Researching in Public: Learning and Legacy in the Connected Communities Programme

This longitudinal research project studies the Connected Communities Programme as a whole. It asks what we can learn from the programme about the implications of community-engaged and interdisciplinary research for participating researchers and collaborators, for the future of universities and for the production of knowledge. The programme is leading to insights relating to the future funding of research collaborations, to the pluralisation of forms of legacy that need to be considered as part of these research processes, to the political economy of research and its implications for individuals working in and across communities and universities.

Phase One (conducted 2013-2015), led by Dr Bryony Enright, comprises interviews with over 100 (university and community-based) participants in the programme; a survey of over 300 participants; workshops with community partners; in-depth case studies of two projects;

Phase Two (to be conducted 2017-2018) will comprise follow-up interviews with participants, repeat survey and workshops to examine how research collaborations have developed over time.

The report from phase one will be available in Autumn 2015.