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Hi Angela, Hello to the list
Thanks for your input!
The idea is that as an academic, I would like to hold a conference on "Using Wikis in Research and Public Engagement" in Brighton, UK. I'm pretty sure I can convince my academic department to waive the fees they usually charge for the venue, give us IT support, etc. So no, we dont need money for the venue.
But conferences have other costs: invitations, publicity, handouts, coffee, lunches, speaker travel, and the time spent organising them. A small conference would not take much organising, but I want a bigger one, and I want to invite the top UK research funding people and raise awareness of the usefulness of Wikis, so that the funders see how useful Wikis are. My vision is a world where research funders allow Wikimedia people to co-apply with academics for research and teaching grants to get funding for Wiki activity, to allow research results to be brought to the world. Instead of locking new knowledge away in a private-access journal, it would be available for all.
I want to approach one of the Research Councils to get some funding for the conference. I also believe that if I do this, they may well be interested in funding a *project* as well. This project would need to be co-designed by us, so that it is useful to Wikimedia and Wikimedia UK.
Support for a conference would also help our chances of succeeding with the £2million Beacons for Public Engagement proposal (UK), which involves Wikimedia. We have been asked by the funders: "What commitments are your partner Wikimedia offering?", and it would be great to have an exciting answer to that.
The stream of funding I have identified is only open if Wikimedia can commit to co-funding, or 'benefit in kind'.
The funders who are interested. But I need to work with someone in Wikimedia who has the authority to offer backing to a funding proposal, and other people in Wikimedia who can tell me the kinds of academic-related activities they would really be interested in getting funded. Then we can talk and identify some common ground. This has to be collaborative.
Speakers, yes, definitely Jimmy. I'll drop him a line. Yes, Cormac too. Cormac and I have been discussing about Wikis, as we have much in common in our research. He is using similar theoretical framework in his PhD to the one I used when I did my doctorate. He's definitely my first contact as soon as someone from the Wikimedia Foundation says, 'Yes, this is a good idea. We'll support it. We can offer *X* co-funding or *X* benefit in kind'.
I keep trying David Gerard at Wikimedia UK, but no reply as yet.
Where would be a good place to start a note on this topic??
best wishes
Jenny/Open Research
--On 30 August 2007 11:34 +0200 Angela beesley@gmail.com wrote:
How much financial support do you think is needed for the event? When you say it would be hosted by your department, does that mean the department needs to be paid for that? Wiki Wednesday's in London are having a difficult time finding sponsors or venues, so it might not be easy, though there are at least a couple of Wikimania sponsors with people in the UK, so they might be companies to consider asking for support. The Foundation, Wikimedia UK, or possibly even another chapter in Europe, might also be able to provide some support.
If by big names, they mean speakers, then you should contact Jimmy and see when he is free and in Europe and set the date for when he can attend. Perhaps they'd count people like Alison Wheeler (chair of Wikimedia UK) as a big name as well?
I also suggest you get Cormac Lawler involved. I think he's based in Ireland. He's a researcher and has been involved with Wikimania and would be a good fit for this, both as a speaker and organizer.
Angela
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