ROTA Community Research Partnership Report 2025 (February 2026): Making the Invisible, Visible in Health and Housing

This report marks the second year of the Race on the Agenda (ROTA) Community Research Partnership (RCRP), a flagship programme committed to transforming how research is conducted with and for Black and Global Majority (BGM) communities.

Historically, research into the issues these communities face has relied on an extractive model, where at times external academics co-opt lived experiences for professional capital without ceding power or ensuring meaningful benefit to the communities themselves. The RCRP exists to fundamentally challenge this dynamic.

Enabled by funding from the City Bridge Foundation via the Propel partnership, the RCRP operates on principles of co-production and capacity building. Each year, we partner with a cohort of Peer Researchers (PRs) from BGM communities, providing intensive training and support. These PRs then design and lead innovative, communitycentred research projects that amplify their expertise and drive tangible change. Over its three-year lifespan, the programme aims to develop significant community research capacity, support 30 research projects, and co-produce four impactful campaigns for systemic reform.

Following the 2024 cohort’s focus on the critical areas of education and employment, the 2025 cohort has turned its attention to housing and health & wellbeing. These themes reflect persistent, intersecting crises disproportionately affecting BGM communities in London, from the housing emergency and its mental health impacts to entrenched inequities in healthcare access and outcomes.