Meaningful Research Engagement With the Migrant Communities We Serve: Insights From a Global Roundtable
Dr. Gabriela Uribe, Research Fellow, The Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
In October 2024, the Global Migrants in Big Cities Network brought together 16 experts from nine countries for an online roundtable to reflect on how research can more meaningfully engage migrant and ethnic minority communities. The discussion made clear that, while participatory approaches are often celebrated in theory, in practice they remain underdeveloped, constrained by systemic barriers, and undermined by deep-seated inequities. Yet, it also revealed promising examples of change and innovative strategies that could transform how migrants are involved in shaping the knowledge that directly affects their lives.
There is no shortage of evidence showing that involving ethnic minority and migrant communities in research leads to stronger, more relevant, and more ethical outcomes. When communities are not only participants but partners, research questions are more closely aligned with lived realities, findings carry greater legitimacy, and the results are more likely to translate into meaningful policy or social change. Despite this, global statistics remain sobering: only seven to 10 percent of health and migration studies actively involve these communities. Compared with the level of engagement now expected from general populations and consumer groups in health and social research, migrants remain starkly underrepresented. This gap does not simply reflect a missed opportunity; it points to deeper structural inequities about whose knowledge is valued, who gets to set the research agenda, and who ultimately benefits from the evidence generated.
Several barriers continue to hinder participation. Many migrant communities carry with them the traumas of historical exclusion and discrimination in health, education, and social systems. Encounters marked by neglect, stereotyping, and cultural misunderstanding have left a legacy of mistrust toward institutions and researchers. Unless researchers acknowledge and work through this history, attempts at participation risk being perceived as tokenistic, or worse, as reproductions of the very inequalities they are meant to challenge. Mobility also plays a role. Migrants are often on the move, and this constant movement makes sustained participation difficult. For LGBTQ+ individuals in Kenya, repeated episodes of internal displacement disrupt continuity in community-based research, while farmworkers in the United States frequently relocate to avoid immigration enforcement, making attrition in longitudinal studies nearly inevitable. Finally, institutional and funding structures themselves often work against the organic and relationship-based processes that participatory research requires. Researchers describe the difficulties of transferring funds across borders, the rigidity of grant timelines, and the pressures of intrusive reporting requirements that prioritize institutional schedules over community needs. These misalignments between systems and realities weaken trust and limit the potential for true collaboration.
Despite these challenges, the roundtable highlighted encouraging strategies for promoting more meaningful engagement. At the center of all of them lies trust. Trust is not a quick achievement but the foundation upon which any participatory research effort must be built. Migrant communities need to see research as valuable to them not only academically but also socially and culturally, and this requires researchers to show up consistently, communicate transparently, and follow through on commitments. One powerful way to cultivate this trust is to place community leaders at the forefront of projects. Clinicians, religious figures, community leaders and long-standing community workers often hold credibility that researchers cannot simply assume. Elevating such leaders as investigators or central partners helps bridge the gap between academic institutions and migrant communities, creating pathways for mutual respect and meaningful engagement.
New funding approaches are also beginning to shift the landscape. In Australia, for example, individuals who contribute to research outside of formal employment are remunerated under the Remuneration and Allowances for Holders of Part-Time Public Office Determination. This recognition not only values the time and expertise of community members but also challenges the assumption that only those affiliated with academic institutions should be compensated for research work. Similarly, participatory budgeting and trust-based philanthropy are creating opportunities for resources to flow directly to community-based organizations rather than being concentrated in universities. These models foster genuine power-sharing and allow communities to lead research agendas rather than merely respond to them.
Equally important is the recognition that knowledge exchange must be bidirectional. Too often, research treats communities as sources of data rather than as knowledge producers in their own right. Training community members to conduct focus groups, facilitate workshops, or lead data collection both strengthens the quality of the research and builds skills that extend beyond the life of a single project. This kind of capacity building contributes to long-term community development, while researchers themselves benefit from the depth and authenticity that lived experience brings to the table. When research becomes a site of mutual learning—where academic frameworks meet community realities—its outcomes are not only more rigorous but also more just.
The October roundtable ultimately underscored that participatory research with migrant communities is not a luxury but a necessity. Migrants are not simply subjects to be studied; they are co-creators of knowledge with insights that can challenge assumptions, refine methods, and shape policy in ways that traditional, top-down approaches cannot. For research to be relevant and impactful, it must be rooted in reciprocity, accountability, and shared ownership. This requires institutions, funders, and researchers to rethink not only their methods but also their values, moving from extractive models of knowledge production to collaborative and equitable ones.
The Global Migrants in Big Cities Network will continue to foster spaces for such dialogue, building bridges across countries, disciplines, and communities. The message from the roundtable was clear: when migrants are meaningfully engaged, research is not only more inclusive, but also more effective in addressing the pressing issues of our time. By treating migrants as partners and knowledge producers, we can move toward a vision of research that is truly collaborative and impactful, especially for those who need it most.