Grand Challenges in Computer Science Research in Brazil – 2006

Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) promoted the workshop, with support from CAPES and FAPESP. It was attended by 26 Brazilian computer scientists, co-authors of this report, and four invited researchers. The computer scientists were selected by the workshop´s steering committee, based on an analysis of 47 short position papers on grand challenges, submitted from all over Brazil. Selection criteria involved the scientific breadth of each proposal and vision of future perspectives. The workshop program was divided into three stages. First, each participant gave a short presentation of his/her position paper. Next, there was a debate between two guest speakers – professors Renato Janine Ribeiro and Gilberto Camara – concerning the workshop goals and their views on the challenges to be met. Finally, the attendees were divided into six working groups, which discussed the proposals, consolidating them into five challenges. The workshop was closed by a final session where the results were presented to researchers representing Brazilian financing agencies and R&D companies. The Brazilian Computer Society has launched the Grand Challenges initiative as the first step of a continuing series of multidisciplinary seminars that will analyze and discuss the workshop's themes in depth. The goals are to foster long-term planning and research in Computer Science in Brazil and to enhance cooperation with other scientific domains. The Workshop Steering Committee thanks all the researchers who sent their proposals, and in particular those who participated in the workshop. Special thanks are owed to the invited