Working groups are similar to project groups in that they serve to add value to the formal decision-making committee system and in that they have no authority to make decisions in their own right; but are different from project groups in that they are formed to deal with generic issues, or sets of issues (rather than individual, specific and ad hoc issues), in that, as a consequence, they have an indefinite existence with stable membership (that develops a shared understanding and knowledge of a field of work) and in that they are set up by Senate and/or Council and/or the Institutional Forum. However, flexibility is important, and for this reason any working group may add to its membership, subject to approval by the Nominations Committee. The reports and work of working groups will be in the public domain.