WikiConference India 2025

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Update on WCI 2025 Planning and Rescheduling

Prepared by: Current Core Organizing Team (COT)
Date: 20th May 2025

Overview

Planning for WikiConference India 2025 (WCI 2025) began in September 2024 with the objective of cultivating collaboration across Indic Wikimedia communities. A Core Organizing Team (COT) was established, comprising dedicated volunteers and members of the Centre for Internet and Society – Access to Knowledge (CIS-A2K). The planning process was carried out collaboratively by the COT with essential support from CIS-A2K, the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), and volunteers from Indic Wikimedia communities as the organising team / all-hands team.

Update on the Approved grant:

A major challenge arose in March 2025 as the FCRA renewal application submitted by CIS was rejected, making it ineligible to receive foreign funds, including those for the conference. This affected WCI 2025 and other CIS-A2K programs. Despite this setback, the COT acknowledges CIS’s continued support and stands in solidarity with the organization.

Following the funding disruption, the COT—operating entirely on a volunteer basis and in coordination with WMF—explored alternatives. Two options were proposed by the WMF Conference Fund Officer:

• Organize a scaled-down version of WCI 2025 with limited resources and compressed time frame.
• Defer the conference and submit a new funding proposal under the India Conference Project in the upcoming grant cycle.

After careful consideration, the COT concluded that a reduced-scale conference would compromise the spirit and quality of the event. Therefore, in consultation with WMF, the decision was made to reschedule WikiConference India, with a new funding request to be submitted by September 2025. The tentative new date for the event will be post-March 2026.

The original grant ( USD 206,166.95) was cancelled and the unused budget of USD 86,762.49 was returned to the WMF Conference Fund pool.

Acknowledging the work:

Despite the significant funding setback, a remarkable amount of substantial preparatory work was completed over several months. This extensive effort laid a crucial foundation for WCI 2025, demonstrating the dedication and resilience of the organizing team. Key activities undertaken during this period included:

• Working group structure: For the WCI2025 four sub teams were formed for focusing and coordinating the activities. Design, Operations, Communications, and Collaborations groups were formed and each member was added to the team based on their experience and expertise.
• COT structure: It was a mutual consensus between the co-organiser and broader organising team that new members with diverse experience can join the crucial team for planning and executing the WCI2025. So the COT was formed after careful consideration and decided to include members who were not part of the previous iterations of Wiki Conference India in 2011, 2016 or 2023. One staff member from CIS was included in the COT who was also part of WCI 2023 COT to add best value of the time and smoother coordination with the CIS being the co-organiser.
• Meetings and coordination: The COT, with support teams, CIS-A2K, and the Wikimedia Foundation, maintained an active and structured meeting cadence to ensure effective planning and coordination for WCI 2025. Between September 2024 and April 2025, 36 coordination calls were held, including 10 dedicated COT-only meetings from January to April 2025. All meetings were thoroughly documented, and an attendance tracker was maintained for all meetings.
• Budget Revision: As the proposed grant was designed as per “Bangalore” as the conference location and later on after the call for city selection, Kochi was finalised as the conference host city, for smoother planning and execution, the conference budget was revised by the COT members Chinmayee, Jinoy, Ranjith, and Manoj. - Rework of WCI 2025 Final Budget
• Progress tracking: To ensure WCI 2025 stayed on track, the timeline tracker was created and regularly updated by the COT members. The timeline reflects current statuses, identifies potential bottlenecks, and ensures all tasks remain on schedule for WCI 2025 This process helps monitor progress, spot potential delays, and keep all tasks aligned with the schedule.
• Stakeholder and Venue Coordination: Extensive coordination with WMF staff (Erin Morris, Rachit) and local team members (Ranjith, Soni, Jinoy, Pavan, Chinmayee) was undertaken to negotiate venue arrangements in Kochi.
• Theme and Branding: The communication team developed a draft theme, drawing from valuable inputs provided by the broader team. Following this, they initiated the logo design process with a selected vendor who had prior experience working with Wikimedia conferences in India.
• Re-envisioning the Conference: Considerable effort was invested in adapting the conference vision to suit limited funding conditions. This involved a thorough re-evaluation of the initial plans and budget to ensure the event remained impactful and aligned with the core goals despite the financial constraints.
• Tool Testing and Setup: COT members tested various tools such as Leantime, Eventyay, Pretix, and Pretalx to prepare for a hybrid event setup.

The COT expresses heartfelt gratitude to all volunteers and contributors for their dedication, energy, and input during this phase.

Looking Ahead: WCI 2026

Given the groundwork already laid, the COT proposes to retain Kochi as the host city for the rescheduled WikiConference India 2026. This recommendation is, however, subject to broader discussion and consensus within the broader organising team and WMF.

Commitment and Next Steps

This update on the grant has been communicated to the organising team and during the South Asia call. The COT reaffirms its commitment to: Transparent communication, Collaborative planning and Inclusive decision-making. In the next step, a new conference funding proposal will be submitted to WMF under the India Conference Project in the upcoming grant cycle. This closure update serves to the collective efforts, reflect on achievements, and outline the rationale for postponement. If the grant gets approved, and as preparations begin for WCI 2026, the Indic Wikimedia community will be updated formally before we start planning for the conference in 2026.