Communities
of Interest
Communities of Interest are collaborative working groups that provide the space, support and opportunity for the ecosystem to work together to solve difficult challenges and leverage opportunities using the diverse expertise and experience of the Meshpoints Partner network.
What is a Community of Interest?
These collaborative working groups may vary in their objectives and format, but generally should follow the below principles:
- Has identified and documented a clear problem or opportunity area
- Involves a diverse representation of stakeholders who may be impacted by, or could support the defined problem or opportunity
- Has a lead who can assist in driving forward the group
- Has identified a clear objective, purpose and success criteria
- Has a clear and agreed set of roles, responsibilities and cadence of meetings well organised and is easy for participants to interact with and contribute to
What supports exists for a COI?
The Meshpoints Team offers support in creating, facilitating and coordinating with collaborative working groups.
- Coordination and administration – by arranging the meetings, compiling actions and following up with commitments
- Facilitation support – we can help guide the conversation in a structured way using tools we have created.
- Connection with the ecosystem – we can facilitate connections and attract other partners by utilizing our network.
- Support initiative development – we can provide advice on eligibility and program design to fit in the right funding streams.
Joining or forming a Community of Interest
Meshpoints provides the space, support and opportunity for the ecosystem to work together to solve difficult challenges and leverage opportunities using the diverse expertise and experience of the Partner network.
Working groups can be established for one of two purposes:
- Communities of Interest – With a focus on sharing learning, best practices and updates on key movements in specific sectors, but aren’t directly focused on developing a specific initiative for future funding purposes.
- Initiative advancement – Established to collaboratively develop new initiatives, with the intention of applying to the Catalyst Create funding stream.
Explore the funded initiatives that are creating a thriving and resilient innovation ecosystem.
The 2023 Innovation Ecosystem Report showcases a snapshot in time of activities, trends and stories.
Tools to help ecosystem builders
Meshpoints provides the tools, support, and space for ecosystem builders to deliver impact in their communities.