Participatory Research sounds great – but how do we make it work?

city2science supports researchers, research consortia and institutions in implementing participatory research in an effective, reflective and fundable way. In January 2026, we have enhanced our services with qualification, scientific process facilitation and proposal support for participatory research processes.

An increasing number of funding programmes and institutions expect societal engagement, co-creation and impact. At the same time, practice shows that the success of participatory research does not depend solely on good ideas or suitable methods. Rather, it hinges on the quality of collaboration, the deliberate design of interactions, and the clarification of roles and expectations (Cravens, A.E., Jones, M.S., Ngai, C. et al. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 9, 256 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01217-1).

Participatory research therefore places high demands on role clarity, stakeholder engagement, scientific process facilitation and process design – competencies that are often only marginally addressed in traditional academic training.

Building on our many years of experience in public engagement, science communication, open innovation, stakeholder involvement and facilitation, city2science offers an integrated service portfolio from January 2026 onwards. It combines qualification, process support and proposal development in a modular and flexible way, tailored to the needs of individual projects.

Our goal is to support researchers in designing Engaged Research not as an additional task, but as a coherent, feasible research process.

What We Mean by Scientific Process Facilitation

Scientific process facilitation refers to the professional design and support of collaborative research processes – especially where different disciplines, forms of knowledge and societal perspectives come together.

Unlike the moderation of individual formats, scientific process facilitation focuses on the entire collaboration process. It supports researchers in clarifying roles and expectations, consciously shaping interactions, dealing constructively with tensions or power asymmetries, and jointly developing robust outcomes.

Scientific process facilitation combines methodological expertise, process awareness and a reflective professional stance. Its aim is to create conditions in which collaboration can be productive, inclusive and outcome-oriented – as an integral part of engaged and participatory research.

Our Services

🔹 Training: Designing Participatory Research Competently

We offer structured training formats that introduce researchers to the key concepts, approaches and methods of participatory research and help them build relevant competencies – especially where collaboration, dialogue and knowledge integration across disciplines are required.

Formats

  • Compact workshops
    Short introductions to participatory research with a focus on roles, stakeholder analysis, co-creation and participation planning.

  • Modular training programmes
    In-depth, practice-oriented qualification formats that can be booked individually or combined.

Key topics

  • Principles and foundations of participatory research

  • Reflection on roles, attitudes and responsibilities

  • Stakeholder and multiplier analysis

  • Engagement and communication strategies

  • Dialogue, interaction and joint needs assessment

  • Co-creation of research questions

  • Basics of co-creative process design and participation planning across project phases

Training objectives

Participants are enabled to:

  • understand Engaged Research conceptually,

  • work reflectively with societal actors,

  • consciously design collaborative processes,

  • apply suitable methods for dialogue, co-creation and participation, and

  • independently initiate participatory research processes.

🔹 Scientific Process Facilitation for Participatory Research

In addition to training, we support research teams directly in the implementation of participatory research.

We design, facilitate and accompany dialogue, participation and co-creation processes and support the development of robust collaboration structures – particularly in complex settings involving diverse perspectives, interests and knowledge systems.

Our services include:

  • Moderated clarification of roles and expectations within research teams

  • Stakeholder analysis and development of engagement strategies

  • Design and facilitation of dialogue and participation formats

  • Scientific facilitation of co-creation processes

  • Support in developing co-creative research designs

  • Targeted facilitation of individual workshops or project phases

We work closely with project partners and tailor scope, role and depth of support to each project’s needs.

🔹 Proposal Support

Once research questions and project ideas have been jointly developed, we support teams in translating them into competitive funding proposals.

Our proposal support includes:

  • Advice on structuring and sharpening project ideas

  • Support in presenting engagement, participation and co-creation elements

  • Contribution to the development of work packages (e.g. stakeholder engagement, dialogue, impact, dissemination)

  • Editorial feedback and text support

  • Advice on alignment between project ideas, funding objectives and evaluation criteria

Our particular focus lies on proposal sections where societal engagement, impact and participation are key evaluation criteria.

Our Approach

  • Close collaboration with project teams, coordinators and institutions

  • Tailor-made formats instead of standard solutions

  • Modular services: training, facilitation and proposal support

  • Online or on-site implementation

  • Participatory, dialogical and practice-oriented approaches

  • Experienced trainers and facilitators with research background

Who Is This For?

  • Researchers and research teams

  • Collaborative and transdisciplinary research projects

  • Universities and non-university research institutions

  • Funding programmes with requirements for engagement, impact or co-creation

📩 Interested in Engaged & Participatory Research?
We are happy to develop a tailored offer for your project or institution.

Contact:
info@city2science.de

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