Participation is a key issue within Internet research and hence also for the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG). For this reason the institute is going to initiate a thematically focused meeting on Chances and Risks of Social Participation in Berlin on 22 November 2013.The event, which was hosted in co-operation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, will convene a diverse group of collaborators from a broad range of disciplines working on Internet and society issues in Germany, Europe, and internationally. This meeting furthermore adds to the activities of the Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers.International senior researchers are invited to join the discussion and contribute to the various sessions as well as to the public panel discussion. We thereby aim to further research and exchange of ideas around the field of participation. The sessions will, among other things, examine the new extent of collaboration in the field of open source hardware and analyse the difference brought about through technological implementations. Furthermore, we will seek to understand how to make participation most effective, and explore whether it is enabling or hindering democracy.The profound and focused sessions among renowned scientists will be opened to the public in the afternoon. Here a researcher of international renown will hold a keynote speech, summarizing her recent research and thereby set the stage for the presentation of a HIIG study on the epetition platform of the German Bundestag. During the event the scientific community will have the chance to share their insights and prompt the dialogue with politics and society.Alongside the meeting on participation, the annual Early Stage Researchers Colloquium and a meeting of participants of the Network of Centers (NoC) will take place - guaranteeing fruitful and inspiring discussions across disciplines and research institutions.Participation by invitation only. The invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks.