The Co-Production Futures Inquiry aims to propose actionable measures to overcome systemic barriers to participatory and co-produced research within universities and the broader higher education sector. Professor Beth Perry from our Urban Institute is co-leading the work with Professor Catherine Durose, Heseltine Institute at the University of Liverpool, Professor Liz Richardson, Department of Politics at the University of Manchester.
Co-Produced and Participatory Research is a big part of the national and international research agenda, which is why it is firmly embedded within our Research Culture Action Plan and is an important aspect of excellent impact.
Response to the call for evidence
The Co-Pro Futures Inquiry’s national Call for Evidence had an impressive response with a total of 94 submissions from 87 individuals/organisations, which provided a total of 239 individual pieces of evidence in a variety of formats, including testimonies, reports, articles, case studies, toolkits, videos, recommendations and examples of solutions. This evidence came predominantly from researchers and professional services staff from a diverse range of UK Higher Education Institutions. However, we also received submissions from funders, charities, Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), government bodies, and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs). The submissions spanned diverse disciplines, with the highest proportion from the Social Sciences.
The evidence confirms a clear and widespread acknowledgement of significant barriers to conducting participatory and co-produced research across UK HE. Over half of the submissions highlighted these recurring barriers. These include issues trying to pay co-researchers, the constraints of short or linear funding timelines, ethics procedures being misaligned with the realities of co-produced research, and the prioritisation of more ‘traditional’ research outputs. Such issues are felt across the entire lifecycle of participatory projects, impacting researchers from doctoral level to senior academics, as well as professional service staff and community partners.
Next steps
The report was presented to the Inquiry's Community Reference Group in June, before being presented to the Inquiry Panel in Liverpool in July. At this event, funders and other key stakeholders across the sector discussed how to move from insight to action in what many acknowledged is a crowded and sometimes contradictory landscape. A key question emerged from this session: How do we ensure this work lands and makes a difference?
Over the summer, the team will be conducting a secondary review on the institutional conditions and barriers to doing co-produced and participatory research. This will complement and address any gaps identified in the Call for Evidence summary report. The team is also aiming to make the evidence available in an open-access archive database and will be in contact with everyone who submitted to the Inquiry in due course to request permission to include your materials.
Response to the Call for Evidence and Ideas
How to stay up to date with the project progress:
Join the Co-Pro Futures LinkedIn group
Follow on BlueSky - @coprofutures.bsky.social
If you have any questions please contact: coprofutures@gmail.com