The gap between research and practice is extensively discussed within academic scholarship, both within planning (Dias and Oliviera 2025, Eizenberg et al 2025), and more widely (Van de Ven and Johnson, 2006). The two communities are frequently highlighted as ‘others’, occupying separate or parallel worlds (Newman et al 2015, Goodman et al 2022).

At the same time, growing interest in co-production and engaged scholarship seeks to bridge this divide through collaborative forms of knowledge production. Yet there remains limited empirical evidence of how practitioners experience participation in live research projects and what value such engagement creates for practitioners.

This paper draws on the Urban Retrofit project, a three-year UK-based research collaboration involving universities and public, private and third-sector partners exploring retrofit as a pathway towards more sustainable urban development. Using qualitative interviews with local authority practitioners participating in project activities, including an international study tour and research symposium, the paper examines engagement in research as a form of reflective practice.

Findings suggest that the value of research engagement extends beyond the production of evidence or research outputs. Practitioners describe participation as creating space for reflection, providing reassurance through comparative learning, fostering mutual learning between researchers and practitioners, and building relationships that support ongoing knowledge exchange. The paper argues that research-practice collaboration should be understood not only as a mechanism for knowledge transfer, but also as a social process that shapes professional thinking and practice in real time.