Research Network is for…
Research Network helps community organisations turn local knowledge into research that matters. It connects charities, social enterprises and community groups with researchers and partners who want to understand real community issues, not just study them from a distance. Through Research Network, organisations can shape research earlier, raise the profile of the issues they see every day, and build relationships that may lead to new evidence, influence and collaboration.
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Shape research that affects your communities
Bring lived experience, practice knowledge and local insight into research before key decisions are made.
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Make local issues harder to ignore
Use research connections to raise the profile of deep-seated challenges and strengthen the evidence for change.
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Build useful relationships
Connect with researchers, universities and partners working on issues that matter to your organisation.
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Open up collaboration opportunities
Find projects and partnerships that may lead to research involvement, shared learning or funded collaboration.
Community researchers bring research skills into community settings. They may work in charities, peer networks, lived-experience groups, universities, public services or local communities, and may help design research, gather evidence, analyse findings or share learning. Research Network gives community researchers a clearer way to show their expertise, connect with relevant projects, and help research become more grounded in the people, places and issues it is trying to understand.
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Find organisations looking to collaborate
Discover community groups and charities seeking researchers who understand local context and priorities.
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Co-design research that reflects real priorities
Shape studies with communities so research questions and methods reflect what matters on the ground.
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Build a track record of impactful research
Develop a portfolio of community-engaged work that demonstrates meaningful, lasting change.
Research Network helps researchers connect with community organisations, community researchers and local knowledge earlier in the research process. It supports research that is better designed from the start: more relevant to communities, more grounded in lived experience, and more likely to produce useful evidence.
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Access organisations for insight and collaboration
Connect with charities and community groups who can strengthen your research with lived experience.
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Strengthen evidence with community involvement
Improve the quality and relevance of your findings by involving communities throughout your study.
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Increase the real-world impact of your work
Help ensure your research leads to practical change beyond academic publication.
Research Network helps universities, research institutes and research managers understand and strengthen their reach into communities. It gives institutions a clearer view of the relationships, interests and community connections that already exist across their research activity, while helping researchers build better partnerships, strengthen funding applications and evidence impact in their local communities and beyond.
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Equip researchers to find community partners
Give your teams practical tools to build partnerships rooted in local knowledge and need.
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Showcase community-engaged research
Highlight how your institution connects academic work with communities across the region.
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Strengthen regional partnerships
Build lasting collaborations across Lincolnshire and the wider research ecosystem.
Research Network helps NHS, local authority and wider system partners connect research, evidence and community insight across places and populations. It gives partners a clearer view of community relationships, emerging priorities and research activity, supporting better management intelligence, stronger collaboration and more informed decisions about services, improvement and place-based strategy.
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Understand real community health needs
Gain insight into the priorities and experiences that should shape health research and services.
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Improve patient and public involvement
Involve communities earlier so research better reflects the people it aims to serve.
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Address health inequalities collaboratively
Build evidence with partners to tackle unfair differences in health outcomes.
Research Network helps funders and policy-makers see how research connects with communities, local priorities and lived experience. It supports a stronger research system by making engagement needs, gaps and opportunities more visible, and by encouraging research that is shaped earlier by the people and organisations closest to the issues.
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See community involvement improve outcomes
Understand how engaged research leads to findings that create lasting, practical change.
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Inform funding with real-world evidence
Use insights from connected research to shape priorities and investment decisions.
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Track research outcomes and community impact
Follow how funded work translates into benefits for communities and public services.
Search research happening near you
Explore active projects, consultations and partnerships — and find community organisations or researchers already working on topics you care about. No sign-up needed to browse.
"Communities are not just places where research happens. They are part of how good research begins.
A better way to connect research and communities
Join Research Network today and help create research that reflects and strengthens our communities.