CLOSER has established three Communities of Practice designed to cultivate knowledge exchange, share best practice and encourage innovative and collaborative projects.
These professional networks are:
- Data Managers Network
- Data Linkage Working Group
- Longitudinal Communications Network
The Data Managers Network meet twice a year, and the Data Linkage Working Group and Longitudinal Communications Network meet quarterly.
The decision to formalise and open membership to organisations beyond CLOSER’s partner studies (who currently benefit from membership of these professional networks) comes in response to feedback from the longitudinal community and recommendations from CLOSER’s Preparing for the Future conferences.
There was a consensus among the longitudinal research community regarding the need to form Communities of Practice to better share knowledge, promote best practice, and drive progress in a range of important areas, including approaches to methodological challenges, study and data management, and collaborative engagement with policymakers at a strategic level.
CLOSER has sought to address this need by strengthening relationships with longitudinal studies outside of its partnership and creating these professional networks for the benefit of the wider longitudinal research community.
If you are interested in joining one or more of these networks, please contact CLOSER Project Officer, Sophie Robinson: sophie.robinson@ucl.ac.uk
Visit our Communities of Practice page for more information and how to get involved.