Cumberland HDRC: Co-Production Conference 2026

Partners in Practice: Co producing Research that Reflects Real Lives is an interactive, hands‑on conference designed to bring together Cumberland Council colleagues, community organisations, academics and practitioners to explore how co‑produced research can better reflect the realities of people’s lives. This event is not a “death by PowerPoint” conference. Instead, it offers practical learning, active participation and skill‑building sessions that attendees can immediately apply in their work.

The conference creates a space where we can share what we already know, discover new ways of doing co‑production work, and build confidence in methods that place lived experience at the centre. Participants will not simply listen to examples of co‑production - they will practice it, experiment with approaches, and leave with tools they can apply within their services, teams and communities.

The vision behind this conference is simple:
to learn together, to practice together, and to build research that is created with people, not for them.

This supports our wider mission to strengthen research culture, improve community‑led enquiry and tackle the determinants of health and inequalities across Cumberland.

PURPOSE:

This conference aims to:

• Share learning across Partners
• Build Real Skills, not just Knowledge
• Strengthen Partnerships and Collaborative Practice
• Centre Lived Experience and Real-World Contexts

KEY SESSIONS:

• "Co-producing Funding Applications: Winning Together"
• "From Involvement to Influence: Making Co-Production Work in Practice"
• "Co-Production in Local Authority Practice"
• "Doing the Right Thing: Everyday Ethics in Community Research. Practical examples, solutions and open Q&A"
• Facilitation Techniques in Co-Production"

OUR SPEAKERS:

• Alasdair Macsween
• Aviel Lowndes
• Chantahl Rodwell
• Lianna Barrie
• Liz Harper
• Lula Mecinska
• Suzanne Wilson
• Tom Grimwood

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Cumberland HDRC