Purpose: This paper reports the findings from reflexive data collection on the evolving co-production research relationship between the two ‘worlds’ of community and academia: people with lived experience and community their intermediaries and academic researchers. It reports analysis of reflections on experience as the different partners explore and evaluate their own experiences of co-productive research within the context of substance use recovery co-production research. Design/methodology/approach: The research uses reflexive data from perspectives of an intermediary community partner, academic partners, and community researchers on experiences of a series of co-productive research projects. The aim is to identify thematic features of the co-productive experiences from different positions and through the process of adaptation to a co-productive relationship. Findings: This paper outlines what has been learnt from the experience of co-production and what has ‘worked’ for community and academic partners; around the nature of co-production, barriers to performance, and its value to participants and the wider recovery research agenda. Originality/value: This paper reports a unique perspective on a developing methodology in health and social care, contributing to a growing body of knowledge pertaining to experiences of co-production research. Co-production, recovery, substance use, reflection, research
