

Projects & Impact
Deep Boroughs Network™ (DBN) champions inclusive research projects that harness lived experiences to facilitate co-design and collaboration, driving innovation and uplifting overlooked communities and businesses.
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Impact
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Through our work, DBN™ creates lasting change by amplifying unheard voices, fostering equitable opportunities, and reinvesting in sustainable community initiatives through collaborative co-design.

Community Research Networks programme
Empowering Local Voices
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Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and delivered by The Young Foundation, the Community Research Networks (CRN) programme builds community capacity, capability, and connectivity to enable sustainable and equitable engagement with research across the UK.
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About ​Newham Community Research Network (NCRN)
The Newham Community Research Network (NCRN) unites residents, organisations, and researchers to co-create solutions for local challenges in East London.
In partnership with Deep Boroughs Network (DBN) - co-lead of the Marginalised Women’s Network — NCRN empowers migrants, refugees, women, and SEND youth as citizen scientists to research and represent their own needs.
As part of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) Community Action Network, Deep Boroughs Network champions inclusive co-design and, with Distinctive Solutions, helped secure £1 million from UKRI’s Community Research Networks Programme, delivered by The Young Foundation.
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Aims and Goals
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Shift power to communities through citizen-led research.
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Amplify under-represented voices in policy and service design.
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Co-design inclusive public services with evidence-based insights.
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Build long-term local research capacity for equitable and sustainable growth.
As one of nine national UKRI Phase 2 projects, NCRN strengthens community-led research ecosystems to address inequalities and drive positive change.

​About UKRI Research & The Young Foundation
About UKRI Research and Innovation
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK, with a budget of around £8bn. It is composed of seven disciplinary research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. We operate across the whole country and work with our many partners in higher education, research organisations, businesses, government, and charities. Our vision is for an outstanding research and innovation system in the UK that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and internationally. Our mission is to convene, catalyse and invest in close collaboration with others to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system that connects discovery to prosperity and public good.
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About The Young Foundation
The Young Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation driving community research and social innovation. We bring communities, organisations and policymakers together to understand the issues people care about and support collective action to improve lives. We involve communities in research and innovate together to inspire positive change. We deliver distinctive initiatives and programmes to shape a fairer future. We also power the Institute for Community Studies

Knowledge Keepers
The Knowledge Keepers : Celebrating the Wisdom, Struggles, and Stories of Local Voices Who Shape Our Community

Empowering Communities for Equitable Change. Deep Boroughs Network collaborates with the LLDC CAN Action Group
Deep Boroughs Network collaborates with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) CAN Action Group to champion cultural equity, community-led regeneration, and systems change across East London and beyond. We empower communities through co-designing the Community Anchor Network (CAN), fostering a stronger shared voice and equitable partnerships.