What did we learn from the Collaborate programme about how to build equitable and ethical research partnerships?

In this section, we share insights and learning resources to help your partnership achieve its potential and create a longer-term impact for the people and communities you work with.

Reading this practical guide will help you make the most of a new research collaboration.

How best to approach research collaboration?

• Spend time in each other’s spaces to understand each other’s worlds.
• Have regular check-ins and open and honest conversations.
• Develop a shared commitment to the value of the research.
• See collaboration as co-learning – be curious, willing to listen and open to possibility and learning from each other.
• Embrace complexity – there will be competing interests, power imbalances and diverse perspectives, and it’s here where opportunities for growth and innovation abound.

What to consider when choosing a methodology?

• Think about developing methodologies that draw on the creative partner’s practice – creative methodologies can often generate richer insights that are more person and place-centred.
• Centre the lived experience and voices of cultural participants, so your research can tap into deeper layers of meaning and better understand your impact.
• Allow time and resources to build trust and relationships with research participants and do so with care and sensitivity.

Common pitfalls and how to overcome them

• University processes can cause delays. Build in adequate lead-in time to allow for these and use it to build deeper bonds, share your worlds and enrich your thinking.
• Research funding can often be short-term. Think about how to build a sustainable partnership beyond your initial research. What do you want its legacy to be, and where can you take it next?
• It won’t always go as planned at the outset. Be open to the possibility that you will need to pivot in response to what you learn from each other. All the Collaborate projects had to flex once underway.

Four people look at a piece of research together. Photo © University of Leeds