GENERAL PRESENTATION www.ciard.netinformation@ciard.net

A new way forwardCoherence in Information for Agricultural Research

for Development

Why is coherence in agricultural information

so important? • Innovation systems in

agriculture are critical to the fight against hunger & sustainable use of natural resources

• Rapid agricultural innovation is knowledge-intensive and depends on access to information

• Coherence in information management will increase efficiency of knowledge sharing/exchange and reduce duplication

Why enhance access to agricultural information?

• Most public domain agricultural information not yet widely accessible

• New types of research, organisations, and collaboration create new demands

• Improving the way the partners work together requires greater information and information flow systems

Global and Local Challenges in Research Communication

• Capacities– Lack of institutional policies to enable research communication– Lack of specialized skills in complex digital technologies

• Diversity of Responses– Customized Information/Knowledge Systems – In-house IKM Programmes– Institutional Networks– National Initiatives– R&D Community Forums/Platforms– Virtual and Web2.0 tools for Participation/Interaction

A new partnership for truly accessible information

CIARD - new global movement

formed in 2008 building on consultations in 2005 and 2007

to provide a platform for coherence between information-related initiatives

Founding Partners

and growing…..

The Community

A Manifesto

The CIARD vision

“To make public domain agricultural research information and knowledge truly accessible to

all”

• All organizations that create and possess public agricultural research information disseminate and share it more widely

• CIARD partners will (a) coordinate their efforts, (b) promote common formats, (c) adopt open systems

• Create a global network of public collections of information

The CIARD Values

To increase the benefits from investments in agricultural research and innovation for

development, the partners in the CIARD initiative have agreed to make research outputs truly

accessible, based on a common set of values

“Values” : capacity

• promote and build self-sufficiency and local ownership

• develop capacities needed to design and manage policies, skills and technologies

• integrate action at policy, institution, and individual levels

“Values” : content

• collect and make accessible outputs

• encourage use/re-use of outputs• help researchers communicate

their outputs• build/use ‘open’ systems and

applications • customize outputs for specific

audiences • conserve outputs for the future

• ensure actions complement at local, national and global level

• promote dialogue and active collaboration

• adopt common principles and standards

“Values” : coherence

• promote new approaches• encourage change in attitudes,

policies and institutions• provide evidence of real benefits

“Values” : investment

What are we already doing?

Advocacy Task Force

Capacity Building Task Force

Content Management Task Force

Developing Institutional Readiness

1. Introduce and gain support for the CIARD Manifesto and Values in your institution

2. Have your institution recognised as a CIARD partner

3. Adopt a formal institutional information/ communication strategy

4. Develop the capacities of your institution to achieve the CIARD Checklist

5. Develop national/local partner networks to share resources and skills

Increasing the Availability, Accessibility and Applicability of

Research Outputs

6. Ensure your research outputs are available digitally.

7. Develop institutional or thematic information repositories of your outputs as open archives.

8. Use international metadata standards, data exchange protocols, and agricultural vocabularies and thesauri.

9. Develop a clearly defined licensing policy for your outputs.

10. Optimize the structure and the content of web sites for search engines.

11. Share metadata by participating in international information systems.

12. Use ‘social’ Web 2.0 media and applications to share your outputs.

13. Build formal and informal networks to to repackage your outputs.

Checklist of Good Practices

www.ciard.net

Routemap to Information Nodes and Gateways (RING)

Pathways

Creative Commons

CAB Abstracts

AgMES

CIARD: Benefits to Institutions

• increased national/international visibility and use of their research output and content services

• increased exchange of information content between their system(s) and others

• increased awareness of other research outputs through information content and services

• increased access to specialised expertise and knowledge and other partners’ proven solutions

CIARD: Institutions’ Contributions

• promote and implement the CIARD vision and objectives

• register products and services on research outputs through the CIARD RING

• adopt/promote international standards related to digital research outputs

• register institutional profile on Checklist

• share lessons learned and expperiences

Consultations

2009: CIARD agenda validated at 5 regional consultations by 150 agricultural information/knowledge specialists

from 70 countries2010: GCARD – IAALD Congress (France) – USAINUrgent need to reach out to three stakeholder groups

(a) rectors/directors / managers(b) researchers / academics(c) information specialists

What else could/should we be doing together?

THANK YOU for more information

visitwww.ciard.net

www.ciard.netinformation@ciard.net