Unpacking the power of research partnerships

Since then, we’ve been on an incredible journey. We’ve worked on some really exciting projects with brilliant health researchers, practitioners, and, most importantly, some truly inspiring community groups.

Because of the way we work, creatively, collaboratively, with people at the centre, we’ve often found ourselves acting as a kind of link or bridge between the research world and the communities it hopes to reach. It’s been a fascinating role to grow into, and it’s led us to build connections and partnerships we’re really proud of.

Now, with the support of one of those partners, The Ideas Fund, we’re taking a moment to pause and reflect. They’ve encouraged us to dig a little deeper into this role we’ve played, to be curious about what’s really made our partnerships tick, and to try and capture the ingredients that have helped things work so well.

It’s easy to take those good relationships for granted when they’re flowing. But we think there’s value in stepping back, in noticing, naming, and learning from what’s gone well, and why. We want to understand more about how we can keep doing this work sustainably. And we want to be part of the wider conversation, to share what we’ve learned with others who are on similar journeys.

So this is the start of something.

Over the next few months (and beyond), we’ll be having open, honest conversations with our partners: researchers, services, community organisations, lived experience collaborators, and charities, to reflect on the work we’ve done together. We’ll be sharing bits of that journey with you as we go. The highs, the lessons, the surprising moments. What’s worked, and what’s been hard.

Come along as we get stuck in and dig a little deeper!