As an open collaborative network, the Cairns-Port Douglas Reef Hub mobilises citizen scientists to capture ecological data that directly informs stakeholder site needs, restoration potential and actionable reef management decisions in the region. In late 2023, the Reef Hub launched a coral recruitment study, co-designed and delivered with diverse stakeholders to deploy and analyse coral recruitment tiles from local reefs. Training workshops enabled broad participation, including Traditional Owner rangers and tourism staff, in data collection. Strong engagement in upskilling led to the study's 2024 expansion to six regional reefs (18 sites) with more participants involved in tile analysis. The project aims to build on this success to support a long-term monitoring study on local coral recruitment patterns following annual mass spawning events—data that would otherwise be costly and logistically challenging to collect. This initiative bridges critical knowledge gaps while fostering sustained community engagement through open-source data sharing. It demonstrates the power of co-designed, community-led research in addressing environmental challenges while building local capacity. In this talk, we will showcase how a place-based collaborative network can serve as a model for inclusive, impactful marine science partnerships that benefit both scientific understanding and community needs.