EDIT (NHM intranet)

For the second time in its history the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections is coming to Europe. Join us to make it the largest event in Europe dedicated to natural history collection preservation, management and strategies.

Objectives

• build a sustainable European infrastructure operating under a common research mission
• integrate physical (collections, labs, archives) and digital infrastructure
• create an infrastructure for and guide developments in DNA-barcoding in Europe
• streamline the European infrastructure for species information
• build a bioinformatics toolbox for nature conservationists and other stakeholders

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to participate in a new collaborative project designed in the framework of the EDIT Public Awareness activities (WP8) to which some of you have already contributed (Brussels Workshop, 13-14/3/2008).

These two projects aiming to deliver a positive image of "modern taxonomy" have been selected after close consultation of various experts:

Work Package 8 "Training and Public Awareness" is currently working on the development of a training centre: the EDIT's  Distributed European School of Taxonomy (DEST).

Below you will find a draft proposal on the infrastructure outline of DEST. The purpose of this document is to gather various opinions, suggestions, comments from our EDIT partners and non-EDIT partners concerned with training in taxonomy. On page 9-10 of the document you will find a list of issues about which we would like to have your feedback.

EDIT and SYNTHESYS will organise a workshop called Broadening the user base of natural history collections on November 4-5, 2008 at RBINS that brings together collection users and managers for more info click here .

We are in the process of inviting the key-note speakers from the wider user community.

The European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT), an infrastructure currently in its project phase but aiming to start operations at sustainable level in 2011, aims to sign co-operation MoUs with international networks/infrastructures and have this co-operation running as of 2009. Hence, work package 3.5 (WP3.5) would like to organise a short workshop to improve contacts and create a platform to discuss and agree how the collaboration will better suit all parties.







POINTS OF DISCUSSION FOR EDIT AND POTENTIAL MoU PARTNERS



A. General items

EDIT will be present at the Ville Européenne des Sciences event in Paris (14-16 Nov. 2008). This European Science City (directly linked to the French presidency of the EU) is a very large event reaching a wide and general audience, and the Museum in Paris is booking a space there.