Empowering student partners

This case study reflects on a project that utilised student-staff partnerships to explore how best to prepare staff for collaboration in such partnerships. Eight student researchers worked together across four higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, conducting interviews with 41 participants, including both staff and students. The partnerships studied at these institutions, represents a mix of research-intensive and teaching-focused universities, covering a wide range of academic disciplines. The project examined experiences and the values of partnership, offering practical insights to support the development of successful student-staff collaborations. This student-led initiative summarises key findings, such as how narrative interviews facilitated an understanding of partnership values. It presents a practical resource toolkit to support institutions engaging in partnership work. Collaborative efforts were crucial in exploring power dynamics and trust within the project. The reflections in this case study will be valuable for students, educators, researchers, and others interested in developing student-staff partnership projects.