Community Knowledge Matters Network Gathering 2025
Join our in-person meeting bringing together communities, researchers and practitioners passionate about equitable community-led research.
Date and time
Location
Wasps Inverness Creative Academy
Stephens Street Inverness IV2 3JP United KingdomAgenda
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Registration, Tea and Coffee
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Welcome and Introductions
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Network Updates and findings of the Rural Needs from the Co-Priority Survey
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Community-Led Research Spotlights
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
Lunch
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
Pick your own path: Network Library Conversations and Active Listening Walks
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Discussion Tables
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM
What Next - Listening Panel
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Rounding Up and Next Steps
Good to know
Highlights
- 7 hours, 30 minutes
- In person
About this event
Join us for a celebration of community-led research across the Highlands & Islands and beyond on Tuesday 11 November 2025 in Inverness.
The 2025 Community Knowledge Matters Gathering will be a chance to:
- Bring together peers including communities across the Highlands and Islands and wider, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers passionate about community-led research to connect and share practice.
- Find out and shape the activities across the network including the findings of our community-led rural mental health Co-Priority Survey.
- Continue our collective voice and advocacy to shape policy and systems to make community-led research more equitable and sustainable.
The main Gathering will be held in Inverness at WASPS Creative Academy (see map here) between 10am and 5.30pm of Tuesday, 11 November, followed by a Sharing Cèilidh in the evening from 7pm until 11pm for food, informal networking, hearing from different groups and a chance to dance the day out with the Science Ceilidh band.
For those of you who can’t join us in-person, many of the talks will be livestreamed on the day and recorded afterwards. Watch some of the sessions from last year here.
This Gathering is funded by The Ideas Fund, British Science Association and Wellcome.
Programme Outline
10am - 5.30pm: This includes the launch of the Doing Rural Research Co-Priority Survey, presentations from network members and partners, case studies of community-led research, Active Listening walks, wider discussions and an opportunity to inform future network activities.
7pm - 11pm: Dinner, ceilidh dancing and informal Sharing Cèilidh. You sign up to this when you register.
See the full programme above (see Agenda).
We will aim to live-stream selected elements of the main day for those who want to join online.
There will also be an opportunity to join additional workshops and activities on the previous and following days (Monday 10th and Wednesday 12th November).
Please pick the ticket that best describes the main role (“hat”) you will be attending the Gathering. We do recognise there are multiple hats that people have and you will have a chance later to share other roles and hats. This is to help balance the attendance for the network.
Community Bursaries
We are providing a limited number of bursaries with funding from the Ideas Fund to cover travel, accommodation and accessibility expenses for those who would not be able to attend otherwise. To apply for the bursary, please fill out this separate form here.
Expressions of interest for a bursary to attend the Gathering close on 18 September. Final decisions will be shared by the 29 September. To apply for the bursary, please fill out this separate form here.
Frequently asked questions
We’re primarily a Gathering for the network, but you don't need to be an existing member of Community Knowledge Matters to apply to join us as long as you’re passionate about community-led research!
Yes. This Gathering is funded by The Ideas Fund, British Science Association and Wellcome. We will be providing food and coffee/tea through the day. The evening Cèilidh is included when you register. Travel to Inverness and accommodation are not included.
We are providing a limited number of bursaries to cover travel, accommodation and accessibility expenses for those who would not be able to attend otherwise. More information and to apply here: https://www.communityknowledgematters.com/gathering-bursaries
All individuals are eligible, but priority will be given to people coming from a community, grassroots and/or lived experience lens, and participants primarily living and/or working in rural and island Scotland. More information here https://www.communityknowledgematters.com/gathering-bursaries
We will be live streaming specific parts of the day for those who cannot join in-person. You can register for an online only ticket.
We will be providing lunch and coffee/tea through the day and food during the ceilidh. Please let us know of any dietary requirements you have on the registration form.
We are keen for people to be able to stay for the full day to get the most out of the event, but we understand if you can't. You can join both the daytime programme and the ceilidh (evening), or just the main conference during the day.
We're especially keen for people primarily living and/or working in rural and island Scotland to join us. However, people from all the UK and internationals are welcomed to share learning. We will be live streaming specific parts of the day for those who cannot join in-person.
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