The Manifesto Process

The “Knowledge Swaraj” Manifesto is the outcome of efforts spread over two years, starting from a workshop at the Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh, Gujarat (November 2008). “Thought Pieces” and other notes from the Tejgadh workshop helped to make a first draft that was discussed at a second workshop at Hyderabad (March 2009). This second draft was further developed through e-mails and other communications (April-August 2009) and was presented for discussion by an invited audience of knowledgeable persons drawn from all over the country at the University of Hyderabad (September 2009). A more formal publication in 750 printed copies of the next draft of this Manifesto was published in December 2009. Several pilot studies were commissioned around the central tenets of the Knowledge Swaraj Manifesto (October 2009-June 2010). There were also focus group discussions and workshops that enable science society dialogues on the pilots (see http://kicsforum.net/kics/setdev/Piloting_ Knowledge_Swaraj2.pdf ). These helped to revise the current and final Knowledge Swaraj—an Indian Manifesto on Science and Technology.

SET-DEV project

The Indian Manifesto is developed as a part of the SET-DEV project of the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program(FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 217811. For more information, see http://www.set-dev.eu/. The SET-DEV project extended work in the EU-FP6 project SS-ERC on “socialisation of science and technology.” and a Handbook for promoting science and technology socialization policies (Can be downloaded from http://www.techresp.eu/)

This document has been facilitated by the network “Knowledge In Civil Society” or KICS (http://www.kicsforum.net) that promotes dialogues on issues relating to science and democracy. KICS welcomes comments on the manifesto and invites suggestions on taking further the manifesto process. Please write to scienceswaraj@gmail.com

Postal addresses