RIPPLE: Researchers Involving the Public at Pre-application, to Learn and Embed

Context: where are we now?

Research needs to be developed in partnership with the people and communities it aims to benefit, in order to maximise relevance and impact. Public partners - including members of the public, patients, voluntary organisations, and community groups - bring valuable lived experience, perspectives, and insights that can strengthen research from the outset.

However, public involvement in research often begins after research ideas have been shaped and grant applications have been submitted to funders. As a result, opportunities for public partners to influence research priorities, design, and relevance can be limited.

Aims: Where do we want to be?

We’ve been awarded 18 month funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to test different ways to support Researchers Involving the Public at Pre-application, to Learn and Embed (RIPPLE).

RIPPLE aims to:

• Connect communities, by diversifying the range of people we partner with, and supporting meaningful, mutually beneficial public partnerships 
• Empower public partnerships, with tailored professional public involvement support and reimbursement of public partners, to create research proposals that are more relevant, inclusive, and responsive to real-world needs 
• Inform and embed best practice, by sharing our learnings and case studies that can help embed early public partnership working into research culture in Dundee and beyond.

Public partners are embedded throughout this project, not only within funded research teams but also through involvement in reviewing and selecting applications. 

Delivery: How are we going to get there?

Life Sciences researchers can apply for support and funding to co-develop their research ideas and MRC grant application with public partners.

Researchers and public partners are supported by a dedicated team of public involvement professionals who provide coaching, guidance, and practical assistance with planning, budgeting, logistics, facilitation, and evaluation.

RIPPLE operates through an iterative cycle of up to three rounds of funding, evaluation, and learning. Insights from each funding round will be used to refine subsequent rounds, enabling continuous improvement and contributing to wider discussions about best practice in early-stage public involvement. 

The learning generated will be shared openly to support sustainable culture change and encourage broader adoption of effective public partnership approaches in research, in Dundee and beyond.

If you have any questions or you would like to apply to this project, please contact us at [email protected]

Further project information is available on Discovery.