Sumernet is a partnership of research institutions active in the Mekong region. It was established on August 13, 2004, by 12 founding members (view here). The draft framework agreement for the partnership envisages collaboration in the design, management and dissemination of programme of activities of the network through direct and electronic consultation, exchange of personnel, supplying of principal investigators for common research projects, and the preparation and submission of research proposals. Membership is open to other research institutions who agree to sign the framework agreement. In the developmental phase (2004-07) logistical and programme support is provided by Stockholm Environment Institute.

• First, without an explicit commitment to sustainable development, current developmental trends can produce harmful social and environmental side effects.
• Second, the surest barrier against the harmful impact of development activities is a sustained commitment to the production of independent, verifiable, and publicly available policy-relevant knowledge (both analysis and data).
• Third, on complex, cross-disciplinary, and politically sensitive issues such as sustainable development, knowledge cannot be produced in an ivory tower; it requires open discussion, debate, and criticism from a variety of perspectives and experiences, i.e. it requires a legitimate, vigorous, and diverse “knowledge community”, which can bring theory together with practice, local commitment with global experience, concrete knowledge with abstract analysis, the dedication of advocacy groups with the detachment of experts, and the legitimacy of the public sector with the entrepreneurship of private actors.

Fourth, such knowledge communities do not emerge spontaneously; they have to built and nurtured through catalytic action by a dedicated support team in order for them to become self sustaining.