CSCW at Latin America (LatAm) is scattered across several isolated small research groups located in different countries. In most cases, these groups are sustained by a single researcher working in a CS department with his/her students. This scenario inhibits the potential impact of CSCW@LatAm research as it challenges the ability to create large-scale multidisciplinary efforts.

To strengthen these groups’ work and research impact, the goal of the 1st CSCW@LatAm Research Catalyst Workshop is to expedite the formation of collaborative multi-year research agendas among existing CSCW LatAm research groups. This 3-day workshop is designed to facilitate the creation of teams among researchers involved in common topics to identify collaboration opportunities and develop a 5-year multi-country research agenda. Workshop participants will be expected to work on defining research questions relevant to the international CSCW community and detailing actionable mechanisms to address them, including the design of multi-site studies and/or preparation of joint grant proposals.

During the workshop, two senior CSCW researchers will act as mentors working closely with the teams to refine the problem statements and research goals, help them connect with key people or teams with complementary skills and interests (inside or outside LatAm), and define research agendas that leverage current efforts to address the proposed research goals. This agenda should also include a sustainable model of long-distance research collaboration. Throughout the event, each team will present their ideas to the rest of the participants to get feedback.

The 1st version of this event will take place in Panama City, Panama as part of the IX Latin American Conference on Human Computer Interaction (CLIHC 2019).

We invite applications from researchers interested in establishing cross-country collaborations to address common research challenges in LatAm. In particular, we are interested in studies or designs that emphasize LatAm-specific contexts, i.e., contexts with unique characteristics and that are different from “traditional” CSCW contexts (mainly, North-America and Western Europe). The list of items includes, but is not limited to:

• ● Qualitative or quantitative CSCW studies in or about Latin America;
• ● Social media and technology studies using data from/about Latin America;
• ● Collaborative system development and user studies situated in Latin America;
• ● Domain/industry specific social and collaborative applications in Latin America; and
• ● Other CSCW and social computing topics related to Latin America.

• ● Submission deadline: July 15th, 2019 at 23:59, AoE
• ● Submission deadline: July 21st, 2019 at 23:59, AoE [EXTENDED]
• ● Notification of acceptance: July 30th, 2019
• ● Camera ready deadline: August 4th, 2019 at 23:59, AoE
• ● Workshop: September 27th-29th, 2019

Prospective participants should apply individually or as part of a team. Applicants should submit a position paper (max. 4-pages) in ACM Extended Abstract format and a short version of their CV (max. 2-pages), through the following link: https://forms.gle/bCbiUPA95By45Ca3A

The position paper should address the following aspects:

• ● What is the key LatAm research focus/problem domain you aim to address?
• ● How does your research currently addresses this problem domain?
• ● How does pursuing a regional research agenda can help advance the current state of the art?
• ● What actionable mechanisms can be designed in the workshop to realize the proposed agenda?

Applicants are encouraged to include references to situate the proposal within the larger CSCW research community and to identify funding agencies that can sustain the proposed regional research agendas.

Application materials should be submitted by July 15th, 2019. The workshop organizers will review applications using the following criteria:

• ● Clear articulation of the expected contribution to the CSCW@LatAm research.
• ● Likelihood of CSCW@LatAm Research Catalyst Workshop participation providing a significant practical benefit for the individual/team.
• ● Contribution to a balanced and diverse group of participants.

Accepted submissions will be published as a part of the IX Latin American Conference on Human Computer Interaction (CLIHC) Proceedings.

The 1st CSCW@LatAm Research Catalyst Workshop will take place during September 27th-29th, 2019, at Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, located in Panama City, Panama.

Thanks to the financial support from ACM SIGCHI, selected participants will receive partial funding to attend the event. The amount of funding will be decided once the participants are selected. However, we do NOT expect to have funding to cover all participants’ expenses.

The number of participants to be selected will depend on the available funding and the fit between applicants’ interests and the workshop goals. We intend to form three working teams of three to five people. Teams will be formed by common themes. Team members will be expected to work before, during, and after the event to build and execute the joint research agendas.

• ● Email: cscw.latin.america@gmail.com
• ● Website: https://cscwlatinamerica.wordpress.com/