Consultancy & collaboration

We support a range of ways to connect and collaborate with our researchers. These include fee-based consultancy, embedded researchers, and (where a longer-term commitment is appropriate) developing joint research proposals to secure external funding.

We look to members of the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum to source relevant expertise. Forum members are normally academics at the University of Cambridge. We also maintain a wider network of former members and friends.

Fee-based consultancy

The University of Cambridge has a wide array of expertise in religion and allied fields. CIKH can help external partners connect with the knowledge you need, arranging one-to-one and more complex consultancies.

We offer an introduction service for partners: we can meet with you and learn about your needs.

We arrange consultancy with support from Cambridge Enterprise, who have a specialist team able to arrange contracts on behalf of Cambridge academic and professional staff. 

Administrative fees may apply.

Case study | Interfaith Explorers

Through the Maimonides Foundation, Sir Nasser David Khalili funded the development of a curriculum resource to help primary schools deliver inquiry-based learning about Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The resulting platform, Interfaith Explorers, was first launched in 2012. 

During 2024, the Khalili Foundation undertook to update and expand the Interfaith Explorers resource, drawing assistance from Wikipedia (with the support of Bristol academic Dr Martin Poulter). 

Education consultants nominated by CIP contributed to the taxonomy of the revised resource, reviewing Wikipedia content to check for suitability and providing guidance on how to capture the complexity of lived religious experience in child-friendly terms. 

Embedded researchers

There are a range of options for creating more sustained engagement with Cambridge researchers. We have been piloting a match-funded researcher-in-residence arrangement. We also have doctoral students engaged in collaborative work, and plan to increase the range of internship experiences available to affiliated postgraduates. 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme provides subsidy for longer-term projects targeting innovation where it is possible to demonstrate potential organisational benefits.  A mutually appointed KTP associate (often a recent graduate, PhD student, or postdoc) works within the host organisation, with mentoring from the University, and financial and collateral support from Innovate UK.

Please enquire for further information about KTPs with Cambridge.

Collaborative research

Some challenges are best addressed together, and to this end we will work with partners to develop joint projects. 

Structuring research collaborations can require significant investment of time and effort to discern a joint focus, identify parameters, and (importantly) secure sufficient funding. The benefits can be significant, especially where synergy is evident.

Where appropriate, CIKH also supports commissioned research. Commissions must align with CIKH’s values and expertise.