Since the beginnings of CIARD in 2008 the Pathways have been seen as an important element in CIARD’s objectives to build capacity for openness in research and innovation communities across the globe. Guided by the outcomes of the CIARD Global Consultation in Addis Ababa in 2013 CIARD is now moving into a new period of development and as part of this the time is right to reconsider the Pathways and their role within the growing CIARD movement.

On the 9th of June we will be holding two open online meetings (11:00 and 16:00 CEST), each lasting maximum 105 minutes, at which participants will be able to guide the future development of the Pathways.

It is proposed that the CIARD Pathways should be renamed the CIARD Good Practices to better express their role as guidance for users rather than as a restricted route that must be implemented. This terminology will be used from now on.

Members of the community are invited to participate in the meeting. It is important that anyone from the community should have the opportunity to guide the future role and modus operandi  of the Good Practices. This is your opportunity.

Meeting agenda

The meeting will start with a presentation on the history and current status of the Pathways lasting 15 minutes.  So far in 2014 six new or extensively revised Pathways in Group 1 have been produced as part of the redevelopment of the CIARD website  – they illustrate the way the Pathways have been progressing  most recently.

The questions then to be addressed by the meeting can be seen in the context of the “What?”, the” Who?” and the “How?” of the CIARD Good Practices.

1. What? What is the proposed scope of the CIARD Good Practices? As a result of the Addis Ababa consultation the proposed Pathways were divided into three Groups as shown on the CIARD website (http://www.ciard.net/resources/pathways). Is this scope still effective in the constantly changing environment of CIARD?  (30 minutes discussion)
2. Who? Who is the audience for the Good Practices and what do we mean by ‘Good Practices’? Does the approach taken by the newly drafted Group 1 Pathways fulfil this role or do we need something different? (30 minutes discussion)
3. How? How can the Good Practices be taken forward? The mechanisms of Pathway development and their ownership so far have been very centralized. This should not continue. How do we democratize the process? (30 minutes discussion)

Participation

It is important that there are clear outcomes from the discussion, outcomes that can direct the further development of the CIARD Good Practices and identify those responsible for them. We hope you will be able to join the meeting, either as an individual or as a representative of your organization, and help to direct the future of the Good Practices.

The online meeting is open to any person interested in the CIARD Good Practices, but confirmation of attendance is required.  If you wish to attend the meeting, send an e-mail to [email protected] containing the following information: your name, affiliation, role and country.

The meeting is being held twice, at 11:00 and 16:00 CEST, so that participants from any continent will have the opportunity to join in.