What are the keys to successful participatory research?

With Évelyne Lhoste, researcher at the LISIS laboratory at Université Gustave Eiffel, François Millet, director of the Dôme's “Sciences et société” projects, and Lucile Ottolini, sociologist specializing in participatory action research and public policy evaluation.

The EQUIPACT action-research project aims to produce knowledge to support the participation of civil sector organisations (CSO) in research and innovation. In other words: “EQUIP ACTors for more impactful research and innovation”. The consortium brought together scientists and civil sector organisations (CSO) in a participatory approach to analyse participatory research processes. A mise en abîme rich in lessons, tools and good practices. 

The EQUIPACT project, running from 2023 to 2025, aligns with the work carried out by many organisations interested in citizen science and grassroots innovation in France. Among them, the multi-stakeholder think tank ALLISS is inspired by the work of the global transformative innovation policy consortium. The aim is to drive research and innovation for a sustainable future.

What are the EQUIPACT project partners’ objectives? To analyse the conditions for the emergence of research project, to assess the training offer for intermediations, to experiment tools for evaluation and implementation processes towards societally desired changes. Expected outputs are methodological tools, documentation for training courses and raising the awareness of public authorities and research funders about the benefits of such projects.

The researchers involved in EQUIPACT themselves use an action research approach and are experimenting with this form of action-research as they study itthis epistemic practice. With thirteen stakeholders involved, harmonising work habits and schedules is not always easy. But that is the whole point of participatory research: giving each stakeholder their rightful place and being open to other approaches to the subject, in order to advance knowledge and promote this innovative research method together… That is social learning in progress for transformative change.

Texts written by the Kogito agency after interviewing the co-sponsors.