Ignite Partnerships: Toolkit Strengthens Community-Led Research

What if the people most affected by social challenges were the ones leading the research into them?

That’s the question at the heart of a new collaboration between the University of Brighton and the Trust for Developing Communities (TDC). Together, they’ve co-developed a practical toolkit that empowers local people to become peer researchers - gathering lived experience to shape services and influence change.

The toolkit builds on earlier Ignite projects and is already making an impact. It’s being used to inform funding bids, support NHS training, and capture the effects of the cost-of-living crisis. It’s also helped secure a £236,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership to establish a national community research function at TDC.

As Athol Halle, CEO of TDC, explains:
“If you're going to try and fix difficult social problems, then you've got to find out what's really going on. The people who have got the most insights are those at the sharp end experiencing poverty and exclusion.”

This film explores how community-led research, supported by academic partnership, can build trust, amplify unheard voices, and drive meaningful change.

Igniting change

Community university partnerships make a difference. They enrich teaching and offer research impacts but, just as importantly, create tangible benefits for local people. The University of Brighton has pioneered the development of such partnerships since forming its pioneering Community University Partnership Programme – CUPP – in 2003.

In 2018 CUPP went on to develop Ignite, a programme that supports community university partnerships and projects. Our most recent programme, Ignite 3, has been supported by funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).

For more information on CUPP and Ignite visit: http://www.brighton.ac.uk/cupp