ParticipatoryResearch@Bath will investigate what the culture of research with/by/for people looks like at the University of Bath and propose how to create and enhance the conditions for involving people in research in meaningful ways.

ParticipatoryResearch@Bath is funded through the Research England's Participatory Research funding allocation.

Defining participatory research

Participatory research is often used as an umbrella term and encompasses a number of different practices. For this project, we are keeping our definition broad. For us, it is an approach to research that is collaborative, where people whose lives are affected by the issues being researched are equal partners in designing, undertaking, and disseminating research to bring about social change.

It is research that activitely and meaningfully involves citizens and public groups.

A participatory research approach is not restricted to any one particular discipline, what it looks like in practice will be different for different disciplines. It could be engineers working with patients to involve them in the research and development of medical devices or it could be young people in the care system working with academics to carry out research of their experiences.

It is research with/by/for people.

Our approach

ParticipatoryResearch@Bath will be led by the Public Engagement Unit and our approach will build on a decade's worth of experience undertaking culture change work - (Engaged360@-bath and ChallengeCPD@Bath) - and our experience delivering the Community Matters community-based participatory research project. We will draw on this expertise and embed in the delivery of ParticipatoryResearch@Bath the desire to create sustained and sustainable change in the systems we have influence over at the University.

Phase one (March to August 2022)

During phase one of the project, we worked to investigate the culture of participatory research at the University and worked with researchers and communities to better understand the barriers and enablers of involving people in research. An outline of our approach to this first phase is detailed on the Introducing ParticipatoryResearch@Bath blog.

Over the course of the six months of the first phase of the project, we:

• mapped participatory research and public and patient involvement practice at the University. Download the scoping report on participatory research and scoping report on public and patient involvement.

• worked with researchers practising participatory approaches to their research

• worked with the Young Foundation to deliver training sessions on working with communities on research projects.

• carried out desk and interview-based research with colleagues from across the higher education sector and beyond to understand the features of high-quality participatory research and public and patient involvement practice. Download the participatory research benchmarking report and the public and patient involvement and engagement benchmarking report.

• worked with community groups and organisations across Bath and North East Somerset to better understand the needs of people outside the University and the potential barriers and enablers of participating in research projects. Discover the findings from the Community Listening exercise.

• carried out small-scale pilot initiatives to broker relationships between community groups and researchers.

What we found out

This first phase told us lots of rich details about participatory research activities at the University. There are four headline findings from this work: 

• A participatory research approach, as a mindset towards research, is not consistently defined and not used equally across disciplines.

• There was a significant acceptance from researchers, from a wide range of different disciplines at the University, that involving people in the research process can be an important feature of high-quality and meaningful work.  

• Researchers told us they need greater institutional support to enable them to work effectively with citizens in their research.

• Communities and public groups told us that there were limited access points to the University and as an outsider, their view and perception of the University are often limited by that experience.

Whilst these findings were unsurprising there were three findings that felt more novel and emergent for both us at the University and the across the sector:

• There is a high degree of emotional labour involved in research projects that are authentically participatory yet the support structures for those involved felt underdeveloped.

• How citizens can/should be embedded in the broader research ecosystem is not well understood.

• If participating in research is viewed as something different to ‘work’ then other ways to reward and recognise citizen contributions should be developed.

As a result of these findings, for phase two we decided to take a broad interpretation of the term participatory to accommodate a wide range of activities that cover involvement, engagement, participation, and co-production.

Phase two (December 2022 to July 2024)

During phase two of the project, we applied the learning from phase one to scope and test new ways of working together. Over the course of eighteen months of the second phase of the project:

• We established a network of researchers who use or are interested in using participatory research approaches. We initiated a series of lunchtime sharing practice get-togethers open to researchers from all disciplines to offer a safe space for sharing and collaboration.

• We took a participatory approach in developing a new funding call. We co-created the Participate grants with researchers at the University of Bath and community groups. We invested over £74,000 in 14 collaborative research projects.

• We listened to people in community organisations across our local region. Our Project Officer has met with a variety of community organisations to get to know them and explore ways to connect with our researchers around areas of mutual interest.

• We commissioned David Owen to carry out a report on participatory approaches across the whole research system, exploring and drawing out case studies of real and applied practice that illustrate how people and organisations have used participatory approaches.

• We explored the emotional labour of those undertaking relational work in participatory research projects, focusing on research enablers in the first place as their perspective is often absent. To meaningfully involve people in research requires a lot of time and raises issues around supporting the welfare and wellbeing of ourselves and those we work with. We commissioned Dr Jude Fransman and Dr Tigist Grieve to design and implement an exploratory project on Welfare and Wellbeing in Relational Research Work.

• We held a Roundtable event with colleagues from HEIs and the cultural and third sectors. We invited contributors, including The Relationships Project, to introduce the concept of relationship-centred practice. The discussions helped us understand how to identify and advocate for relational work at sector level and what we need to do next as a sector. 

• We presented our findings at conferences including Communicate 2023 and Engage 2024, as well as developing and delivering a webinar, Looking after ourselves and others, for the Engage Academy 2024.

• We are working with the Finance team at the University to improve the payment process and trial some new guidance, creating a public contributor reimbursement policy and associated process based on good practice guidelines by the NIHR.

What we found out

During the last eighteen months, the work we have done has allowed us to dig deeper into what involving people in research looks like in Bath and Northeast Somerset (BANES) and the wider region.

This work has emphasised the importance of taking a relational approach to engaging with communities so that we can support them to engage in university research in a way that works for them.

There are six headline findings from this work:

• Prioritise Building Trusting and Reciprocal Relationships

Through our community engagement work, we are continuing to explore how we can support community groups to engage with university research by taking a flexible approach and enabling community members to engage with / interact with research in whatever way suits their needs. 

• Relational Practice at the Core of Inclusive Research

We recognised that delivering research in collaboration with diverse publics required Public Engagement Professionals (PEPs) to adopt a relationship-centred approach. Our Welfare and Wellbeing in Relational Research Work study revealed that many PEPs felt their relational contributions were often undervalued or overlooked.

• Raising the Profile of Relational Work in Public Engagement

To address this gap, we collaborated with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. Together, we are exploring how best to support PEPs and identify the resources they need to sustain and strengthen their relational practice.

• Participatory Spectrum a Useful Tool to Guide Participatory Research

We found the Spectrum of Public Participation an invaluable tool to guide our work with researchers, with the aim of helping people take a step along the spectrum, and respecting that some disciplines are further along the spectrum than others.

• Take a Portfolio Approach to Funding Participatory Research

By taking a portfolio approach to allocating our Participate grant, we ensured that projects were represented from a variety of disciplines, of different scales, where people were on the spectrum of participation, and across the research cycle. This enabled us to be more inclusive as to where people were on their journey with taking a participatory approach. We have continued to use a portfolio approach to our funding since the Participate call.

• Facilitate Regular Sharing Practice Opportunities for Researchers

Researchers from a range of disciplines and at various career stages benefit from the opportunity to regularly meet with their peers, to deepen their knowledge and good practice, within a safe and confidential space.

The ParticipatoryResearch@Bath End of phase two report outlines our approach and activities that have been delivered as part of the project.

Phase three (August 2024 to July 2025) 

During phase three of the project, we have focused on embedded our work and sustaining all our learning about public involvement in research at the University. Over the last year of the final phase of the project:

• We expanded our community listening work and actively sought new opportunities to connect with people and organisations across B&NES. This has included convening groups (Minerva lectures and Research Assembly) and attending networking events hosted by 3SG and the Bath Social Impact Network.

• We launched a workshop series on measuring and evaluating social impact and commissioned a Measuring Social Impact E-learning course, led by Stacey Pottinger from Octopus Impact.

• We continued to establish and deliver our Connect! events in collaboration with Bath Spa University, supporting networking between researchers and organisations across B&NES. Each event has explored a different theme, from health and wellbeing to green futures, creative activities, and storytelling opportunities.

• We redeveloped the Minerva Lectures as an engaged lecture series, offering the lectures as a platform for community groups and speakers, using different formats to create two-way engagement and sourced lecture topics from the local community.

• We are sharing some of our learnings about the relational practice of Public Engagement Professionals (PEPs) from our Welfare and Wellbeing in Relational Research Work report and from our discussions with our peers, through commissioning a short film produced by Modify Productions. The film aims to raise awareness of relational working and advocate for change within our wider sector.

• We prioritised creating a culture of care within the team and piloted a welfare and wellbeing budget for team members to draw on.

• We supported fourteen collaborative research projects funded through our Participate Grants. Projects ranged from exploring how green spaces can be more accessible to the co-development of a large-scale research bid on child exploitation prevention. We’ve gained a valuable insight into the benefits and challenges for researchers and community partners and the support needed when undertaking collaborative research.

• We developed and expanded our work around Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) and Upstream Engagement, building the capacity and capability of researchers at the University of Bath through commissioning the PRIMER team to deliver training and Hana Ayoob, a science communicator and illustrator, to develop a how to guide resource/session plans.

What we found out 

During the final phase of this project, we have continued to take a relational approach to engaging with communities, researchers and our peers, building deep and trusting relationships and collaborations.

By using a culture change maturity model, we have gained a strong understanding and insight into how to meaningfully and inclusively involve people in collaborative research at the University, learnt how to navigate any barriers and prioritised sharing best practice.

There are five headline findings from this stage of the work.

Creating a Two‑Way Lecture Series Successfully Engages Local Communities with Research Developing the Minerva lectures into a two‑way, community‑engaged format brought together academic and lived‑experience expertise, resulting in more diverse audiences and richer, more meaningful public conversations.

Involving Different Forms of Knowledge Strengthens Engagement and expands forms of participation. Events that combined research insights with community, creative and practitioner perspectives attracted new audiences and demonstrated the value of sharing platforms that bring multiple types of knowledge together.

Shared Spaces for Collaboration Help Address Power Imbalance Our Connect! events created relaxed, informal environments where researchers and community organisations could meet as equals, exchange ideas, and build genuine relationships. These spaces proved important for strengthening trust and supporting more balanced partnerships.

Addressing the Gap in Support for PPIE at the Pre‑Award Stage Researchers told us they needed clearer guidance and more structured support to involve people meaningfully at the earliest stages of project development. In response, we have shifted our focus towards supporting upstream engagement as a core area of practice.

Communities Want Support to Understand and Demonstrate Social Impact Community groups consistently asked for help to articulate their social impact. By sharing University expertise through training, workshops and a new e‑learning offer, we supported organisations to build confidence, develop evaluation skills, and access tools they can use independently.

The ParticipatoryResearch@Bath End of phase three report outlines our approach and activities that have been delivered as part of the project.