A new heuristic for understanding knowledge co-production processes: the co-innovation approach

While knowledge co-production has grown as a research approach and tool for addressing current complex problems, its analysis and application are not evident. This article introduces a heuristic tool designed to facilitate the characterisation of knowledge co-production processes, acknowledge the heterogeneity of their dynamics, and provide a developing analytical framework for their understanding and enhancement in the face of the challenges posed by complex problems. The tool is tested through the analysis of a case study involving a research group from Uruguay’s University of the Republic, which addresses issues related to unsustainable agricultural systems. The researchers designed and implemented—in collaboration with various stakeholders —a theoretical and methodological framework known as co-innovation, aimed at building a knowledge co-production process. The proposed analysis focuses on dynamics that integrate diverse forms of knowledge—from the expertise of family farmers to scientific knowledge—with the goal of establishing a knowledge co-production model. Three stages were identified in this process: problem framing (identifying and defining the problem); negotiation and knowledge integration dynamics (spaces created and methods used); and new ways of doing, using the co-produced knowledge, with the aim of transforming the identified problems. Results show how the concept of knowledge co-production is contextualised through the co-innovation approach, allowing for a situated reflection on the practices, learning processes, and tensions that emerge during its development.