Co-producing knowledge in health research is more than just a collaborative exercise.  It is a powerful way to ensure that research genuinely reflects the needs, experiences, and priorities of those it aims to serve.  

At a Public Squares workshop held on 29 October at the Stellenbosch University Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI), Dr. Gill Black and Dr. Chanelle Mulopo introduced participants to the concept of co-production and its value for health research.  

Co-production is defined as the process “where researchers work in partnership with knowledge users to identify a problem and produce knowledge, sharing power and responsibility from the start to the end”. In other words, co-production is a way of doing research with people and recognising communities, policy makers, and practitioners as equal partners in producing knowledge.  

Co-produced research, however, is a lot of extra work and the path is rarely straightforward, so why should researchers engage with it?  

The value of co-production in health research lies in its ability to close the gap between knowledge and practice. This is particularly important in health research where lived experiences of patients, caregivers, and healthcare practitioners can give insights that data and lab experiments cannot. “The concept of co-production is wide and multiple different sectors outside of academia can and should be involved. ​This is why it is part and parcel of transdisciplinary research, seeking to address real-world, complex and often wicked health challenges.”, said Dr. Black.  

Co-produced health research leads to outcomes that are more relevant to those affected, acceptable to communities, and applicable in real-world settings. “The ultimate goal of co-produced health research is to improve health outcomes and quality of care”, explained Dr. Black.  

The main workshop activity entailed participants use their own research as co-production case study examples to identify four key elements of the co-production research process: 1) the big picture vision, 2) the knowledge gap, 3) the knowledge holder and 4) the benefiting partner.  

The workshop concluded with four core principles researchers must consider when undertaking co-produced research:  

1. Context matters: Understand the social, economic, and power dynamics shaping the community or setting. These realities should guide how you design, conduct, and implement co-produced research. 

2. Ensure meaningful representation: Involve a diverse range of people that are affected by the issue and not only those who are easiest to engage with or who have academic knowledge about the problem. This helps avoid reinforcing existing inequalities and ensures that research outcomes are authentic and trustworthy.  

3. Prioritise ethical research: Go beyond formal ethics procedures by protecting the participants’ stories, ensuring informed and ongoing consent, offering fair compensation, and avoiding extractive or harmful research practices. 

4. Bring engagement expertise into the team: Include team members who have the time, skills, and relational capacity to build trust, facilitate participatory methods, and navigate challenges throughout the research process.