Collaborating for transformation: applying the Co-Laboratorio approach to bridge research, pedagogy and practice

Abstract

Intractable issues such as poverty, environmental degradation and economic and social exclusions, as exemplified in the SDGs, are inherently systemic problems that require multi-actor collaborations. This paper presents the learnings from Co-Laboratorio Perú – a five-year university-driven international development initiative that fostered collaborative approaches, spaces and interventions to drive development, linking universities’ advantages as neutral conveners and ethically guided knowledge and innovation hubs to practical interventions through collaborations with civil society organisations, communities, the private sector and policymakers. This paper critically examines the conventional development delivery model and collaborative rationale between academia and civil society organisations and argues for adopting a wider conceptualisation more inclusive of other actors in the system to address systemic development challenges. We propose the Co-Laboratorio model as a novel and complementary approach to achieve these goals.

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