Network Gathering 2025

General registration is now open!

See more about the programme and the bursary below.

About the Event

Join us for a celebration of community-led research across rural and island Scotland and beyond on Tuesday 11 November 2025 in Inverness.

The 2025 Community Knowledge Matters Gathering will be a chance to:

• bring together peers from rural and island communities, practitioners, researchers and policy-makers passionate about community-led research to connect and share practice. This includes spotlights with young researchers in OPEN Shetland and peer research at Moray Wellbeing Hub. 

• hear the launch of new findings exploring what priorities rural communities in Scotland have around being involved in mental health research based on our Co-Priority Survey, co-developed and analysed with a working group of diverse lived experiences.

• continue to build a collective voice and advocacy as a network 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 with food, informal networking and creative sharing along with 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.

Programme Overview

Tuesday 11 November 2025: Main Conference

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.

10am - Registration, Tea and Coffee 

10.30am - Welcome and Introductions (Livestreamed)

11am - Network Updates and launching of the findings of the Rural Needs of Scotland from the Co-Priority Survey (Livestreamed) 

The Rural Health and Wellbeing Community Co-Priority Survey was conducted between June and July 2024. We will be sharing the findings of the Rural Needs of Scotland from the Co-Priority Survey which was developed and analysed with a working group including community members on the needs and priorities around rural and island mental health. You’ll get a chance to understand the findings and key learning from the process, and take part in the launching of an online platform to explore the data. 

12pm - Community-Led Research Spotlights (Some of these sessions will be livestreamed) 

These are “spotlights” hearing directly from communities leading their own research projects across Scotland. There will be a choice of spotlights and this currently includes: 

• OPEN Shetland - This spotlight highlights OPEN’s transformational journey to becoming Shetland’s first youth-led charity. Together, young people, professional researchers and decision makers have built strong partnerships, shared knowledge, and created new ways of working that put young people’s voices at the heart of community decisions. From developing a unique governance structure to leading research projects, OPEN has shown how evidence from young people can shape real change. 

• Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray - This spotlight will share the journey and learning so far from the Community Research Network in Moray including developing partnerships, exploring the role of peer research and taking a values based approach to community research. 

1pm - Lunch 

Lunch and networking with locally cooked food. 

1.45pm - Pick your own path: Network Library Conversations and Active Listening Walks 

In this session there will be an opportunity to meet members of the network and peruse and learn about the “tools” and “stories” as short 15 minute discussions led by members and partners. So far this includes sharings from the Scottish Islands Research Networks.

There will also be an opportunity to go on an Active Listening walk in small pairs facilitated by Moray Wellbeing Hub. This will be a space to meet peers and practice a key peer research and support skill Active Listening.  

Finalise your chosen path with a short Comfort and Coffee Break.  

3pm - Discussion Tables

In this session there will be focused thematic tables which will be structured to focus discussions, collate resources, develop ideas and collaborative action and explore collective asks for decision makers and future change. 

4.15pm What Next - Listening Panel 

In response to the collective asks and ideas developed in the discussions, we’ll be inviting those involved in research, funding and community development strategically to join us for a panel to listen, share future plans and explore what steps could be taken to develop this further into action. 

5pm - Rounding Up and Next Steps

A brief moment for reflection and next steps before we finish for the day.  

5.30pm - End of First Part of the Gathering

Tuesday 11 November 2025: Evening Sharing Cèilidh

7pm - Doors Open 

7.30pm - Local Food Provided 

8.30pm - Sharing Cèilidh starts

The ceilidh will include traditional dances from the award-winning Science Ceilidh band. In between dance sets there will be short spaces open to brief creative sharing from members and partners of the network on themes around community-led research - poem, story, explaining a picture or object. You sign up to this when you register. 

11pm - Evening Finishes

Optional Partner Organised Workshops

Monday 10 November, 2pm - 4pm: Participatory Arts and Co-Production Workshop 

For those who are arriving into Inverness earlier, there will be a hands-on workshop from 2 - 4pm on Monday afternoon at Wasps Creative Academy exploring the role of arts and co-production with Helen Berry in collaboration with the Binks Hub. Spaces will be limited, more details of this will follow for those who register. 

Wednesday 12 November, 9.30am - 4pm: Community Research Safari in Moray

For those who are still in the area on Wednesday, you are invited to join a visit of community research activities hosted by our partners at the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray community research network. 

This “safari” will tour around Moray from coast to mountains, farmland to cultural towns, to understand the place and people, seeing communities in action through research and envisage a future, to inform and empower collaboration together.

The final programme and registration will be shared soon but likely involve meeting at Forres from 9.30am (you can get the Inverness train at 8.56am), visiting different parts of Moray, and finishing back at Forres from 4pm.  

Once at Forres, transport and refreshments will be organised, and you can join for all or part of this tour, and there will be train stops available earlier for onward travel if required. 

Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray is a community research network funded by UKRI. You can see the website and join the mailing list here.

Wednesday 12 November, 10.30am - 12.30: Workshop with Research Data Scotland

Helping to inform what “public good” might look like in the context of use of public sector data.

In this interactive workshop, you'll explore how public sector data is collected and used about people across Scotland—and how it can be used to shape better policies and improve lives. Through real-world examples and group discussion, we’ll examine both the benefits and risks of using public sector data in decision-making.

Participants will actively contribute to shaping Research Data Scotland’s evolving criteria on 'public good' in the context of data use. By the end, you’ll not only have deepened your understanding of public sector data. You’ll have also played a role in helping us to create public good criteria for data access

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to be a CKM network member to attend?

No, anyone can join. 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!

Is the Gathering Free?

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.

Do I have to live in Scotland?

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.

Will the event be live-streamed?

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.

Community Bursary Scheme

To support a wide range of voices joining us for the Gathering, we are offering some bursaries with funding from the Ideas Fund to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and accessibility expenses to those who may not otherwise be able to attend. 

Bursary applications are now closed. Decisions for the first and second rounds of Expressions of Interest have already been shared.

Please note that many of the talks will be hybrid and live-streamed online and/or recorded. You can see last year's recordings here.

If, however, attending in person would be a problem due to barriers related to travel, accommodation, or other expenses, please feel free to get in touch with natalia[AT]scienceceilidh.com to discuss your situation.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the event, please email lewis@scienceceilidh.com