Protocol: Applying co-production and peer research approaches with community organisations to develop a blueprint for the centre for Co-Production and Peer Research (CoPPeR) network.

Patient and Public Involvement Statement

This study has been developed in partnership with four community organisations and their members to incorporate meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI) throughout its design, implementation, and dissemination. At the outset, these organisations were consulted to provide input on our plans for the study, facilitated by the Principal Investigator (Shahid), who engaged with them individually.

We worked closely with these four community organisations in developing this research, collaborating with their community co-ordinators to formulate research questions and data collection processes. During this process, they identified training and mentoring as crucial components for both their organisations and peer researchers, as well as the need for sustainable approaches so that these efforts remain effective beyond the project. Each organisation engaged with its community to seek advice on the focus of the co-production research. There was agreement across all four organisations, based on input from both community co-ordinators and local residents, that improving local environments and neighbourhoods should be a priority.

Peer researchers and community co-ordinators, who are also public members, will play a central role in shaping the study’s design and conduct. Drawing on their lived experience as local community members, peer researchers will help refine priorities and maintain the scope of the research so that it reflects community needs. This will be achieved through locally organised workshops and monthly steering meetings with community co-ordinators to discuss project development, monitor progress, and plan impactful dissemination strategies.

Recruitment to the study was decided with the community co-ordinators who have been involved in the study from the outset. Strategies to engage participants will be further co-designed with peer researchers, focusing on making participation accessible and inclusive in line with unique needs of each community they represent. Further details on this approach are provided below.

Community co-ordinators are named as co-authors in recognition of their contributions to the research. The study relies on the engagement and expertise of peer researchers and participants, whose involvement is integral to its success.

Setting. Bradford is one of the largest metropolitan districts in England, with a population of over 560,000, including 27.9% under the age of 20. The district is highly diverse, with 25.5% of the population identifying as Pakistani, the second highest proportion nationally. 2% identify as Black and 61.1% identify as White British (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2025).

Bradford faces significant socio-economic challenges with forty percent of its residents living in areas ranked within the most deprived quintile nationally (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2019). This deprivation is closely linked to higher-than-average levels of ill health and health inequalities. These spatial inequalities result in deprived areas experiencing significantly higher environmental burdens, including air pollution, limited access to green spaces, and elevated traffic levels (Mueller et al., 2018).

Research within the city highlights the wider impacts of environmental stressors, particularly on maternal and child health. Limited access to green spaces is associated with increased stress levels (McEachan et al., 2016; McEachan et al., 2018). Exposure to air pollution has been linked to respiratory issues and restricted fetal growth, (Mebrahtu et al., 2023; Pedersen et al., 2013). An estimated 10% of annual premature deaths (approximately 375 deaths) can be attributed to non-compliance with international guidelines on air and noise pollution, leading to over 300 days of life expectancy lost for each person in Bradford (Mueller et al., 2018). Poorly designed urban environments exacerbate these challenges by restricting opportunities for active living and compounding risks associated with socio-economic deprivation (Binter et al., 2022; Vrijheid et al., 2020; Warembourg et al., 2021).

Built and natural environment. Research with seldom-heard communities has identified the built and natural environment (BNE) as a key priority for communities to improve health and wellbeing (Cartwright et al., 2023; Cronin-de-Chavez et al., 2019; Rashid et al., 2021; Wright et al., 2019). The built environment provides a tangible and relatable focus for a co-production study by offering a framework for exploring issues that directly affect communities. Previous research has highlighted several community concerns, including pollution, road safety, poor housing quality, walkability and the increasing prevalence of fast-food outlets (Ortegon-Sanchez et al., 2022; Rashid et al., 2021; Ucci et al., 2022).

These community concerns are matched by a growing body of empirical evidence which demonstrate the significant influence of the BNE on health outcomes (Ortegon-Sanchez et al., 2021). The BNE affects population health both directly (e.g., through polluted air or damp housing) and indirectly (e.g., by limiting physical activity or access to green spaces). These factors contribute to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes (Wright et al., 2013). A consistent finding in this extensive body of research is the clustering and compounding relationship in health inequalities. Poorer neighbourhoods are also the same places which are exposed to higher rates of air pollution, lower quality green spaces, a greater number of fast-food outlets and more dangerous roads. These clustered factors ‘act in concert’ to negatively impact health outcomes, including quality of life and longevity (Marmot et al., 2012; Marmot & Bell, 2012; Wright et al., 2013). Interventions to improve the BNE may improve health and reduce inequalities, but there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of built environment infrastructure changes on health and the extent to which communities have been involved in developing these.

Study design

This study is composed of four work packages that apply the principles and values outlined in the co-production strategy. See Figure 2.

Figure 2. Overview of key work packages for CoPPeR study.

Work Package 1 involves conducting citizen science case studies in four distinctive Bradford neighbourhoods, focusing on the built and natural environment to explore the best processes for engaging Bradford's seldom heard communities in co-producing research. For each group, a community co-ordinator, mentored by the research team, will recruit five peer researchers who will together design, implement, and analyse a citizen science research project. The findings will be disseminated to their neighbourhoods and decision-makers to advocate for policy changes.

Work Package 2 will conduct co-evaluation of case studies through participatory workshops, facilitated discussions and activity observations to identify enablers and barriers in the co-production processes as described above in WP1. The analysis will focus on what worked (or did not), considering feasibility, acceptability, and impact, as well as contextual influences.

Work Package 3 will bring together peer researchers, community organisations, and broader stakeholders in a workshop to 'dream' and 'design' the key features of the Co-production and Peer Research (CoPPeR) network, integrating insights from Work Packages 1 and 2.

Work Package 4 will explore the readiness and opportunity for statutory health and research partners to embed the CoPPeR network within their areas of work.

Citizen science case studies (Work package 1)

We plan to co-produce four citizen science case studies on the relationship between the built and natural environment and health in collaboration with community organisations that specialise in engaging under-served groups, including Pakistani, asylum seekers and refugees, Eastern European Roma, and White British communities. We selected these four diverse Bradford communities based on their distinct identities and geographical locations to achieve broad inclusivity (Table 1). The organisations, chosen for their expertise and established relationships within their communities, are actively addressing local issues such as food insecurity, welfare support, and access to sport and leisure.

Each organisation will appoint a community co-ordinator for this research who will actively contribute to the study design and support their community in developing their citizen science projects and methods. The community co-ordinator will be responsible for all elements of the research process. The esoteric knowledge they hold about their communities will enable us to tailor the research to the specific needs and contexts of each community.

For this study, the research team and the community organisations will collaborate to co-produce a range of hyper-local, community led co-production and peer research projects exploring community priorities related to urban environments that can affect health. We will follow the values/principles of our co-production strategy (Islam et al., 2022) in all activities to focus on some key research questions.

Case study research questions:

We anticipate that the answers to these questions will reveal many commonalities but also differences based on the geographical areas and cultural contexts in which the neighbourhoods are located. We are not seeking consensus amongst the four areas but rather providing the latitude needed to focus on urban environment-related priorities and needs specific to the residents of each area. Therefore, differences in perspectives and experiences will be expected.

Walk-along interviews

Data collection will involve guided walks using the citizen science toolkits chosen by peer researchers and community co-ordinators. Walk-along interviews, conducted by peer researchers who will accompany participants (residents) through their neighbourhood to gather real-time insights. Each peer researcher will be supported by their co-ordinator to recruit 10 participants from their local area and conduct 10 individual walk-along interviews. With five peer researchers per area, this will result in 50 walk-along interviews per organisation and a total of 200 walk-along interviews across the study.

Peer researchers will be encouraged to document the environment by capturing photographs to contextualise their responses. For example, participants could take photographs of areas they value such as well-maintained green spaces, or locations they find problematic such as fly-tipping hot-spots. Participants will have opportunities to explain the significance of their photographs through written comments or voice recordings, providing richer context and insights about their local environment.

App-based toolkits will be made available to facilitate audio and visual recordings. However, recording this way will not be compulsory as some people may have reasons for not engaging with technology. In such cases we will provide alternatives such as pen-and-paper methods. This flexibility allows each group to tailor the method to their preferences while ensuring the data collection aligns with the study's objectives.

At the end of the walk, participants will engage in a post-walk discussion to reflect on any topics which may have not surfaced during the walk. These discussions will be audio-recorded, however, participants who prefer not to have their voices recorded can opt for manual documentation in which case peer researchers will manually record written notes.

Whilst our approach is guided by a preference for walk-along interviews using technology to capture data, we have not set this in stone, as co-production is a crucial cornerstone of this research. It is therefore essential to that community co-ordinators and peer researchers can influence the most appropriate and effective ways to collect data. This notwithstanding, each group will co-design the questions and topics for discussion during the interviews, ensuring they are tailored to the priorities and lived experiences of their community. Peer researchers, community co-ordinators, and BIB researchers will collaboratively develop these questions and prompts to reflect the unique needs and concerns of each area. Additionally, each group will have the option to structure their interviews as open-ended, semi-structured, or to utilise simplified approaches combining photographs and audio recordings.

In cases where walk-along interviews are not feasible, the study will explore reasonable adjustments to support inclusivity and accessibility. Alternative methods will be developed to maintain the study's objectives while accommodating participants’ preferences and contexts.

Sampling and recruitment of peer researchers

Each community co-ordinator will establish a place-based action group by recruiting five peer researchers aged 16 and above from their respective areas, resulting in a total of 20 peer researchers across the study. Community co-ordinators will endeavour to recruit peer researchers that reflect the diversity and key characteristics of the target community. Community co-ordinators will utilise standard practices of their community organisation, leveraging established channels and local connections to advertise the role. Recruitment will focus on lived experience to attract individuals with relevant insights.

Peer researchers will dedicate a minimum of 30 hours to activities including training, data collection, analysis and dissemination of findings. They will be compensated for their time at an hourly rate equivalent to minimum wage and reimbursed for any expenses incurred during the research process. Potential peer researchers will receive an information sheet outlining the project’s purpose, study objectives, role responsibilities, and time commitments. Community co-ordinators will explain the study to potential peer researchers, who will then have a week to consider the role before signing the consent form.

Co-designing the community case studies

An initial meeting will be held with community co-ordinators and research team to outline project parameters, establish expectations, and collaboratively develop research questions and objectives.

When each neighbourhood has recruited the desired number of peer researchers then an initial meeting between members of the research team, the community co-ordinators and the peer researchers will be organised to set out the parameters of the project, set expectations and to formulate plans for co-productive ways of working. This will be organised separately for each of the four constituent areas which will provide an opportunity to allow peer researchers and community co-ordinators to define community priorities with respect to the built and natural environment and to scope relevant research questions.

Training

The research team, consisting of a community engagement research fellow and a senior research fellow specialising in citizen science, will provide mentorship and training to both the community co-ordinators and peer researchers. They will support peer researchers with the necessary resources to support rigorous research and facilitate its completion within the designated timeline.

All peer researchers (n = 20) and community co-ordinators (n = 4) will participate in two workshop-style training sessions. Additional support sessions will be arranged to address emerging needs of each group. These sessions will be designed to encourage collaboration, build skills, and maintain relevance to each community.

Training session 1: Introduction and co-production principles. The first session will introduce peer researchers to the Born in Bradford initiative and the aims of the CoPPeR project. This will emphasise the importance of co-production and how local and community priorities will guide the research process. Peer researchers, community co-ordinators, and the research team will work collaboratively to identify key issues related to the built and natural environment, focusing on existing challenges, community needs, and local perspectives.

Mind mapping for community priorities and interview questions. Participatory activities will utilise mind mapping techniques (Burgess-Allen & Owen-Smith, 2010), enabling peer researchers to explore and articulate community priorities in a visually accessible format. This same approach will be used to generate and refine potential interview questions, ensuring they address the topics and concerns most relevant to each neighbourhood. Through mapping of possible themes and sub-themes, peer researchers will clearly see how their priorities align with specific questions.

Developing interview and survey tools. Based on the priorities identified through mind mapping, peer researchers, community co-ordinators and Born in Bradford (BiB) researchers will develop walk-along interview questions. Each organisation will co-produce a topic guide or survey, depending on their chosen methods, to ensure questions reflect the lived experiences of their community. This process will be iterative, providing opportunities to refine both the wording and focus of questions, making them appropriate for each neighbourhood’s context and aligned with its built and natural environment priorities.

Training session 2: research skills and ethics. The second session will focus on equipping peer researchers and community co-ordinators with essential research skills and ethical principles to conduct community research effectively. Topics will include safeguarding, informed consent, data confidentiality and secure data handling protocols. Training will also address risk assessment during fieldwork and provide hands-on experience using data collection tools, such as mobile devices for capturing real-time data through surveys, photographs, and voice recordings.

A significant component of this session will focus on research methods, including how to conduct interviews effectively, promote non-leading questioning and engage participants in an unbiased manner. Recruitment strategies will also be explored, guiding peer researchers on how to engage diverse participants while adhering to safety protocols. This structured yet iterative approach will equip both community co-ordinators and peer researchers to be thoroughly prepared for ethical, effective data collection and fieldwork.

The research team will provide all necessary equipment, including tools for data collection. Additional support sessions will be planned to address challenges, remind people about training content, and help peer researchers and co-ordinators feel confident in their roles.

Sampling and recruitment of case study participants

Peer researchers will collaborate with their community co-ordinators to recruit participants. Each peer researcher will recruit ten local community members aged 16 and above through purposive sampling, selecting individuals who reside within the target community within one of the four designated local areas. The boundaries of these areas will not be strictly defined, allowing residents to self-identify as belonging to the locality and community.

Community co-ordinators will oversee the recruitment strategy, support peer researchers with logistical planning and provide guidance on engaging potential participants. They will also prevent duplication and ensure comprehensive coverage of different neighbourhoods within the research locations, reducing the likelihood of recruiting participants from a single concentrated area. Additionally, recruitment efforts will focus on achieving diversity in age and gender to create a more representative demographic for each community.

Peer researchers will utilise their personal networks and the connections of their community organisations to identity and reach potential participants. These networks may include local faith-based organisations such as churches and mosques, neighbourhood groups and other community-focused initiatives. Community co-ordinators will also leverage their connections to identify potential participants who access services provided by the community organisations they represent. Both peer researchers and community co-ordinators will draw on their knowledge of local customs, languages and practices to build trust and encourage participation.

Potential participants will be approached by peer researchers with an information sheet outlining the study’s purpose, objectives, and procedures. Participants will have one week to consider their involvement. If interested, they will complete an interest form by providing their contact information, language needs and any vulnerabilities. Following this the peer researcher and participant will arrange a data and time for the walk-along interview. All participant information will remain strictly confidential and will be shared only with the community co-ordinator.

Data collection

The route for the walk-along interview will be collaboratively determined by participants and peer researchers. Participants may select a site of personal significance or opt for a route suggested by the peer researcher, who will possess detailed knowledge of the area. This collaborative process aims to include sites meaningful to the participant, enhancing the relevance of the walk-along interview.

Before the walk-along interview begins, participants will provide written informed consent by reviewing the information sheet, having an opportunity to ask questions and completing the participant consent form.

Data will be collected during walk-along interview using methods, toolkits and questions developed by each group, focusing on the built and natural environment of the area. Participants will have the opportunity to take photographs and document observations as they explore their neighbourhoods. At the conclusion of the walk, participants will be invited to reflect on their experience and share additional thoughts. This feedback may be audio recorded with their verbal consent or the peer researcher may document it using written notes, based on the participants preference.

As an acknowledgement of their time and contribution to the study, participants will receive a £20 gift voucher upon completion of the walk-along interview.

Safeguarding and risk assessment. Before conducting the walk-along interviews, safeguarding and risk assessment measures will be finalised. These will include chaperone requirements for vulnerable participants, safety protocols such as recording interview start and end times and addressing equity issues such as language needs. Participants aged 16–18 or those identified as vulnerable will be accompanied by a companion who will remain present throughout the interview but will not participate in the research. The community co-ordinator will approve the walk-along interview routes, maintain a detailed log of participants and oversee the implementation of safeguarding protocols.

Data management. After the data is recorded, it will be securely stored on a NHS Trust approved, password-protected computer system, with pseudonyms used in place of real names to protect participant identity. The research data will only be accessible to authorised members of the research team involved in the study.

The collected data will be recorded and stored in several formats. Photographs and geo-locational data will be captured via a web-based tool, which will store responses in a secure online system accessible to the research team through a password-protected platform. Audio recordings from the walk-along interviews will be downloaded onto a secure computer system. These recordings will be transcribed by an approved transcription service, and the verbatim transcripts will be securely stored on a restricted-access server accessible only to the research team. Once the interview transcripts are completed, all audio recordings will be permanently deleted from both the audio recorders and the digital storage systems.

Data analysis

The four peer research groups and their respective community co-ordinators will attend individual workshops to facilitate the process of analysing the collected data, which may include written quotes, photographs, maps, audio recordings. Each group will collaborate with the research team to identify key points of discovery and determine how the data can be categorised and synthesised through thematic analysis. The research team will draw on expertise in qualitative data analysis (Ritchie & Spencer, 2002) to provide training and ongoing support throughout this process.

The analysis will follow a deductive approach, guided by the framework developed during the co-design phase, when peer researchers and community co-ordinators identified key community priorities and themes (Gale et al., 2013). While this framework will serve as a guiding structure, it will remain flexible to incorporate any additional themes or insights that emerge from the data.

During the workshops, peer researchers and community co-ordinators will review the summaries of walk-along interview transcripts, survey responses and notable quotes to generate initial codes which will then be organised into thematic maps. These maps will illustrate relationships among codes and highlight three to five core priorities. Workshops will be audio-recorded to ensure peer researchers’ insights are accurately captured.

Photographs taken from walk-along interviews will be analysed using the Photovoice SHOWED method (Wang & Burris, 1997). By selecting and interpreting images in relation to the identified priorities, peer researchers will enrich the thematic maps with visual context. Through this combined framework analysis, thematic mapping and photo analysis process, a participatory and contextually grounded understanding of the data will emerge. Each community organisation’s data will be treated as a distinct entity, reflecting the unique priorities and findings of their specific area.

Case study dissemination

The case study groups will be supported to create outputs from the work they have undertaken, and this will include creating blogs, short reports, PowerPoint presentations and infographics. The aim will be to reach a variety of audiences including local residents, councillors, schools and faith organisations to share the findings from their locally focussed research. The research team will support the creation of dissemination materials including presentations, briefing notes and manifestoes for change. At this stage each of the four groups of peer researchers will decide how to work together to create a formal report. Lead community organisations, through the community co-ordinator will support advocacy for change using the research outputs and will draw on the support of the peer researchers in getting this message to a variety of audiences. It is possible that each of the four community organisations will do this differently to each other.

Work package 2: Evaluating community inclusive approaches

Using the case studies described in WP1, we will explore the barriers and enablers to co-production and peer research with seldom-heard communities. This evaluation will focus on identifying which features of the citizen science and co-production systems are useful, practical, and feasible through the co-evaluation of WP1 activities.

Aims

The primary purpose of the evaluation is to develop a framework for the most appropriate and effective ways of working with communities when delivering co-produced research. We will use these insights to design the Centre for Co-production and Peer Research (CoPPeR) Network, which will embody all the values and principles outlined in the co-production strategy (Albert et al., 2023; Islam et al., 2022). The evaluation component of this project will focus on the following three questions:

Study design

We will employ a co-evaluation approach, collaborating with the community organisations to develop the expectations, objectives and impacts of the evaluation while promoting transparency and openness (Kieslinger et al., 2022). The evaluation will run concurrently with work package 1, enabling real-time adaptations to the process (see Figure 3). Community organisations will be actively involved in delivering aspects of the evaluation and will receive relevant training and support on evaluation systems which will be delivered through workshop-based learning.

Figure 3. Key concurrent activities of WP1 & WP2.

Sampling and recruitment

The co-production and community engagement research fellow, all peer researchers and community co-ordinators will be invited to participate and contribute their knowledge to this part of the study as evaluation stakeholders. The BiB researcher will provide participant information sheets detailing the evaluation activities and consent forms will be completed prior to the commencement of evaluation sessions.

Data collection methods

Participatory workshops. Separate workshops will be held at two time-points (4–8 months, and 9–12 months) within each community setting. Peer researchers and co-ordinators and co-production & community engagement research fellow will be invited to share their experiences of co-production activities. Ripple Effects Mapping (Nobles et al., 2022) will be used to understand the broader impacts of co-production activities, including identifying what worked (in leading to impact) and what did not. Participants will be directed to map activities and impacts on a timeline and reflect on what has been most (and least) significant and why. A participatory activity will be used to explore participants’ feelings about whether their experiences aligned with the guiding principles of co-production and to identify and discuss other factors that influenced their experience. Different coloured cards will represent positive, neutral or negative feelings and participants will place these cards at various points on a body outline depending on their view of the importance of the different principles in shaping their experience.

Observations. Observation provides an independent record of events and behaviours in real-time, within the context in which they occur (Morgan-Trimmer, 2015). A researcher will observe three peer research data collection events within each case study (n = 12 events) to capture how the research is implemented in accordance with the guiding principles of the co-production strategy (Albert et al., 2023) across different contexts. A BiB researcher will also observe up to three training and support sessions delivered to the community organisations and peer researchers. Observations will be recorded through reflective notes related to the feasibility, acceptability and impact of co-producing research with diverse communities with community partners. These observation events will allow both researchers and peer researchers to reflect on their experiences. Observations will be documented through reflective notes focusing on the feasibility, acceptability and impact of co-producing research with diverse communities and community partners. The specific data collection events to be observed will be determined through consultation with peer researchers, based on the research methods agreed upon and adopted in WP1.

Facilitated discussions. Community co-ordinators and co-production & community engagement research fellow will convene a facilitated discussion at three key points over the 12-month period (approximately 4, 8 and 12 months) to engage in collective discussions. These discussions, facilitated by the researcher, will focus on identifying the barriers and enablers that partner organisations encountered in delivering the research (WP1), exploring any additional opportunities that participation has provided, and reviewing and reflecting on the ongoing findings emerging from the evaluation activities. Participants will also consider whether feasibility, acceptability and mechanisms of impact vary across the different contexts and, if possible, will consider making changes to improve the research delivery described in WP1.

Analysis

Flexible and rapid qualitative analysis methods (Vindrola-Padros & Johnson, 2020) (Vindrola-Padros & Johnson, 2020) will be employed. Activities will be audio-recorded, and the data will be transcribed and coded following each data collection session, with researcher field notes providing additional context. Mind mapping techniques (Burgess-Allen & Owen-Smith, 2010) will be utilised during facilitated discussions to develop broad themes and actively involve participants in the analysis process. The data will be analysed thematically, focusing how well the activities in WP1 align with the nine guiding co-production principles, considering feasibility, acceptability, impact, and contextual influences. Additionally, there will be flexibility to incorporate new and unexpected themes into the analysis, particularly through the mind-mapping exercises and facilitated discussions with community partners.

Work package 3. Developing a sustainable model for CoPPeR network

In this work package, we will co-produce the key features of a successful CoPPeR network model that provides the necessary infrastructure to enable seldom-heard communities to become central partners in all aspects of the research process. To achieve this, we will focus on two key questions:

Methods

We will utilise the appreciative inquiry ‘dream’ and ‘design’ stages (Cram, 2010; Ludema et al., 2001) to collaborate with community organisations, peer researchers and stakeholders. This process will involve envisioning a positive future where community members and community organisations will work with researchers to draw out a vision for the CoPPeR network.

This will be operationalised through a workshop held with community organisations, peer researchers and wider stakeholders to reflect on learnings from work packages 1 and 2. We will commence the workshop with a small series of presentations outlining what we did and what we found and some key learning points from the community co-ordinators and peer researchers. Attendees will take into consideration the points presented and engage in the ‘dream’ stage of the Appreciative Inquiry by discussing what a successful CoPPeR model might look like by focusing on ‘what works well’ and ‘what could be improved’. The proceeding discussion, which will be facilitated by a member of the research team, will be recorded on flip-chart paper. The workshop will then transition to the ‘design’ stage where attendees will outline the systems, processes and investments needed to make the CoPPeR network a reality. Outputs from these interactive workshops will be transferred from the flip-chart notes into word and excel documents where we can categorise the proceedings in order of priority. The research team will translate the content and findings into a mission statement and operational guide for the CoPPeR network. This will essentially serve as a blueprint for the CoPPeR network.

Work package 4: Sustainability and legacy

In this work package, we will focus on sharing insights with key statutory health and research partners to establish a sustainable foundation for the CoPPeR network through a series of targeted development activities.

Our co-production strategy (Albert et al., 2023) has already garnered strategic commitment from local policy and decision makers with adoption of the strategic principles by Bradford Council, the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, and Bradford’s NIHR Health Research Determinants collaboration. Building on this commitment, we will engage with co-production leads from these organisations to explore how to operationalise and embed the CoPPeR model. This will involve assessing readiness, receptivity, barriers and facilitators at both tactical and operational levels. This approach aims to identify future actions to increase the absorptive capacity for co-production and demonstrate the value and utility of both the CoPPeR network and co-production methods to potential future funders.