Guidelines for participatory and inclusive knowledge co-dissemination: Deliverable 2.6 for "TRANSlighthouses: More than green - Lighthouses of transformative nature-based solutions for inclusive communities"

This report on “Guidelines for inclusive and participatory knowledge co-dissemination” is a deliverable of the TRANS-lighthouses project “More than green – Lighthouses of transformative nature-based solutions for inclusive communities”. The report is a part of the work package 2 “Living knowledge co-creation and place-based research” aimed at expanding the conventional approaches to nature-based solutions (NBS) by developing reflexive and critical frameworks. The current deliverable is a part of the overall communication, dissemination, and exploitation plan of the TRANS-lighthouses project. This report discusses what inclusive co-dissemination is, what it implies in terms of methodological and epistemological aspects of knowledge production and provides guidelines about main aspects to be considered to integrate co-dissemination into NBS projects. Co-dissemination in the report is approached, firstly, as an opportunity to go beyond traditional academic knowledge dissemination methods, which can often fail to reach diverse audiences for whom research results might be the most relevant. Secondly, the report emphasises the need to approach co-dissemination as an integral part of knowledge co-creation, where knowledge is not only shared with diverse target groups but is also co-produced by these groups. To illustrate methods and themes discussed, the report provides examples of case studies and methods, some of which are used in the TRANS-lighthouses project, and some exemplify other projects which can be used as an inspiration for the readers.The report consists of three sections. Section 1 positions the report within the overall project structure, introduces the objectives and main concepts of the report. Section 2 goes into further details about key themes which need to be considered in the process of co-dissemination. In this section we discuss the methodological and epistemological considerations to take into account when knowledge is co-created and co-disseminated, pointing to the importance of rethinking our roles in knowledge production as researchers, citizens and public authorities. Other themes discussed in this section are ethical questions of co-dissemination; constraints of co-dissemination with the focus on insufficient recognition of non-traditional knowledge dissemination and co-creation methodologies in academic cultures and institutional frameworks; and the question of when in the project timeline co-dissemination activities should be approached. Finally, based on these diverse themes, section3 provides guidelines and actionable questions, which serve as points of reflection and guidance for researchers and practitioners to integrate co-dissemination activities in NBS implementation.