Collaborative research

For new evidence and solutions to be incorporated successfully into the decision-making process, there is a need to engage both researchers and stakeholders in the co-production, interpretation and integration of relevant information from across the research, policy and practice communities.

Effective collaboration between researchers and stakeholders at all stages of research can add significant value to a project ultimately resulting in more widely applicable outputs. However, this can often be difficult to achieve in practice with different motivations, timescales and expectations increasing the gap between academic understanding and practical application.

It is therefore useful to capture and share learning and good practice from across successful stakeholder-engaged research projects to help ensure future collaborations are appropriate, realistic and effective.

Contribution from the ARCC Network

A study was commissioned of six interdisciplinary projects within the ARCC network to identify those approaches and activities that drive effective collaborative research. Interviews with researchers and stakeholders provided invaluable insight into the collaborative research process.

Although the key findings and recommendations in this report are derived from projects with a focus on the built environment and infrastructure sectors, they are relevant to other multidisciplinary and stakeholder-engaged research projects and networks, to overarching programmes such as LWEC with a broad remit across a range of subject areas and to funding agencies with a responsibility to ensure maximum impact from funded research.

Collaborative research – lessons for researchers, stakeholders and funding agencies from the ARCC Network

The main report suggests that a flexible, open working relationship between researchers and stakeholders, established early and sustained throughout the project lifetime, is essential. So too is investing time and energy in understanding the value, expectations and contributions that all parties bring to the project.

The summary should be read in conjunction with the full report for a more comprehensive understanding of the study and its findings.