In this blog Fran Morland, Research Partnerships Coordinator, and Beth Reeves, VCSE Engagement Manager at VONNE, share their reflections of our recent event, which explored the support, barriers and enablers to building effective research partnerships and ensuring effective community engagement in health research.
This month VONNE co-delivered a cross-sector event; Collaboration for Health – Strengthening Relationships Between Research and the VCSE Sector, alongside other key delivery partners.
We spent the morning presenting VONNE's VCSE Research Partnerships work to over 40 attendees, representing a range of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and health research organisations from across the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) region.
Alongside Fran Morland, Research Partnership Coordinator at VONNE, speakers included:
- Vicki Harris, Head of Public Partnerships Newcastle Health Research Partnership & Clinical Research Directorate
- Luisa Wakeling, Director of Engagement at Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences
- Grace Gardner, Public Involvement and Community Engagement Lead at Newcastle Health Determinants Research Collaboration
- Mandy Cheetham, Public Involvement and Community Engagement Lead at Gateshead Health Determinants Collaboration
The event highlighted the strong commitment across the region to involving the VCSE sector in health and care research. Presentations showcased the wide range of support, resources and infrastructure already available to help make community engagement in research successful.
We joined breakout discussions, with our table focusing on the barriers and enablers to building effective research partnerships. Creating a space where researchers and VCSE representatives could speak honestly about their experiences as equal contributors was invaluable.
The key takeaways from the discussion were:
1. Reciprocity goes both ways
There is a need for research partners to also respond quickly and flexibly, as examples were shared of opportunities being missed due to slow responses from academics, even when funding is ready to go.
2. Differing priorities can create friction
Researchers may be driven by the need for academic outputs and pressure to publish research, whereas VCSE partners are more focused on putting the research into action to bring about positive change. When these motivations aren’t aligned, engagement and communication can break down.
3. Poor communication undermines trust
Past experiences of extractive research has caused some mistrust within the VCSE sector. Irregular communication, unclear partnership agreements, and jargon‑heavy language can all be barriers to engagement. However, VCSE partners are well‑placed to advise on making communication around research accessible.
4. System-level barriers persist
Many researchers are committed to meaningful community engagement, but institutional systems can still get in the way. Bureaucracy, inflexible funding structures, and lack of ongoing support for Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) throughout research projects mean that experiences depend too heavily on individual researchers, rather than a culture of meaningful engagement.
5. Support exists, but awareness and access need strengthening
Training, grants, and brokerage services, like VONNE's VCSE Research Partnerships support, are available to help both researchers and VCSE organisations build confident partnerships. The challenge now is ensuring these resources are promoted and consistently available across the sector.
You can read the summaries of all the table discussions here.
A short report about the event can be found here.
It was great to be surrounded by likeminded individuals that all recognised the value of involving the VCSE sector as an equal partner in research. We are looking forward to applying the learning and feedback from this to our VCSE Research Partnerships work as it continues to develop to ensure it is meeting the needs of both the VCSE and research sectors.
Are you interested in learning more about VONNE's Research Partnerships work and support offer? Visit our programme webpage here for more information and you can join our Research Partnerships Network to receive our health and care research bi-monthly bulletin.