We’re delighted to publish a new insights report on the role “brokers” play in supporting good community-researcher partnerships.
Since the start of The Ideas Fund, we have been supported by a team of Development Coordinators based in each area who have helped groups apply to The Fund, build strong partnerships with researchers and navigate difficulties in their projects.
With our Learning Partner, Collaborate CIC, we have looked closely at the impact of the role and when it's most effective. Through interviews and surveys with the groups we fund we’ve explored how their Development Coordinator has impacted on their experience of our funding, and why they think it works – as well as how it could work better.
We found that Development Coordinators brought significant value to individuals, groups and communities, as well as the wider programme. We also found there were ways in which the structure of the wider programme allowed them to be most effective – including how longer term funding enabled the role to transition away from just being a matchmaker between communities and researchers and begin to support more holistically.
We share some examples of that impact in our new report, some core ingredients which allow this approach to work well and some things we had to be mindful of.
Who are The Development Coordinators?
Find details for the people brokering connection in the four Ideas Fund regions
Click here for more information
Read the full report
Learn more about the impact of the Ideas Fund Development Coordinators, and how brokers can be supported most effectively
Insights: Role of the Broker
Learning Session: 12.30-1.30pm, 1st October 2025
We will be holding an open learning session on 1 October 2025 to share more about the important role that “brokers” play. We’ll be in discussion with Roisin McLaughlin, our Ideas Fund "broker” in Northern Ireland, and Laura Steen from the University of Bath.
RegisterAt the University of Bath, they have created a new Community Connector role which is similar (but notably different in places) to the Development Coordinators. The role was created in response to demonstrable need from communities in the region to have an accessible “front door” to the University and its research. The shape of the role has also informed their work on relational practice and how vital it is to public and community engagement with research.
Our event registration form will ask for some information about you, which we will use to contact you about the event. You also have the option to opt in to receive updates and news from the British Science Association and/or The Ideas Fund. If you opt in to either of these, we will hold your contact information in our database for this purpose.
We're always interested to hear your reflections on our insights reports - you can get in touch with The Ideas Fund team at hello@theideasfund.org.