Community Research in Practice: Reimagining Inclusive Futures

We are pleased to invite researchers, practitioners, community organisations, and partners to take part in an event exploring inclusive, community-centred approaches to research: "Community Research in Practice: Reimagining Inclusive Futures".

• Date: 29th April, 2026
• Location: A36 ImaginationLab, School of Arts Building, Lancaster University

Sign up to attend and see more details of the event on Eventbrite.

Draft Programme:

Morning Session, starting 9:30am, to Include:

• Arrival and Exhibition (See the Open Call for Posters if you'd like to get involved)
• Welcome and Context
• Working Prompts for Community-Centred Research
• Introduction to CREDIT Toolkit
• Q&A / Short Reflection
• Exhibition Walk-through and Pop-up stands

Lunch & Networking

Afternoon Session, starting 1pm, to Include:

• Introduction to Symposium
• Lightning Talks / Short Presentations
• Coffee
• Panel Discussion / Question and Answers

Closing Launch & Celebration (until 6pm):

• "Pebbles and Ripples" Graphic Novel Launch
• Drinks Reception, Informal Networking and Exhibition

Graphic Novel

As part of the ongoing work on the RRP project and its principles, we are creating a graphic novel entitled "Pebbles & Ripples" that captures stories from our journey and from researchers working with communities. We are collaborating with Angie and Phoebe from Arc Studio to bring findings to life and share the human stories behind research culture. They use illustration and animation to turn complex ideas into stories that engage, connect, and inspire change. Visual storytelling makes research accessible, memorable, and impactful – extending its reach beyond academic papers. By listening to researchers across faculties, we are illustrating not only their work but also their lived experiences and the communities they connect with.

‘Working’ Prompts for Community-Centred Research

Dr Nuri Kwon has liaised with colleagues throughout the university to discuss community research and derive a set of working prompts for those who want to work with communities. These working prompts are flexible and adaptable questions that can be interpreted, modified, and revisited across different research contexts, stages, and relationships. These prompts are primarily for researchers and research teams engaged in community-centred or participatory research, particularly with marginalised communities and their cultural context sensitivity.

‘Working’ Prompts for Community-Centred Research

Community Research Digital Toolkit (CREDIT)

We have created CREDIT (Community Research Digital Toolkit) to provide a structured means of exploring the implementation of community research (including citizen science, participatory research, etc). This includes signposting and downloadable resources to support your planning. After a general introduction, the first step is to consider if this is the right approach to take and to start thinking about the ethics involved. The toolkit then provides the opportunity to reflect on different aspects of planning. The pathway ends with thinking about legacy and data management.

We talked to a number of researchers at Lancaster to gather information and inspiration. These are presented as a set of community research case studies.

We are currently working with colleagues in the library to move the toolkit out of beta and house it permanently as a Lancaster-hosted resource.

Micro:bit as a Tool for Research

The micro:bit is a pocket-sized, user-friendly, reprogrammable computer, which has been adopted globally in classrooms by over 38 million children. Using a block programming platform called Microsoft MakeCode, users can customise what data to collect and when, by dragging and dropping blocks together, like jigsaw pieces.

Its open platform, low cost, ease-of-use and extensive library of supporting materials also make it a great tool for use in community research. As part of the Reimagining Research Practices project, Dr John Vidler is extending the micro:bit by making it work with additional sensors. This is to empower anyone to use it as a research tool via user-friendly interfaces and low-code tools. Reusable devices for research are also an important contribution to sustainable research practices.