What if research collaboration was less about exchanging evidence and insight across organisations, and more about learning together?
Our new report invites universities and their local partners to strengthen the foundations of their collaborations and develop a shared learning culture to improve outcomes for local people and places.
Inspired by learning from a research collaboration in County Durham between Durham University, Durham County Council and Durham Community Action, the report extrapolates from these experiences to explore how the academic sector and local partners can deepen research collaborations to make them more impactful and connected to local life.
Too often, research collaborations are short-term and inherently transactional in nature, focused on generating evidence of ‘what works’ for a specific problem. This can be helpful, but doesn’t always lead to lasting change – especially when the challenges are complex and cut across sectors.
We believe there’s a bigger opportunity: to see research as a collaborative, convening activity – something we do with others, not just for them. That means bringing together different people, organisations and kinds of knowledge. It means making space for communities, councils, universities, charities and businesses to learn and act together.
The report explores two important shifts that can help:
- A new understanding of research: as a collaborative, ongoing process of shared learning, not just a final report or journal article.
- A systems approach: where a connected system of diverse actors work together to tackle shared challenges
We share practical examples of how people in County Durham have started to make this shift – from creating shared roles, to building long-term relationships, to using funding in more collaborative ways. And we offer practical ways to build the foundations for collaboration, whether you’re taking your first steps or ready to reach for a more ambitious future.
Research can sometimes become a little transactional… about trying to solve policy problems. But there’s something more powerful when it’s energising and connected to lived reality.
– Workshop participant, Durham University
Research is not just about finding the answer to the problems that we have in County Durham, but about using the doing of the research, the activity, the convening power that it has, in a different way. That has a lot of potential.
– Workshop participant, Durham University
To learn more about this work or explore how Collaborate can support partnerships in your place, email [email protected]
This work was partly funded by a bursary as part of NCCPE’s Engaged Futures Catalyst, which aims to build a vision for how universities might be working in more inclusive and engaged ways in 2045 and establish actions to help realise these futures.