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A Case-Study of Collaboration

    Wednesday 26 March 2025

    By Julia Cons and Prema Nirgude

    Setting the Scene

    This piece is part of an essay called “Building Community Engagement into Place-Based Research Agendas: Constructing the Co(l)laboratory”, written for the British Science Association as part of a UKRI funded essay series on community engaged research.

    The Co-Lab programme brings researchers and community leaders together to explore new approaches to pressing local challenges. In this discussion, Julia, a PhD researcher, and Prema, her community supervisor and Head of Insights and Engagement at the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, share their experiences.

    What motivated you to get involved in the Co-Lab programme?

    Julia: Julia’s route to a PhD has been anything but conventional. “I am a living testament to the notion that education is – sometimes, anyway – wasted on the young,” she says. Leaving university after a term in her youth, she returned to education two decades later to complete a journalism degree, graduating with first-class honours. Balancing full-time work and family life, she went on to pursue an MBA, a gruelling process that coincided with raising four teenagers and navigating the challenges of the pandemic. “It took a couple of years to recover from the combination of full-time work, four teens, a fast-track MBA, and a pandemic,” she recalls.
    When the idea of a PhD began to take shape, Julia realised the financial and logistical hurdles were significant. “Co-Lab made the impossible feel possible,” she explains. “The supportive environment and the focus on funding made it accessible for someone like me”
    “It was a case of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’, I became obsessed with the search for a funded PhD as this was the only way I could realistically make it happen, in an area about which I felt passionate. I was immediately blown away by the idea of Co-Lab, particularly the supportive aspect of working with a peer group. I feel incredibly lucky to have found this opportunity.”

    Prema: “I was already connected to Co-Lab via my work on various bits to do with deliberative democracy when I was invited to become a community supervisor. From my perspective, I think the concept of Co-Lab is excellent – this idea that you don’t have to have that kind of textbook academic career. I really like this idea of looking at people who are from the local area and equipping them to go on this PhD journey.”

    Which community challenges are you focusing on? How do they align with your experiences and passions?

    Julia: “I’m researching deliberative democracy in the NHS at a local level. As soon as I saw this project advertised, I felt as if it had been dreamt up for me. I have a long history of working alongside NHS organisations, helping to ensure that patients and the public have a genuine voice in decision-making processes… Undertaking this research has led me to learn so much more about ways to be improve my practice and create a better approach for everyone involved in this work.”

    Prema: “We started off with a really broad topic of deliberative democracy. Through sharing my priorities and talking about work we’ve been doing locally, Julia was able to think to herself, ‘Well, okay, this is one of those wicked problems.’ The approach she’s taken – a case study approach – is super helpful from my perspective because we often don’t have as much time as we would like to critically look back on the work we’ve done to engage people and communities. Julia’s PhD is giving us space to do that.”

    How has working together influenced the research process from your perspective?

    Julia: “While having my fees and a stipend covered made my PhD possible, I get more from it than that. I am one of a small group of researchers, all at a similar stage, and all facing some of the same challenges. We support each other, we share our experiences, we laugh together, and occasionally one of us is overwhelmed by PhD or just by life, and we cry together. The additional support that comes from being part of a structured programme makes it easier.”
    “My community partner and supervisor, Prema, has been invaluable throughout my journey, offering support and encouragement, introducing me to people, and inviting me to events. As I reviewed the existing literature and considered the direction my research would take, she helped me place the ideas I was formulating into the local healthcare context, which enhanced my understanding of local issues… Aside from all that, she’s just lovely to work with!”

    Prema: “Julia’s focus on real-life case studies gives us a chance to reflect critically on past initiatives. Her work allows us to step back and say, ‘What did we do well? What did we do differently? What can we change for next time?’. This kind of in-depth, critical analysis is not always something that we have the space to do, and it’s one of the ways her research is influencing practice.”

    Has being part of Co-Lab changed your thoughts on what research is, how it’s done, or who can do it?

    Julia: “Co-Lab made it possible for me to undertake my research and the same is true for others in the co-hort. I’m now part of a really driven and diverse, bunch of people – the Co-Lab initiative has introduced some amazing researchers into the world of academia!”

    Prema: “I think the value of having researchers who are part of the local community is brilliant. Julia lives in Nottinghamshire, and she’s doing work that will influence health and care services in her area. That sort of community link brings a motivation and authenticity to research that’s hard to achieve otherwise.”

    How has being part of the Co-Lab project shaped your perspective and future goals?

    Julia: “Although I initially had little interest in working in academia, I have started to consider whether I might, in fact, be ready for a bit of a career change… My future goals are far from shaped, but I’m taking each stage as it comes and keeping my options open.”

    Prema: “Julia has a lot to offer – whether she chooses to pursue a career in the NHS or explore an academic career. Personally, I hope her work will help to elevate the prominence of citizen voice in healthcare research. Too often, patient and community input can feel secondary to operational or financial priorities. Julia’s research has the potential to bring a cultural shift, ensuring that patient experiences and voices are seen as integral, not peripheral, to how services are designed. That would be a transformative legacy of her work.”

    Final Thoughts

    The Co-Lab programme demonstrates the power of collaborative research to drive meaningful change. For Julia and Prema, it has been a journey of mutual learning and shared purpose, offering a valuable insight into how research can make a real difference to the lives of those in their local community.

    Julia Cons is a Co(l)laboratory PhD candidate. Prema Nirgude is Head of Insights and Engagement at the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, and is Julia’s PhD Community Supervisor.