Monday 25 March 2025
What is required of community professionals and what support do we offer?
Who can be a Community Supervisor on Co(l)lab Research Project?
Anyone from a Leicester(shire) or Rutland organisation who’s work has a focus on the local community, whether that be large organisations such as NHS bodies and City or County Council departments, or smaller organisations such as local charities, schools, community interest groups, etc.
What do community partners get?
Community-based partners who are part of project proposals which go on to be funded will be able to benefit from a range of unique opportunities, as well as the benefits of the research.
- Participation support payments: Community partners who take on the role of Community Supervisors in active projects are entitled to claim support payments of £50 per half day, to support their participation in key elements of the project, such as recruitment, induction, and supervision meetings.
- Join an active community of fellow community professionals: Community partners will join a growing community of practice network, made of up of professionals from local organisations who are collaborating with us on our research projects. You will all be directly supported by the Co(l)laboratory team to share best practice between yourselves and in getting the most out of your collaboration with us, for you and your organisation.
- Access to research training and resources: Community partners and wider colleagues from their organisation will have access to a bespoke series of research skill CPD sessions. These course offer a practical introduction to core research competencies, concepts and tools that can be applied to solving a wide array of challenges that many community-focused organisations currently face. Community partners will also receive associate access accounts to both partner universities, offering direct to world-class researcher development courses, academic resources and more.
- Addressing challenges important to you and your organisation: By collaborating with university researchers in supporting and guiding a Co(l)laboratory Research project, you will have the opportunity to have challenges relevant to your organisation and the communities you work with to be addressed through the research projects.
What is the role of a Community Supervisor?
Main time commitment:
- Contribute your insights and experience to the co-creation of the research project.
- As part of an active research project team
- Participate in candidate shortlisting and interviews
- Attend a x1 full-day induction event (PhD projects only)
- Attend x3 meetings per year plus email correspondence
Be a critical friend to the research candidate
- Attend “supervision meetings” to listen to updates from the candidate, and to provide your comments and questions in response.
- Provide the candidate with construct challenge to their ideas and approaches, based on your expertise and experiences.
Open doors to the community
- Introduce the candidate to your world.
- Where possible/necessary, share data, insights, reports, contacts, etc., with the candidate to help enrich the research and make it more relevant and responsive.
- Help the candidate and academic supervisors understand the picture “on the ground”.
Work with other supervisory team members to guide the research project
- Research relationships work differently to that of more typical, professional, manager-employee relationships.
- The role of a research supervisor, whether an academic or community partner, is not to provide a to-do list of task, but support the development of the candidate for the good of the research