NATURE OF CIARD

What is CIARD?

 CIARD is an international movement to ensure that public domain agricultural research outputs are truly accessible.  The partners have developed a  “Manifesto” and a set of “Values”. CIARD consists of three areas of activity on Advocacy, Capacity Building, and Content Management, each of which is coordinated by an international Task Force. 

Who leads the CIARD movement?

CIARD was founded and is guided by an informal group of international and regional  partners from around the world, who are committed to supporting the movement .

Is CIARD a legal entity?

CIARD is not a legal entity, and there is no legal agreement or contract between the partners.

What is the relationship between CIARD and existing initiatives related to access to the outputs of agricultural research, such as AGRIS, Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS)?

CIARD is complementary to these other initiatives, providing a global framework for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Is there a CIARD Information System?

CIARD does not comprise a database or information system requiring partners to input content.

Which languages are relevant to CIARD?

Research outputs can be made accessible in any language.

How can I ask a question about CIARD or seek advice or assistance from other partners?

You can send an email to CIARD at information@ciard.net.

PARTICIPATING IN CIARD

Who can participate in CIARD?

Any institution involved in agricultural research or in the dissemination of research outputs can participate in CIARD, if they agree with the  “Manifesto” and “Values” on making research outputs accessible.

How can my institution parficipate in and contribute to CIARD?

The institution can:

• work with colleagues in their institution to achieve the items in the CIARD Checklist
   
• promote their support for the CIARD Manifesto and Values and their participation in CIARD
   
•  place the main CIARD logo on the relevant page(s) of their websites  
   
• register their information service(s) on the CIARD RING website to increase their visibility, and then promote that participation by placing the RING logo on the relevant page of their service(s)
   
• register their institution’s organizational profile including the status of the achievement of the items in the CIARD Checklist using the online form, so that other CIARD participants are aware and can share experiences if they wish. Instructions for registering an organizational Checklist profile are available here.

What are the requirements for participation?

There are no financial, legal or contractual obligations in participating in CIARD.

What are the benefits and value addition that institutions can derive from participating in CIARD?

Institutions can benefit through the following: 

- increased national and 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 the proven solutions of the other institutions.

Does the CIARD movement set criteria for how institutions should share their research outputs?

Institutions that provide access to their digital research outputs ideally should use international agricultural information management standards.  More details can be found at: http://www.fao.org/aims.

Who are the institutional actors in CIARD?

There are four groups of institutional actors: (a) research managers (including policy and decision-makers), (b) researchers/scientists/academics, (c) information professionals, and (d) intermediaries between researchers and farming communities, such as rural extension and advisory services.