What we do

We are transformation partners to public and voluntary sector organisations that want to build more collaborative public services, putting people at the centre, creating holistic support and recognising strengths. 

We understand that improving outcomes for communities requires place-based collaboration across all sectors. We help to strengthen partnerships and teams based on collaborative foundations such as a shared vision, strong relationships, collaborative behaviours and understanding the means for collaborative action. 

We design and deliver bespoke programmes to develop collaborative and system leadership skills and behaviours that equip people to address complex challenges.

We know strong, connected communities hold solutions to many of the challenges we face as a society and as a planet. We help organisations to collaborate and engage with civil society, local people and service users through sharing power, co-production and supporting community action.

We help organisations and partnerships understand the importance of learning when tackling complex challenges. We facilitate peer learning and development of learning cultures and capabilities, and co-design new learning tools and frameworks.

Growing the movement for collaboration

As well as supporting organisations and partnerships in the ways described above, we also work to develop the movement for collaboration more broadly in the UK:

  • We work with others in strategic partnerships to develop and promote collaborative practice e.g. our role in developing Human Learning Systems, and ongoing role in co-leading this work as part of the HLS Collaborative.
May 9th, 2023

Collaborate is recruiting for a new Projects & Relationships Coordinator

About us Collaborate CIC is an innovative social consultancy building the thinking, culture and practice of collaboration to help us meet the challenges of today,…

May 9th, 2023

Collaborate is recruiting for a new Research & Evaluation Consultant

About us Collaborate CIC is an innovative social consultancy building the thinking, culture and practice of collaboration to help us meet the challenges of today,…

Apr 26th, 2023

Exploring equity, diversity and inclusion with Human Learning Systems practitioners.

Reducing inequity is a complex and ongoing struggle and one that requires our commitment and persistence. As the Human Learning System (HLS) approach develops, we…

Apr 26th, 2023

Collaborate’s Spring Newsletter

Spring is in the air, and we have a lot of good news to share from Collaborate HQ! Firstly, we’ve published a new – and…

Apr 3rd, 2023

A Guide to Collaboration: the what, why and how of collaborating

Today we’re pleased to publish A Guide to Collaboration: one of the simplest, and also the hardest, things we’ve ever written at Collaborate! Hard because…

Mar 17th, 2023

Putting learning and collaboration at the heart of local systems change funding

Further insights from our work with the British Science Association In January we shared the framework we’ve developed alongside the British Science Association (BSA), exploring…

Mar 10th, 2023

Collaborate is recruiting for a new Business Development and Operations Manager

About us Collaborate CIC is an innovative social consultancy building the thinking, culture and practice of collaboration to help us meet the challenges of today,…

Jan 31st, 2023

Building a collaborative future

The perils of perma-crisis Times are hard. We know the headlines: climate crisis, the enduring impacts of Covid, the cost of living, war in Europe,…

Jan 9th, 2023

Beyond project funding: how can funders nurture healthy systems?

Collaborate has been working with the BSA to help them identify what a healthy system for public engagement with research looks like, and develop a funding programme to support this. This is the first in a series of blogs to share our learning so far.

Dec 14th, 2022

Systems stewardship in practice: What it is and how to get started

Are you trying to collaborate across organisational boundaries but getting stuck due to entrenched behaviours, structures and ways of working? The emerging practice of systems…