Why Coproduction Should Be the Cornerstone of Your Innovation Strategy

Innovation is not a solo act. Increasingly, organisations striving to deliver meaningful change are embracing a more inclusive, participatory approach to how ideas are generated, shaped, and implemented. At the heart of this shift is coproduction - a method that positions stakeholders not merely as beneficiaries or consultees, but as active partners in creating solutions.

In this blog post, we’ll unpack what coproduction really means, why it matters in today’s innovation landscape, and how to begin embedding it meaningfully into your projects.

What Is Coproduction?

Coproduction is more than just collaboration. It’s a deliberate process where people with lived experience and those with technical or institutional expertise work together from start to finish - identifying problems, designing solutions, testing interventions, and evaluating impact.

This approach is particularly relevant to organisations operating in complex environments such as health, education, local government, or community development, where context is everything and end-user insight is invaluable.

As the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) defines it, coproduction “involves researchers, practitioners and the public working together, sharing power and responsibility throughout the project.”

Why Coproduction Matters for Innovation

1. It surfaces better questions and richer insights.

   
   

   When people closest to the issue are involved in shaping the agenda, you reduce the risk of solving the wrong problem. For example, a digital health startup designing an app for carers may initially focus on medication tracking, only to find - through coproduction - that emotional support features are a bigger priority for users.

   
   

2. It increases legitimacy and buy-in.

   
   

   When solutions are designed with communities, not for them, they are more likely to be adopted and sustained. This is especially true in public sector or place-based innovation, where trust and accountability matter deeply.

   
   

3. It makes equity visible.

   
   

   Innovation often claims to disrupt the status quo, but without attention to whose voices are being heard, it can simply reinforce existing power structures. Coproduction invites us to do better - ensuring that those historically marginalised are active participants in shaping futures that affect them.

From Principles to Practice: How to Embed Coproduction

Too often, coproduction is added as a late-stage tick-box - a feedback survey, a token representative on a panel. For it to be transformative, it needs to be structured, valued, and resourced from the outset.

Here’s a practical framework to start with:

• Start with shared purpose.

  Build mutual understanding of why the project exists, what change you’re aiming for, and who needs to be involved. Avoid starting with fixed outputs; instead, co-define the problem.

• Create inclusive conditions.

  Pay participants for their time, remove logistical barriers (e.g. travel, childcare, digital access), and design sessions that work for different communication styles. Tools like Liberating Structures or Miro boards can help level the playing field.

• Share power visibly.

  This may mean rotating who chairs meetings, involving community members in governance or budgeting decisions, and publishing joint-authored outputs. Transparency about decision-making is essential.

• Build skills on both sides.

  Don’t assume that professional stakeholders know how to listen, or that community partners are comfortable presenting to executives. Invest in capability-building as part of your process.

• Reflect and adapt.

  Use ongoing feedback loops to check whether the process feels inclusive, valuable, and fair. Be willing to make changes.

  
  

Examples in Practice

• The Young Foundation’s work on place-based innovation demonstrates how community voice can shape economic renewal strategies.

• NHS England’s Experience of Care team uses coproduction to redesign services with patients, especially in mental health and maternity care.

• University-based social innovation labs, like those at Cardiff or Sheffield, often embed coproduction into research design, breaking down traditional academic hierarchies.

Barriers to Watch Out For

While powerful, coproduction is not without challenges. It can be time-consuming, emotionally complex, and disruptive to traditional project timelines. Organisational culture can also get in the way - particularly when hierarchy, jargon, or risk-aversion dominate.

That’s why strategic buy-in is so important. When leadership sees coproduction not as a burden but as a strength, it becomes easier to allocate the time and resources required to do it well.

Partner organizations collaborate around a table, enthusiastically discussing and shaping the direction of their joint project.

A Call to Reframe Innovation

Too often, innovation is framed as novelty, speed, and disruption. But true innovation, especially in complex social systems, is about doing things differently, not just doing them newly.

Coproduction invites us to slow down, listen harder, and create change with rather than for.

In doing so, we unlock deeper relevance, stronger relationships, and more sustainable impact.

At The Innovation Office, we support organisations to integrate meaningful coproduction into their innovation strategy - from concept through to delivery. Get in touch to explore how we can help.

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Keywords:

coproduction, innovation strategy, community engagement, collaborative research, impact-led innovation