Sponsors and Supporters

The organizers of the XVI Biennial IASC-Conference sincerely thank the following sponsors and supporters for their contribution to make this conference possible.

 

 

		International Association for the Study of the Commons The International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) is the leading professional association dedicated to the commons. Founded in 1989 as The International Association for the Study of Common Property (IASCP), the IASC has devoted itself to bringing together multi-disciplinary researchers, practitioners and policymakers for the purpose of improving governance and management, advancing understanding, and creating sustainable solutions for commons, common-pool resources, or any other form of shared resource. IASC’s goals are: (1) to encourage exchange of knowledge among diverse disciplines, areas, and resource types; (2) to foster mutual exchange of scholarship and practical experience; (3) to promote appropriate institutional design. To achive these goals, the IASC encourages intellectual exchange on policy applications and commons issues through a number of activities, including biennial conferences, as well as regional and thematic workshops and conferences, publications like The Commons Digest and the International Journal of the Commons and creating a knowledge hub on issues on commons and common-pool resources. Read more about the IASC on the information page on this website or at IASC’s website.
		Utrecht University’s strategic theme ‘Institutions’ The researchers of Utrecht University’s strategic theme ‘Institutions’ form a multidisciplinary knowledge centre, comprising scholars from a large number of disciplines, such as economics, history, public administration, law, sociology, ethics, innovation studies, and geography, who have decided to join forces to improve the understanding of the formation and effects of these institutions. By combining their expertise, they contribute to the construction of open and sustainable societies. Their multidisciplinary endeavor is organized around five concrete themes that jointly form the main pillars on which open, sustainable societies are built: cooperation, innovation, sustainability, democracy, and equity. For more info, please visit the website of 'Institutions'.
		Research Team 'Institutions for Collective Action' The Research Team Institutions for Collective Action, led by prof. Tine De Moor and based at the Social and Economic History Department of Utrecht University, engages in researching past and present forms of bottom-up, collective, and self-governed institutions for collective action. The research focus is on the emergence and long-term dynamics of institutions for collective action, ranging from medieval craft guilds and commons in western Europe to present-day cooperatives in Africa, at macro- and micro-level with the aim of contributing to the historical understanding as well as contemporary debates. Related research issues dealt with by the team are among others marriage patterns, elderly care, et cetera. For an overview of past and current projects, visit the team's website
		Agriterra Agriterra is main sponsor of the IASC 2017 Conference. Agriterra was founded by the Dutch agricultural sector and provides expert advice to farmer organizations and cooperatives in developing economies, strengthens them to fight hunger and poverty, and links those organizations to Dutch businesses. Agriterra is the only organization in the world that strengthens cooperatives by using cooperative expertise and peer-to-peer advice from the Dutch agri- & food top sector and is able to do so thanks to Agriterra’s strong roots and network in the Netherlands and abroad. Agriterra’s energetic team consists of 50 motivated professionals who combine scientific thinking with a practical approach, and use this to strengthen farmer ownership and stimulate economic growth. We want to help ambitious farmers worldwide, thereby contributing to socio-economically strong and lively rural areas. Agriterra focuses on organized farmers - this approach allows us to make a large impact in up-and-coming economies: more than 20 percent of farmers in developing countries have already joined organizations to improve their economic position. The activities Agriterra deploys to support farmers’ organizations enhance and accelerate development by addressing three critical issues: (1) agricultural productivity, (2) off-farm rural employment, and (3) the empowerment of farmers. As many of Agriterra's goals are strongly related to the aims and goals of the IASC, Agriterra wholehartedly supports this conference as main sponsor. For more info on Agriterra, please visit Agriterra's website.
		Utrecht Convention Bureau Utrecht is the ultimate city for international meetings. Its central location and unmatched historic setting ensure that the Dom city is a logical place to meet, and Utrecht has anything and everything you might need for a successful congress your participants are sure to remember. The Utrecht Convention Bureau is your independent partner for your (next) congress in Utrecht and is committed to providing your congress or event advice.
		Rabobank Utrecht / Rabobank Foundation Standing stronger together. That's the strength of a cooperative. It is also the idea behind the Rabobank Foundation, the bank's social fund. Investing in people's self-sufficiency is the most important task of the Rabobank Foundation - not only in the Netherlands, but also far beyond it. It is the vision of the Rabobank Foundation that everyone with a desire to grow should be given the opportunity to do so. The Foundation regards the promotion of self-sufficiency as an effective tool for aid and social assistance both domestically (by offering poor and disadvantaged groups the prospect of a sustainable future as well as by supporting national organizations with funding (donations) and knowledge, aimed at creating long-term partnerships on financial resources and expertise in a variety of areas) and abroad (by helping small farmers to obtain access to financing, knowledge and markets through their cooperatives). Read more about the Rabobank, the Rabobank Foundation, and their activities via their webpage.
		Both ENDS Foundation Both ENDS is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that works towards a sustainable future for our planet, by identifying and strengthening civil society organizations (CSOs), mostly in developing countries, that come up with sustainable solutions for environmental and poverty-related issues. Building on such effective alternatives, Both ENDS creates and supports strategic networks capable of promoting social-environmental interests, at the same time directly influencing policies and promoting the vision of Both ENDS vision in prominent national and international fora. More info on Both ENDS can be found via their website
		DuurzaamDoor DuurzaamDoor is a knowledge programme for social innovation, aimed at accelerating developments towards an environmental-friendly and sustainable and helping to effectuate breakthroughs. The programme helps to organize a coherent framework of national, regional, and local initiatives through its ‘social tool kit’ and mutual learning experiences. DuurzaamDoor especially focuses on the social themes ‘energy’, ‘water’, ‘biodiversity’, ‘resources’, and ‘food’. Through networks and coalitions governments, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, researchers, and citizens’ organizations join forces in creating innovative solutions that, at first glance, seem to be unfit as ‘business case’ DuurzaamDoor stimulates, facilitates, and effectuates such initiatives, with a special focus on developments that may have extensive effects through social innovation, such as ‘corporate social responibility’, ‘integral area development’, ‘sustainable production and consumption’ en ‘educational innovation’. Read more about DuurzaamDoor on their website
		City of Utrecht Utrecht is the beating heart of the Netherlands. With a medieval city center small enough to explore on foot. Large enough to enjoy world class festivals, modern architecture, trendy shops and interesting museums. Since Roman times it is at the crossroads of just about everything, a hub for new meaningful ideas and talent. With a population that is the youngest of any Dutch city. Utrecht provides a vibrant, creative, inspirational environment for leading innovations. The city is developing from a medium-sized provincial city into a regional capital of European importance. Utrecht is the fastest growing city and the most healthy city of The Netherlands. On top of that, Utrecht is one of the most happy cities in the world according to the United Nations. Read more about the City of Utrecht via the City of Utrecht website
		Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) was founded in 1808 as an advisory body to the Dutch Government – a role that it continues to play today. The Academy derives its authority from the quality of its members, who represent the full spectrum of scientific and scholarly endeavour and are selected on the basis of their achievements. It is also responsible for fifteen internationally renowned institutes whose research and collections put them in the vanguard of Dutch science and scholarship. As the forum, conscience, and voice of the arts and sciences in the Netherlands, the Academy promotes quality in science and scholarship and strives to ensure that Dutch scholars and scientists contribute to cultural, social and economic progress. As a research organisation, the Academy is responsible for a group of outstanding national research institutes. It promotes innovation and knowledge valorization within these institutes and encourages them to cooperate with one another and with university research groups. Read more about the KNAW on their website