This event will be hosted by the University of South Australia's Centre for Rural Health and Community Developmen

Building on an initial gathering in Townsville, Australia, and on four previous conferences held in Vancouver Island, Canada; Inverness, Scotland; Abingdon, USA and Udaipur, India, the 2012 IRN World Forum in the Upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia, will bring together practitioners, policy makers and scholars with an interest in regional, rural and remote communities across the world.

IRN gatherings emphasise the sharing of practical experience and the value of local knowledge in addressing local challenges.   This is especially important in the areas of community and economic development, health, education, culture and environment.   The theme of IRN 2012 is Rural and Remote Resilience:  Making the Priorities Possible.  A key aim of IRN 2012 is to attract presentations which join together community groups and practitioners with researchers / academics and or policymakers / industry.

IRN 2012 will focus on participation. There are options for academic scholarship, storytelling and themed workshops. IRN 2012 will also include a forum for PhD students with a half day colloquium and panel session planned.