Building collaboration infrastructures: from vision to practice

Most councils start with ambitious visions: fairer towns, healthier neighbourhoods, greener futures. But vision alone doesn’t deliver. Councils know they can’t do it on their own. Real change depends on collaborations — with universities, employers, anchor institutions, community groups, social enterprises, housing associations, and the NHS.

The challenge isn’t just starting collaborations, but building the foundations that make them stick. Without clear offers, shared missions, and the right scaffolding, partnerships stay ad hoc and miss their potential.

Why foundations matter

Partnerships often fail not because people don’t want to collaborate, but because of missing infrastructure: unclear asks, mismatched incentives, invisible overheads, weak coordination.

• New Local’s work on community power shows that place leadership is about weaving institutions and communities together, not pulling alone.
• Nesta’s Collective Impact reports stress the role of “backbone organisations” that hold together multi-sector efforts.
• The Local Government Association’s collaboration frameworks remind us that successful partnerships need clarity, autonomy, and shared accountability.

In short: goodwill is not enough. We need structures and practices that make collaboration the default, not the exception.

Steps to build collaboration infrastructure

1. Co-design a clear “collaboration offer”

Potential partners need to know why they should work with you, what they can expect, and who to speak to. Leeds’ Anchor Network is a good example: institutions commit to local procurement, employment, and investment in return for shared benefits.

2. Frame partnerships through missions

Missions give collaborations a clear, galvanising focus. London’s Recovery Board brought together cross-sector actors around recovery goals after COVID. UCL’s Mission Oriented Innovation Network provides tools to align institutions to bold, shared missions.

3. Map the ecosystem

Camden, for example, has run a Public Collaboration Lab and developed a Knowledge Quarter Spatial Strategy with partners. But like many places, the partnerships can grow organically, making it hard to see the whole picture. Mapping collaborations — who’s involved, at what scale, with what resources — helps identify gaps, overlaps, and opportunities.

4. Provide scaffolding to help collaborations thrive

Collaboration isn’t free. It needs convening spaces, facilitation, shared data, small pots for prototyping, and regular opportunities for joint learning. Bologna’s patti di collaborazione (pacts of collaboration) provide a legal and practical structure for residents and the city to co-manage spaces and services.

5. Pilot joint experiments

Start with small, mission-aligned prototypes. Camden’s Renewal Commission created experiments in areas like health and sustainability to test what collaboration can achieve. Barcelona’s Superblocks show how an ambitious urban vision can be piloted district by district, building collaboration across transport, health, culture, and citizen groups.

6. Create feedback loops

Regular reflection between partners is vital. Ask what’s working, what feels burdensome, what needs to change. Use that learning to adapt the “offer” and refine the infrastructure.

7. Tell the story of collaboration

Celebrate wins publicly. Credit partners by name. Show how collaborations connect to bigger missions. Stories attract new collaborators and build momentum.

Why this matters

• For councils: infrastructures reduce duplication, distribute risk, and give legitimacy.
• For community organisations: clear offers and scaffolding reduce friction and give space for autonomy.
• For funders and anchors: investing in convening and backbone roles unlocks more value than funding isolated projects.

Call to action

If you’re in a council or public service:

• Convene a small group of partners and co-design your “collaboration offer.”
• Pick one mission and create a joint prototype.
• Map your collaboration ecosystem and publish it openly.
• Ask your council or anchor institutions: what’s your collaboration offer?
• Volunteer to co-host a mission prototype in your neighbourhood.

If you’re a funder or anchor institution:

• Invest in backbone roles and convening spaces.
• Ask applicants for clarity on partner roles and governance, not just outputs.

The most resilient places are those where connections between institutions, communities, and informal networks are strong. Collaboration isn’t just about goodwill. It’s about building the foundations, patiently and deliberately, so the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Over to you: what collaborations in your place are showing promise, and what would it take to give them stronger foundations?