Our co-production
At the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG), co-production is at the heart of how we work.
We are committed to embedding co-productive principles across all our research activities, ensuring that older people and communities are not only participants, but equal partners in the research process. We collaborate closely with older people, community organisations, policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders to shape the direction, design and outcomes of our research.
Co-production is vital to our approach because it promotes inclusivity, builds trust, empowers communities, and leads to more relevant and impactful research outcomes. By working together, we can better understand and respond to the diverse challenges of ageing in urban environments and support the development of more equitable age-friendly communities.
Our co-production process includes:
- Engaging older people and community members as co-researchers and co-investigators.
- Facilitating participatory and knowledge exchange workshops and focus groups to gather generate shared insights and co-create solutions.
- Building interdisciplinary research teams that integrate lived experience with diverse perspectives and expertise. academic, policy and practice-based expertise.
The MUARG Older People's Forum is a vital component of our commitment to co-production. This forum brings together a diverse group of older people from across Greater Manchester, representing a range of ethnic and social backgrounds. By engaging with people who have lived experiences of urban ageing, the forum provides a platform for sharing views and increasing mutual understanding of the evolving needs and challenges faced by older communities.
Members of the forum work collaboratively with MUARG researchers to critically reflect on our activities, ensuring that our research remains relevant and impactful. The insights gained from these discussions help shape the direction of our projects and contribute to the development of new knowledge in the field of urban ageing. We are grateful to the members of our forum for their invaluable contributions and look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership.
View a PDF of the visual representation of MUARG's code of practice for co-production.
MUARG Co-Production Collection
MUARG’s approach to co-production across our research projects is explored in our collection, Collaborative Research for Ageing in Place: Stories of Co-Production in Practice. The collection brings together reflections and case studies from community members and researchers who have worked together across a range of MUARG projects.
Across the collection, contributors share examples of co-production in action, showing the relationships, learning, creativity, and challenges involved in doing research together with people and communities. These pieces also show the varied roles that can be played by co-researchers, co-creators of knowledge, co-designers of interventions, and co-leaders in building more inclusive and age-friendly environments.
The co-production collection also introduces MUARG’s TRUST framework, bringing together shared principles for meaningful, ethical, and sustained involvement:
- T — Trusting relationships and ethics of care
- R — Redressing histories of exclusion and discrimination
- U — Undoing barriers through flexible and care-full practices
- S — Sharing power from the start by listening and learning together
- T — Time, reflexivity, and joy in the process
Through these principles, the collection invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community organisations to reflect on how co-production can move beyond consultation towards deeper shared learning and action.
The collection also includes forewords from Elaine Unegbu (Chair of the Age-Friendly Manchester Older People’s Board), Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester), and Paul McGarry (Head of the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub).