In May 2025, the Cambridge Room co-hosted a community research symposium with Prof Irena Bauman, the Sir Arthur Marshall Visiting Professor in Architecture 2024, University of Cambridge. The symposium highlighted the latest developments in community-led research in Cambridge, providing a platform for local organisations to showcase existing knowledge, identify gaps, and stimulate discussion. It offered valuable insights for community groups, policy makers, and academics by sharing best practices, available resources, opportunities, and challenges. The event also helped shape the future direction of the Cambridge Room programme.

Nine community organisations from Cambridge, alongside six leading community organisations from elsewhere in the UK, shared their experiences. Each organisation presented a brief overview of their work, and a case study of community engaged research.

The selected case studies reflected a range of research questions related to placemaking, diverse research teams and methods, and a variety of research outcomes.

The film above documented the day and reflections, produced by Dewi Fôn Evans.