As the year comes to a close, we want to share updates on our 2024 activities, project progress, partner experiences, and some plans we look forward to pursuing in 2025.
One of the key areas we’ve worked on recently is the integration of different online collaboration platforms with other tools and systems for knowledge sharing and management. This work has allowed us to explore innovative solutions and deliver more cohesive systems that enhance collaboration outcomes for our partners.
Alongside this, we experience growing demands to integrate Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems with internal Knowledge Management platforms. This is a relatively new area for the Foundation, and we’ve enjoyed collaborating with partners to design and implement different solutions.
Moving forward, we aim to continue improving how we document and share news from the Foundation and our Partners to strengthen our collective impact. You can stay updated on our website at dgroups.info or following us on LinkedIn.
Finally, we are pleased to announce the expansion of our team of Associates. We are enjoying being able to draw on the expertise of Jessica Ball, Tony Murray, Simon Hearn, Sajid Chowdhury and the team at Big Blue and Susanna Pecora – covering facilitation, online collaboration, web design, and platform building.
Survey on online collaboration
In October, we launched a survey to understand needs, trends, and demands for online collaboration and interaction in the development, humanitarian, and health sectors. And to identify popular and promising technical solutions that people are using to enable online collaboration and interaction.
So far, we received 50 responses from a wide range of people. While we are still analysing the responses, here are some emerging results:
- Email, document sharing and editing platforms, and video conferencing tools are the most common modes of online collaboration/interaction.
- In terms of tools and platforms, the most used are: Google Workspace and MS Teams; Zoom; Google Drive, OneDrive and SharePoint; and email in general.
- Emerging trends identified as shaping future online collaboration and interaction include:
- Integration of AI in workflows, analytics, and collaboration tools.
- Hybrid collaboration, blending face-to-face and online interactions.
- Budget and environmental constraints, increasing reliance on virtual meetings and online tools.
- Smartphone proliferation in low- and middle-income countries, enhancing accessibility but likely to significantly influence the choice of tools and apps.
- Increasing use of high-quality automated translations for more inclusive global collaboration.
- Growing integration across platforms and tools.
We plan to share the full survey results in early 2025 and continue this conversation in a public virtual exchange with Dgroups Partners and other interested individuals and organizations.
Project updates
Integrating content and ‘spaces’ in the CLARE KM platform
Earlier this year, we developed a Knowledge Management (KM) Platform for the CLimate Adaptation & REsilience (CLARE) Programme of FCDO and IDRC. The platform integrates the groups.io software with WordPress, and imports records from a Dspace repository into WordPress as custom post types. This demonstrates how different open content can be brought together in an integrated system that reinforces different collaboration outcomes. We have documented this in a short case study. Read more
Supporting knowledge management for the AQUADAPT Initiative
We further continued our partnership with IDRC – working with the AQUADAPT initiative to scope, design and build its knowledge management platform. The platform will enable the collection and analysis of monitoring data across projects, and facilitate cross-programme peer learning, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The beta version of the platform is expected later this year, with the full release in early 2025. Read more
From planning to action: Launching the CGIAR climate community
Earlier this year, CGIAR launched an online climate community—a dedicated space to share updates, insights, and foster connections among experts and peers committed to addressing climate adaptation and mitigation challenges. The Dgroups Foundation is collaborating with the Platform to nurture and grow this online community, adding value to its members, their work, and the Platform’s overarching goals. Read more
Integrating MEL systems with knowledge management platforms
For two recent projects, we developed monitoring systems Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems integrated into internal Knowledge Management (KM) platforms.As a relatively new area for the Foundation, it’s been exciting to collaborate with partners to design and implement tailored solutions in this space. Read more
Establishing an AMR knowledge sharing space for IDRC
Building from our work with CLARE and AQUADAPT, we just agreed a further project with IDRC to support ‘InnoVet-AMR’ – a four-year partnership between IDRC and the UK Department of Health and Social Care to address the emerging global threat of antimicrobial resistance by reducing the misuse of antimicrobials in animal production in the Global South. In early 2025, we will develop a knowledge management platform to support the program’s internal information storage and knowledge sharing between grantees.
Practical steps for engaging communities of practice
Earlier this year, we published a concise CoP Engagement Planning Guide that draws on some of the best-known practices to offer a practical and actionable framework for online communities. The guide outlines clear strategies for effective CoP planning and management within the development sector. By implementing these strategies, organizations, projects, and networks can significantly enhance the effectiveness of their CoPs, fostering more meaningful interactions and driving successful outcomes. Read more
Partner experiences
Aside from our own directly contracted projects and support, we observe our partners using their groups in different ways. Here we share a few updates.
The D4Ag community specialises in online community conversations as mechanisms to drive membership engagement and experience sharing on digital agriculture. We recently published a short case on its approach, covering the community’s evolution, its strategies to engage members, and practical tips to cultivate dynamic and inclusive digital communities. Particularly interesting is the strategic use they make of eConversations, to build dialogue and partnerships, and turn dialogue into knowledge. Read more
At ILRI, the GLAD livestock community has been with us for several years. It brings together individuals and organizations with interests in sustainable livestock systems in developing areas, sharing plans and resources that can help make the case for increased investment. Operating somewhat in the background of the initiative, it supports the advocacy efforts of various groups that each have their specific strategic niches. In recent years, it has particularly supported information-sharing and engagement campaigns around major global events. Alongside the community space, the initiative has a dedicated website – https://whylivestockmatter.org/
The CGIAR GENDER community was set up in early 2020 around a meeting in Rome of the gender research community of CGIAR. Then, the idea was to provide a mechanism for the wider CGIAR gender community to engage with that meeting – the organisers provided daily discussion updates, and the wider community was asked to contribute their ideas. Since then, the community has grown into a broader community of interest in gender and agriculture with regular sharing of information on events, publications and opportunities.
In October 2024, the GENDER platform convened a face-to-face meeting in India to discuss strategies to make agricultural extension more gender responsive. For this meeting, recognizing the ambitious agenda and limited time, a dedicated online sub-group was created for participants to introduce themselves in advance of the meeting. Alongside their short introductions the contributors also shared the critical factors they saw holding back more gender responsive extension. In the meeting itself, this initial interaction proved useful as people also readily knew something of each other and, interestingly, the critical factors identified proved to be a good match for an evidence review that the organisers prepared. Since the meeting, a few updating messages have been shared and there may be interest to continue the discussions.
KM4Dev end-of-year event
On 18 December 2024, we joined members of the KM4Dev community in an end-of-year event. The session was an occasion to celebrate what the community has achieved during this year and to brainstorm ideas and plan activities around the 25th Anniversary of this long-standing, thriving online community.
Looking forward
To wrap up, here are a few activities and ideas we look forward to taking forward in 2025:
- Virtual exchange: Early next year, we will hold another online Partner-driven, exchange meeting. The program will include a review of the survey results to test the results and implications as well as hearing updates on partners and others on their lessons and innovations around online collaboration and communities of practice. Together, we will capitalize on the experiences from partners and beyond. More details in the new year.
- A database and directory of online groups: A few years back we prototyped the Community Connector – a public, searchable database and directory of online groups and communities in the development and humanitarian sector. As we gain experience integrating information from different online communities and other platforms, we are keen to find partners to explore how we can move the ‘connector’ to a next level that leverages the possibilities offered by API and other integration methods. Drop us a line if you are interested in this initiative.
- Supporting KM4Dev 25th Anniversary: For its 25th birthday celebrations in 2025, KM4Dev is planning a series of events and activities during the whole year. As Dgroups Foundation, we’ll be supporting these efforts by providing the platform that enables planning and implementation of the celebrations. And supporting the process of revamping the KM4Dev website, for a closer integration between the website and the various km4dev-related email groups.
Let us know of any ideas you might like to explore further or discuss – we are always keen to collaborate on joint projects and outreach using online tools and approaches where the Foundation’s networks can add value.