Onboarding scientists to Cardano in LATAM regions: Seeding a Network of Communities

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Dr Bharat Harbham

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

Erin Magennis

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

8

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Launch educational meetups and workshops across Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras and Mexico to integrate scientists into the Cardano ecosystem.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

N/A

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All information will be shared publically.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

TL;DR

• Cardano has an opportunity to become the go-to DeSci chain in LATAM. This is because:
• DeSci is an underexplored opportunity in blockchain and science throughout all of LATAM. 
• Similar to how Ethereum has gained momentum in other DeSci/Scientific hubs (London, Berlin, Boston, etc), Cardano could do the same in scientific hubs throughout LATAM. 
• Scientists in LATAM lack awareness about how transformative blockchain technology can be to scientific research - education and awareness is the first step.

Our primary goal is to integrate more scientists from the LATAM region into the Cardano ecosystem. 

To achieve this, we plan to organise a series of educational meetups and workshops across Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras and Mexico, specifically targeting the scientific community. These events are designed to introduce blockchain fundamentals and showcase Cardano's capabilities and the transformative potential of Decentralised Science (DeSci).

This initiative will be carried out in close partnership with multiple Cardano LATAM groups.

Why Focus on Scientists?

Decentralised Science (DeSci) is a movement, very early in its evolution, that is disrupting science similar to how DeFi is disrupting finance. This movement utilises Web3 technologies to create novel governance structures in scientific organisations, enhance funding mechanisms, improve intellectual property ownership, rethink publication processes and more. We want to make more scientists aware of DeSci so they can learn and eventually contribute to its future! 

Why LATAM?

The LATAM region has many talented scientists and reputable academic institutions. The annual number of scientific publications in the region is nearly 200,000, a remarkably high figure given the region's limited budgetary resources. It is also among the regions with the highest blockchain awareness and adoption levels, boasting well-established Cardano communities.

What Are Your Goals

Our immediate goal is education and awareness. Scientists need to be made aware of the potential use cases and implications of blockchain technology. Our efforts will focus extensively on dispelling myths and highlighting blockchain's practical, transformative impacts in science. This educational drive is crucial for building a solid foundation of knowledge and positive perception among scientists.

Our longer-term goal is to make Cardano a “go-to” blockchain scientists turn to. This proposal will not achieve this by itself but is a necessary first step.

Our Strategy:

• Community First: We welcome collaboration with anyone in the Cardano ecosystem to partner and collaborate with us.
• Seed Sustainable Communities: Our approach involves more than just conducting workshops; we aim to seed communities that will sustain themselves. By initially bringing people together and providing high-quality content, we set the stage for these newly formed groups to thrive independently, continuing to explore and integrate blockchain into their scientific work
• Leverage Established Contacts: We will utilise our existing relationships within local scientific and academic networks to facilitate workshops. This will ensure high attendance and engagement from the target audience.
• Focus on In-Person Meetups: Emphasising face-to-face interactions is critical for effective community building. These in-person sessions provide a more engaging and interactive environment, fostering better understanding and networking among participants.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

We seek to solidify the bridge between Cardano's technological advances and LATAM’s scientific sectors. The project's success will manifest through:

• Increased adoption and awareness of Cardano’s blockchain within the scientific community
• Strengthening Cardano’s position as a leading academic and scientific blockchain, attracting global scientific talent and researchers.
• Creation of new, innovative applications of blockchain technology in scientific research, potentially leading to breakthroughs and more efficient research methodologies.
• We will partner with any other existing Cardano community members or organisations in this region

We will measure via a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics such as attendance numbers at meetups, feedback from attendees, social media metrics, measuring knowledge gained of blockchain pre and post-our events, 

To share the outputs and opportunities resulting from our project, we will focus on social media (twitter, linkedin, telegram)

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

The capability of the team

The team have extensive experience in Decentralised Science (over two years) as well as experience running workshops and explaining blockchain basics to academics.

Bharat is a medical doctor and neuroscientist. In 2022, he founded DeSci London and grew it to become the largest DeSci community in the world. He has organised over 25 meetups, multiple workshops and two large conferences (300+ attendees) at prestigious science venues and has spoken at dozens of events around the world. He has a wealth of experience in community building, bringing scientists on board on blockchain, and event organising. 

Erin is a neuroscientist with experience in marketing, tech startups and web3. Erin helped launch 18 science-tech ecosystems, led the DeSci Research Landscape Analysis, and is core team at the largest blockchain ecosystem in the Midwest (conference, monthly workshops, & hackathons)

We have both run DeSci workshops and intro sessions in Honduras in January 2024. Erin gave the opening talk (DeSci 101) at the DeSci London conference.

We also have connections to local scientists already familiar with blockchain in Colombia (Cristina Castro), in Brazil (Maria Goreti Freitas) and Mexico (Pamela Limón)

We will initially start in Argentina, utilising strong existing relationships to test and refine our approach.

Continuous monitoring and evaluation at each event, using participant feedback to gauge the effectiveness of the content and presentation styles and to see if anything needs to be modified for other events.

For Additional Context:

• Bharat and Erin are co-founders of MuseMatrix. A decentralized research institute that applies Web3 tools to science and has an emphasis on cross-chain and chain-agnostic tooling
• We have other proposals related to Cardano and DeSci, which we have linked.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

• Strategic Partnerships and Initial Planning (Month 1-2):
• Establish partnerships with at least two universities or scientific institutions in each of Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras and Mexico.
• Develop comprehensive marketing and outreach plans tailored to each country.

• Launch of Initial Workshops in Argentina and Brazil (Month 3):
• Conduct the first workshop in Argentina and the second in Brazil, with a goal of attracting at least 50 scientists in each.
• Implement initial marketing strategies to promote the events.
• Distribute pre-event surveys to gauge attendees' baseline knowledge and expectations.

• Feedback Collection and Refinement (Month 4):
• Collect and analyse feedback from the initial workshops through detailed post-event surveys.
• Identify key areas for improvement and revise the plans based on insights gained.

• Second Round of Workshops in Colombia, Honduras and Mexico (Month 5-6):
• Utilise lessons learned from the first round to improve the execution of workshops in Colombia, Honduras and Mexico.
• Aim to maintain or increase engagement, targeting at least 50 participants per event.

• Ongoing Evaluation and Adjustment (Month 7):
• Conduct ongoing assessments during workshops to ensure content and delivery meet participant needs.

• Final Evaluation and Comprehensive Reporting (Month 8):
• Develop a comprehensive final report outlining outcomes, audience engagement metrics, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations for future initiatives.
• Host a closing webinar to share findings, and discuss potential next steps and opportunities for growth.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Bharat: LinkedIn, Twitter

Erin: LinkedIn, Twitter

Bharat Harbham - Event Lead: Leverage experience running DeSci London to establish a well run event in each LATAM location seeding the community, plan workshops, and drive marketing campaigns. 

Erin Magennis - Community Manager: Leverage community building experience to ongoingly support local leads, conduct community feedback surveys & assessments, and develop reports. 

Local Scientists who will give take and help reach out to universities and help with logistics: Colombia (Cristina Castro), Brazil (Maria Goreti Freitas) and Mexico (Pamela Limón)

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Venue Rental

• Total for 4 countries (Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico)
• Cost: $8,000

Travel and Accommodation

• Flights and accommodations for speakers and team members
• Cost: $12,000

Personnel

• Salaries for project coordinators and support staff
• Cost: $8,000

Marketing and Outreach

• Promotional materials, digital marketing, social media campaigns
• Cost: $5,000

Workshop Materials

• Educational kits, handouts, presentation tools
• Cost: $3,000

Catering

• Food and beverages for attendees at each event
• Cost: $5,000

Speaker Fees

• Honorariums for guest speakers and workshop leaders
• Cost: $5,000

Legal and Administrative Fees

• Permits, insurance, legal consultation for event organization
• Cost: $1,000

Contingency Fund

• Unforeseen expenses or adjustments
• Cost: $3,000

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

• There is currently little to no recognition of DeSci on Cardano, this gets the ball rolling into what could be an entire ecosystem on Cardano and establishes Cardano as the lead blockchain solution for DeSci in a large region of the world.

• Driving education and adoption in a novel area (ie scientists) aligns with Cardano’s goals of expanding community outreach.

• The project scales Cardano’s presence in LATAM by connecting with a new user base, potentially leading to innovative applications and increased platform usage.