Open Research Conversation: Participants as Co-investigators: Opening up Research with Co-production (12th October 2022)

Recording of an Open Research Conversation session from 12th October 2022. Open Research Conversations are a series of online seminars organised by the University of Sheffield Library, each of which addresses a particular issue in open research. Typically, there are two speakers followed by questions and open discussion.

Questions and discussion were not recorded in order to promote open debate.

All speakers consented to the publication and sharing of their talk.

Speakers:

Vicky Farnsworth, Speakup Self-advocacy Rotherham 

Professor Dan Goodley (iHuman and School of Education, University of Sheffield) 

Professor Matt Flinders (Department of Politics, University of Sheffield) 

Description and abstracts:

Co-produced research opens up the research process to involve research participants themselves in identifying research questions and planning studies. Join Dan Goodley (iHuman and School of Education), Matt Flinders (Department of Politics) and the University of Sheffield Library for a discussion of the challenges, possibilities and power dynamics of co-produced research.

Matt Flinders, Department of Politics

Co-production and co-design have emerged as central principles within the emergent research funding landscape. While generally welcoming this shift towards working across traditional professional, intellectual and organisational boundaries, Matt Flinders raises a set of concerns regarding deference and decline, co-option and control.  His core argument is that 'unthinking' co-production raises a host of political questions about boundaries, relationships and the contamination of research as scholars, practitioners and publics risk becoming trapped in a Faustian bargain.

Dan Goodley, iHuman and School of Education: Co-production with researchers with learning disabilities 

In this talk Dan will share some reflections on working with researchers with learning disabilities (including people who also identify as autistic) on a new ESRC funded project entitled Humanising Healthcare. Dan will discuss the challenges and possibilities of co-production including seeking and obtaining funding, responding to reviewers' comments, working with diverse researchers, collaborating across the social sciences and medicine, developing online methods, driving methodological innovation and co-researchers as research managers and theoretical provocateurs.