MIC starts an ambitious, year-long podcast collaboration with the AHRC Creative Communities Programme, and their five Community Innovation Practitioners from across all four nations of the UK.

We’re over the moon to announce our new podcast collaboration project with the AHRC Creative Communities Programme. MIC will work with the programme’s five Community Innovation Practitioners (CIPs) to co-produce a new AHRC Creative Communities podcast series that captures the voices and experiences of their communities and partners who are involved in their cross-sector research across all four nations of the UK. 

About AHRC Creative Communities

AHRC Creative Communities is a major research programme funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and hosted by Northumbria University, exploring how culture can address regional inequality and help level up the UK.

Since funding was awarded in September 2023, five CIPs have been working in universities based in all four nations of the UK, embedded in collaborative cross-sector research until September 2024.

The CIPs are collaborating with cross-sector partners and local communities to capture knowledge about co-creation and partnerships in community-based research.

The team comprises Áine Brady (Queens University, Belfast), Alex Langlands (Swansea University), Gaston Welisch (University of Glasgow), Georgina Aasgaard (University of Liverpool) and Jim Donaghey (Ulster University). 

Together they will form the CIP Network – a Community of Practice dedicated to sharing learning on collaborative research.

MIC’s involvement

As part of this, they’ll work with MIC media to produce a 5-part AHRC Creative Communities podcast series to tell the story of the communities that they’re working in, their practice, learnings and of course the challenges. The series will serve as a helpful resource for other partners looking to engage their communities in this way.

This includes a programme of podcast training with MIC media and production support.

The CIPs in action (AHRC Creative Communities / Lauren Baker 2023)

Prof. Katy Shaw, director of AHRC Creative Communities says of the programme,

“The AHRC Creative Communities programme is a major investment that is designed to explore how and why engaging cross-sector partners in research, and communities as research partners, can enhance the quality, resilience, and sustainability of our research eco-system in the UK today. Our Community Innovation Practitioners are part of a ground-breaking pilot that catalyzes community cultural research collaborations with cross-sector stakeholders in devolved context across the four nations of the UK. Together with MIC media the podcast training and series will share vital learning from the pilot and the practitioners and vocalise the multiplicity of actors involved in cultural R&D today.”

Lauren Baker Mitchell, senior research fellow for AHRC Creative Communities describes why they chose podcasts as part of the programme:

“We chose to create a podcast series to platform the collaborative research of the CIPs and AHRC Creative Communities in a way that is accessible. Crucially, developing the podcasts enables the CIPs to amplify the voices of the communities and partners they are working with, and tell authentic stories that represent the diversity and complexity of these creative communities. More than anything, we hope these podcasts share valuable knowledge on the successes and challenges of partnership and co-creation research, so others wanting to work in this way know where to start. The partnership with MIC media is truly ideal, as working together for social impact is genuinely at the heart of all they do.”

Vic Elizabeth Turnbull, founder of MIC media adds, 

“MIC media is really excited to be collaborating with Northumbria University on the ground-breaking AHRC Creative Communities Programme. Here at MIC, we’re all about helping everyone to Grab The MIC, so that they can tell the often underheard stories of place and community. This collaboration is just the perfect fit and we’re so looking forward to hearing what Áine, Jim, Gaston, Alex and Georgina produce.”

The AHRC Creative Communities podcast series will be available in Autumn 2024.

For more information about the AHRC Creative Communities Programme click here.

Are you looking for a way to creatively showcase and share your outcomes and impact through podcasts and audio? Let’s have a chat.