Outputs
Reports
Doubling Down not Ducking Out: Why Co-Production of Research Matters Now
This report is the final output from the Co-Production Futures Inquiry – a collective intelligence-gathering exercise bringing together evidence on how UK higher education can “get its own house in order” to better support co-produced and participatory research. The report reflects on how far we have travelled and provides a system-wide call for action to double down, not duck out, on creating better conditions for co-production in research.
Response to the Call for Evidence and Ideas
In our second report, we synthesised the evidence gathered through the Co-Pro Futures Inquiry’s national Call for Evidence and Ideas, conducted between 5 December 2024 and 28 February 2025. The report outlines the size and scale of the problem, as well as solutions currently being tried and tested around four main themes: Fair Funding, Negotiated Ethics, Equitable Partnerships, and Responsible Metrics.
Getting Our House in Order
In our introductory report, we introduced the Inquiry, including why and how we are doing it, and what the Call for Evidence and Ideas aims to achieve.
Videos
Urban Radar Podcast: Universities and Urban Co-Production
Catherine Durose (Co-Pro Inquiry co-lead) joins Tom Goodfellow and Beth Perry in this episode of the Urban Radar Podcast from the University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester. They discuss co-production - what it means, why it matters for urban researchers, practitioners and residents and what conditions we need within universities to do it well. Catherine is also joined by Beth Chitekwe-Biti, Executive Director of Slum Dwellers International (SDI) Secretariat and Community Knowledge Lead for the African Cities Research Consortium (https://www.african-cities.org/). Listen to the podcast
Final webinar: Doubling Down not Ducking Out: Why Co-production of Research Matters Now
In this webinar, we share our learning and sector-wide recommendations for improving the conditions for participatory and co-produced research in UK higher education, drawing on two years of collective intelligence gathering. In the webinar, we discuss our strategies for change for each part of the system – co-researchers, researchers, professional services, university leadership, funders, and government – and hear from members of the Inquiry about what they can do to 'get their own house in order'.
Meeting People Where They Are: Co-producing Research with Communities
Workshop findings and webinar In this online Webinar, Dr Bryony Vince-Myers and Dr Al Mathers share learnings from a workshop conducted for the Co-Production Futures Inquiry on what a good experience of working with the university as a community researcher would look and feel like. They reflect on what works well, what needs to change, and emerging initiatives already working to support equitable and inclusive partnerships.
Building on the Call for Evidence and Ideas
Short film and live scribes Our live scribes and film summarise reflections from our Inquiry Panel Orientation event in Liverpool in June 2025, where we presented findings from our Call for Evidence and Ideas. The film, by Sean Lovell, shares reflections from our co-leads, panel members and colleagues from across the UK higher education sector on the challenges faced in undertaking participatory research, and how we can move from insight to action in a crowded and sometimes contradictory landscape.
What is the Co-Production Futures Inquiry?
Our short film by Sean Lovell provides an overview of the Inquiry and the people and motivations behind it.
Launching the Call for Evidence and Ideas
In this webinar, Beth Perry explains why the Co-Pro Futures Inquiry is essential and how to contribute evidence and ideas.
Blogs
How to mobilize the agile science needed in a crisis
The Inquiry was featured in Nature's Editorial, which positions co-production as a critical part of the research and innovation system needed to facilitate the fast, collaborative, responsive and inclusive research that aids global decision-makers. Read the editorial
Can we build institutional support for co-produced research?
Co-production is invoked as a means of creating research impact, but it is poorly supported by research institutions. Here, Beth Perry, Catherine Durose and Liz Richardson present the Co-Pro Futures inquiry, which aims to put co-production on a firmer footing in UK higher education. Read the blog article: Can we build institutional support for co-produced research?
