Knowledge in Civil Society or KICS
is a forum for conversations amongst activists, practitioners and academics on issues relating to science and democracy, cutting across different sectors. KICS has been started as a platform to deal with hitherto neglected aspects of science and democracy, to lead to a more people-centric science and technology policy, education, projects and regulation. KICS seeks to bring about change through a process of dialogue, common exploration and joint work by various stakeholders. The effort is to ensure that touchstones like sustainability, plurality, people-centrism, justice etc., drive any effort in the context of Science & Technology for Development.
As a forum or space, KICS promotes pro-people alternatives and dissenting viewpoints, allows for articulation of non-conventional views and debates that cannot find easy voice elsewhere. It seeks to open up spaces for public policy on issues relating to science and democracy.
Started in 2005 as an initiative supported by Centre for World Solidarity (CWS) in Hyderabad, KICS has many forms of functioning.
KICS TRUST
As a registered trust, KICS Trust works out of Hyderabad and has five Trustees: Prof Prajit Basu (Managing Trustee), Sri M V Sastri, Prof Shambu Prasad, Sri N Sreekumar and Ms Kavitha Kuruganti. The trustees are supported by another small team of people including Dr V Rukmini Rao, Ms Rajni Bakshi, Dr Chitra Krishnan, Prof Wiebe Bijker and Sri John D'Souza in taking the mandate forward. A Research Associate - Sri Joseph Satish - takes the responsibility for project management in KICS.
Associated with KICS network are eminent individuals like Dr A R Vasavi, Dr D Narasimha Reddy, Dr Dinesh K Mishra, Dr G V Ramanjaneyulu, Dr Haribabu Ejnavarzala, Dr Harish Naraindas, Dr Hema Swaminathan, Dr Julia Quartz, Dr Madhulika Banerjee, Dr N K Sanghi, Dr Prakash Vinjamuri, Dr Rama Melkote, Dr Rekha Pappu, Dr Sagar Dhara, , Dr Vamsi Vakulabharanam, Ms Annapurna Mamidipoodi, Ms Radha Kunke, Ms Radhika Gajjala, Prof Shiv Visvanathan, Sri A Ravindra, Sri C Udayakumar, Sri Deepak Malghan, Sri Gnanaprakasam, Sri Himanshu Thakkar, Sri M V Ramachandrudu, Sri Pankaj Sekhsaria, Sri R V Ramamohan, Sri Ramasubramaniam, Sri Shripad Dharmadhikary, Sri Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Sri Sunil Sahasrabudhey, Sri Suresh Kosaraju, Sri Venumadhav Govindu, Sri Walter Mendoza etc. As is evident, people associated with KICS in its dialogues are from the world of activism, academics and practice of alternatives.
The electronic forum currently has a main group and a sub-group on agriculture.
