An Invitation to Explore the Role of Knowledge in society

About

There is a growing recognition that knowledge is not a monopoly of academics. It is created, co‐created and shared in:

Community classrooms where First Nations’ indigenous languages and cultures are being sustained and revitalized,
Businesses working on green economic alternatives,
University engineering departments working on adaptive technologies for children with special needs,
Financial institutions’ innovative new ways to create affordable housing,
And so much more, including collaborative partnerships between academics and their colleagues in private, public and community sectors.

However, the fact remains that there are many long-standing challenges to thinking about and acting on knowledge in ways that are broad, inclusive, integrated and applied. In support of emerging efforts to address such challenges, you are invited to participate in a national conversation on the collaborative development of a Canadian Knowledge Commons.

A knowledge commons refers to conceptual spaces where the boundaries between diverse locations of knowledge creation, forms of knowledge and uses of knowledge are diminished. In such a commons, we are better able to address complex economic, social and environmental issues that confront us locally, across Canada and around the world. Our proposition is that lowering the barriers that separate knowledge is desirable and necessary.