Selection & Accessibility

We aim to create a welcoming, accessible, and diverse space. Submissions will be selected to reflect a wide range of perspectives, disciplines, and experiences, and to encourage interdisciplinary exchange and conversation. If you’re unsure whether your research fits the definition of ‘participatory research’, scroll down for some examples of participatory research!

We warmly encourage proposals from individuals and groups who are under-represented in research spaces and from those working outside traditional academic settings. If you have specific access needs or questions, please do get in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you and to sharing conversations about inclusive futures for research.

Examples of Relevant Projects

All of the below are examples of participatory research. For more examples and definitions, check out our CREDIT toolkit!

• The Big Windermere Survey (BWS) – an innovative citizen science project assessing the environmental health of Windermere, developed through collaboration between Lancaster University and the Freshwater Biological Association in response to community concerns about water quality.
• Sudan Road Access – a project supporting humanitarian aid delivery in Sudan by helping workers avoid flooded areas. Developed through the Zooniverse citizen science platform, the project enables public volunteers to identify patterns in complex datasets that are difficult for experts or AI alone to analyse.
• The Davy Notebooks Project – a collaborative transcription initiative in which volunteers support researchers at Lancaster University and the Royal Institution to digitally preserve Sir Humphry Davy’s manuscript notebooks, which combine scientific experiments, poetry, travel accounts, and personal reflections.