TASC PPI - Information for researchers

How we can support pre-award PPI and advise on post award PPI

If you are a researcher who would like to involve patients or members of the public in your research, please get in touch with the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Manager at the following email:  [email protected]

The PPI Manager can provide support on:

  • Accessing existing PPI groups
  • Arranging and leading PPI meetings pre-award
  • Facilitating document reviews
  • Assisting in the development of a PPI plan for research applications
  • Provide advice on how to prepare costings for PPI in research applications
  • Provide advice on setting up your own PPI group

Get in touch with us as early as possible before your application deadline. 

We have a small budget to support PPI at the pre-award stage; therefore pre-award PPI is available at no cost to the research team. 

Why do PPI?

A lot of medical research carried out in Tayside aims to improve the health and treatment of the local, national and global population. When developing research ideas, it is important to understand the needs of patients, carers and their families to ensure that the research is in the best interests of patients and the general public, as well as answering the clinical research question.

Our vision is that all health and social care research in Tayside is carried out "With people, for people".

Involving patients in early research planning stages and throughout the research cycle can greatly increase the quality of a research application and the relevance and acceptability of the research to patients, and can increase:

  • health knowledge
  • research knowledge
  • the relevance and quality of health and social care research
  • health and wellbeing

Pre-award PPI support

We encourage researchers to contact the PPI Manager at the earliest opportunity during the development of a research project to discuss their PPI needs and to utilise the pre award PPI support that is available (at no cost to researcher team). To initiate PPI support, please send an overview of your project or a draft grant application to the PPI Manager [email protected]

We can provide support on:

  • Accessing existing PPI groups
  • Arranging and leading pre-award PPI meetings
  • Facilitating document reviews
  • Assisting in the development of a PPI plan for research applications
  • Provide advice on how to prepare costings for PPI in research applications

The Pre-award PPI Process

Usually, we have a short call to discuss your project and the support required. 

  • If a document review is required, we will arrange that with the PPI group and feedback to you.
  • If a PPI meeting is required, we ask you prepare a short presentation (5-10 minutes) to introduce yourself, the project background, aims, design etc and finish with questions or issues that they would like to discuss with the group. We will invite members of the group to attend the meeting, set up, attend and minute the pre award meeting with the PPI group, arrange reimbursement to the group and circulate the meeting notes to the researcher after the meeting

Planning PPI post-award

The main role of the PPI Manager is to support and establish PPI at pre-award stages. Post-award, project specific PPI activity is the responsibility of the research team, and all post-award PPI activity should be costed in the research application budget. The PPI Manager can advise on this as required, however cannot organise the post award PPI.

Budgeting for PPI

PPI guidelines state that PPI representatives should be reimbursed for their time input and the experience they provide. Researchers should ensure that they appropriately budget for the PPI activities described in the PPI plan. Many funding bodies are looking for a robust PPI plan, accompanied by a budget to support these activities. Please contact the PPI Manager for any queries on PPI budget preparation.

For PPI payments, follow the NIHR Payment Guidelines for Researchers.

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