Among the presentations, Prof. Kathryn Higgins (QCAP Director) and Dr Andrew Grounds (QCAP Deputy Director) shared insights from the Queen’s Communities and Place initiative and its relevance to Shared Island opportunities.

The two-day conference hosted by Queen’s University Belfast explored how universities can work together to drive inclusive economic growth. For QCAP, it provided an opportunity to discuss the lessons learned from our place-based engaged research model and the potential applications for cross-border initiatives.

Progress and Learning

Since launching as a pilot in the Market area of South Belfast in November 2021, QCAP has been developing community-academic partnerships focused on sustainable change. The initiative has secured research funding from ESRC, AHRC, Innovate UK and PEACE PLUS, with an institutional investment generating a return of £5.95 in leveraged research income for every £1 invested. QCAP’s engaged research and evidence work has contributed to £17.5 million in community funding being secured for its community partners—supporting dedicated staff posts, investment for physical regeneration projects, and resources to support capacity building.

Shared Island Context

The presentation and following panel discussion also explored how university-community partnerships might inform Shared Island work. QCAP's impact has been strengthened through membership in wider research networks, including cross-border projects like SUMIT and the UK wide C4 Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness. By focusing on place-based community academic partnership approaches that address shared challenges in health, education, and economic development, such initiatives offer new configurations for cross-border collaboration.

As Prof. Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University and Chair of Universities Ireland, reflected at the conference: "Collaboration is what turns intention into impact, and by working together we can deliver more collectively than any one university can achieve alone."

QCAP's experience over the past three years offers insights into the practicalities of embedding universities within communities—from establishing engaged research frameworks to developing multi-stakeholder engagement mechanisms. The conference provided a valuable forum for sharing these lessons and exploring their relevance to broader collaborative efforts across the island of Ireland in the future.