Researchers' collaboration toolkit  Co-production

Co-production is a collaborative research approach that brings together academics, community members and other stakeholders to generate knowledge collectively.

Co-production values the input, experiences and expertise of all participants equally, ensuring that research addresses real-world problems by involving those directly affected. This approach promotes inclusivity and democratic knowledge production, challenging traditional research hierarchies.

To engage in co-production effectively, it is important to follow a few key steps: 

• Involve all relevant stakeholders from the outset, ensuring they are part of the research design and not just the implementation.  
• Ensure that power imbalances are addressed, viewing participants as co-collaborators or knowledge producers, rather than simply ‘subjects’ or ‘beneficiaries’.  
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define research questions, design methodologies and develop objectives.  
• Employ a variety of creative and participatory methods – such as interviews, storytelling, mapping or visual methodologies – to engage stakeholders.  
• Keep all partners engaged throughout the research process by maintaining open lines of communication.  
• Be prepared to learn through the process, adjust approaches if needed, and ensure that all stakeholders benefit from the outcomes.

At the University of Leeds, there is a co-production network, that is formed of a community of researchers from across diverse disciplines and schools. This network is committed to working in collaboration with a wide range of external partners locally, nationally and internationally, including local communities, businesses, government agencies and third-sector organisations to co-design shared agendas for collaboration, research and change.

Read more about co-production: Ana Manzano. User and Stakeholder Involvement in Realist Evaluation. 2024. hal-04410009. This paper offers valuable insights on co-production from a realist perspective. 

Learn more about co-production at the University of Leeds, including accessing the LSSI Co-Production Researchers' Toolkit.