Contract. For Grant and Contract, we will negotiate the ownership of intellectual property rights with partner universities. In most cases both parties share the joint output or PingCAP can use them preferentially. The specific situation is stipulated by the cooperation contract between the two parties.
Joint Research Topics
Details: Solutions to apply machine learning (either supervised, unsupervised/reinforcement learning) to improve cost models under dynamic and evolving architecture of HTAP systems and improve the cardinality estimation with or without pre-requirement of statistics.
Requirements for applicants: Experience and background in both database and machine learning technologies.
Expectation on the output: Top level paper, Patent if possible, Prototype if need.
Details: Solutions to help optimizers make query or workload based optimization decisions, e.g., plan choices, system/session parameters’ tuning, etc., based on the learning from runtime, or historical execution information.
Requirements for applicants: Experience and background in both database and machine learning technologies.
Expectation on the output: Top level paper, Patent if possible, Prototype if need.
Details: Build an external service to diagnose the anomaly state of a distributed database.Try to clarify the native architecture of Self-driving Database.
Requirements for applicants: Experience and background in database and machine learning technologies.
Expectation on the output: Top level paper, Patent if possible, Prototype if need.
Details: Build an incremental materialized view on distributed databases like TiDB. This research is linked to research around timely dataflow.
Requirements for applicants: Experienced in distributed systems, streaming computing areas.
Expectation on the output: Top level paper, Patent if possible, Prototype if need.
Apply for PingCAP-Universities Joint Research 2022-2023 program
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