health data research uk internship

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• Medical Statistics Group

NIHR Undergraduate Internships in Data Science

The Medical Statistics Group at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, invites applications for two summer internship placements to work on quantitative applied health research projects.

The internship roles

The internships will provide opportunities to undertake training in skills for statistical data analysis and coding using R and/or Stata software, to contribute to ongoing medical research projects, and to learn about careers in data science for health research. Supervision and mentorship will be provided by a team of researchers in the Medical Statistics Group: Jacqueline Murphy (Medical Statistician), Dr Thomas Fanshawe (Senior Medical Statistician and Departmental Lecturer), and Dr Susannah Fleming (Senior Quantitative Researcher).

Project 1: Evaluating factors to predict diagnosis of Covid-19 infection by analysing individual participant data from a research study on diagnostic tests. This project includes an optional activity to develop an interactive web app using “R Shiny” programming language to demonstrate the potential use of a diagnostic tool in a clinical setting.

Project 2: Evaluating different methods of combining blood test results to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as a measure of kidney function in Chronic Kidney Disease. This project involves analysing individual participant data and includes the opportunity to learn about the role of research studies in informing clinical guidelines.

Funding for the internships is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Undergraduate Internship Programme. Placements will take place for a duration of 4 to 6 weeks (depending on the availability of the successful candidates) starting on 12th August 2024. The salary will be £15.15 per hour (Oxford University casual pay spine point 20, Grade 5.1) on a fixed-term full-time basis of 36.5 hours per week, business hours Monday to Friday. A contribution of up to £1000 per intern is also available to reimburse costs of travel and/or accommodation for successful applicants.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct data analysis using statistical software (R or Stata), under guidance from the supervisory team
• Attend relevant training courses, including to develop skills in data analysis and coding
• Work collaboratively as part of a research team including attending group meetings and contributing to project discussions
• Prepare a short presentation about the project at the end of the placement
• Contribute to writing a report describing the methods and main findings from the project, for potential publication in an academic journal
• Write a short report about the internships and the skills and knowledge gained
• Engage with resources made available during the internships to learn about careers in data science for health research, including attending discussions with other researchers in the department

Eligibility and application process

Applicants must be in their second or third year of an undergraduate degree (which may include taught undergraduate degrees or degree apprenticeships). The placements will best suit undergraduates studying a subject with a quantitative or statistical component (e.g. mathematics, statistics, or other relevant subjects such as economics or psychology).

To apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement as Word or PDF files to [email protected] . Once your application has been received you will be sent a confirmation email. Your CV should include information on undergraduate degree modules completed to-date with grades (if available). The supporting statement should include description of why you are interested in the internships and in pursuing a career in data science for health research, and previous relevant experience (study, work, or voluntary).

The closing date for applications is noon on Wednesday 19 June 2024 . Online interviews will be held in the week of 24 – 28 June 2024.

Selection criteria:

• Currently enrolled in 2nd or 3rd year of an undergraduate degree*
• Familiarity with introductory statistical concepts
• Aptitude for conducting quantitative data analysis using statistical programming software
• Interest in learning about and pursuing a career in data science for health research
• Good standard of communication in both verbal and written English

 *Degree level study may include taught undergraduate degrees or degree apprenticeships

• Previous experience conducting data analysis using statistical programming languages, such as Stata, R, or other software
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to meet deadlines by planning and prioritising own work tasks

The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences is committed to equality and valuing diversity. Appointments will be made on merit and according to the selection criteria.

Enquiries for further information about the internships or the application process are welcome; please contact Jacqueline Murphy ( [email protected] ).

Welsh Government

Health Data Science Black Internship Programme 2024

Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is helping to transform the prospects of talented Black health data scientists in the UK by providing opportunities to flourish in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers through their Health Data Science Black Internship Programme .  

HDR UK promotes the programme to a national audience and oversees the recruitment process to ensure that host organisations have suitable interviewees alongside manages internship education throughout the programme. The interns have gone on to complete extended internships, complete higher degrees in health data and secure roles within health data and wider data science fields.  

HDR UK is hosting an informal host information call on Thursday, 19 October 2023 to discuss the highlights and impact of last year’s programme and the pledge requirements and how to become involved in the programme this year. 

Please register on their website if you are interested in joining the call.  

For more information of the programme, please visit their website or email the team .  

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Health Data Science Black Internship Programme 2023

Health data research uk.

• Closing: 12:01am, 9th Jan 2023 GMT

8.49 (3787)

Job Description

Black Internship Programme 2023

This is the third year of running our Black Internship Programme, in collaboration with the 10,000 Black Interns Foundation and the Health Data Alliance.

By bringing together the extraordinary variety and breadth of data activities across our host organisations and from different parts of the country (all four nations) - we are delivering an internship programme to attract talented Black people who are considering a career in health data research.

The internship is for Monday 3 July 2023 - Friday 25 August 2023.

Interns will be recruited and employed by a host organisation for the 8-weeks and will participate in training activities throughout the internship, including:

Friday afternoon ‘takeover’ sessions with health data experts

Access to our virtual learning platform Futures for training on health data topics

A group technical challenge

In-person events with the other interns

Who can apply?

You are encouraged to apply if you are a Black person currently studying at a university in the U.K. or recently graduated from a U.K. university (2021 and 2022). This is open to Black persons of all academic backgrounds.

It is ideally suited to those with a degree in maths, computer / data science, engineering, or biological sciences.

Please note that you must have a right to work in the UK. We do not support visas for this programme.

For further information on the application process:

https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/careers-in-health-data-science/internships/health-data-science-black-internship-programme/information-for-interns/

If you have any questions you'd like to ask:

Please feel welcome to contact us at [email protected]

Know someone great for this?

Removing bias from the hiring process

Applications closed Mon 9th Jan 2023

• Your application will be anonymously reviewed by our hiring team to ensure fairness
• You’ll need a CV/résumé, but it’ll only be considered if you score well on the anonymous review

HEALTH DATA RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS FOR UNDER – REPRESENTED TALENT

Health Data Research Internships

We provide paid Health Data Research internships for Black students and graduates through the 10,000 Black Interns programme, and paid Health Data Research internships for disabled students and graduates of all ethnicities, through the 10,000 Able Interns programme across a range of UK industries – including Health Data Research

Health Data Research is the process of gathering and analysing information about people in order to preserve their health. It enables us to understand diseases and health conditions through a better appreciation of their causes, symptoms and the kind of people who are most at risk of becoming ill. In turn, this allows us to diagnose diseases earlier and provide better, more efficient care and treatment. This is crucial to the improvement of healthcare for all!

By applying for an internship in this sector alongside some of the world’s leading experts on life-saving research either in individual organisations or as part of our partnership with the national institute for Health Data Research: HDR UK as part of the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme.

The overall aim of the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme is not only to continue to tackle the underrepresentation of Black people within the health data science sector but to also provide motivated candidates with the experience they need to kick-start their STEM careers. Click here for more information: https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/careers-in-health-data-science/internships/health-data-science-black-internship-programme/

Organisations interested in joining the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme can contact  [email protected]

A key area of Health Data Research is Genomics. Genomics is the study of all of a person’s DNA, not just the sections containing genes. Today, it is most often used to help diagnose people with rare diseases and cancers, and to help decide what treatment will work best for them. However, we now have significant genomic data and analytic tools that are useful for investigating the genetic components of common diseases too – diseases like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and common cancers like breast, bowel and prostate cancer. These are the diseases that cause the most illness and place the greatest burden on NHS resources.

We can use these new genomic data and tools to identify people at higher risk of developing common diseases, many of whom are currently invisible to health systems like the NHS. These people can then be moved into some of the excellent prevention, screening and early diagnosis pathways we already have. That would result in better outcomes for those people and a more efficient use of healthcare resources.

REGISTER FOR HEALTH DATA RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS

Choose your perfect location.

Paid Health Data Research internship opportunities can be found across the UK – from London to Edinburgh, and including Birmingham and Manchester.

THE 10,000 INTERNS EXPERIENCE

We provide paid internships for Black students and graduates through the 10,000 Black Interns programme, and paid internships for disabled students and graduates of all ethnicities, through the 10,000 Able Interns programme across a range of UK industries.

Here’s how our programmes work:

Submit an application.

Choose up to 3 sectors, and submit your application with a cover letter and CV for each. Make the most of our application training sessions to help you prepare

Complete interviews and assessments

Our companies will then review applications focusing on your potential and experience. Companies will reach out directly should they wish to take your application forward

Receive your offer, start training

Successful candidates will be emailed details of their role, and get access to extensive pre-internship training and development through the Foundation

Your internship begins

Start your paid, 6-week+ internship, be supported by a mentor, and kickstart your career.

Unlock your potential! Apply now if you identify as disabled or if you experience societal barriers that are disabling. Start your journey to showcase your exceptional talent in leading UK industries.

Discover your potential! Apply now if you are a student or graduate who identifies as Black or Black heritage (mixed included). Find opportunities to showcase your exceptional talent in leading UK industries.

Black Internship Programme helps kickstart Health Data Science careers

• December 11th 2023

We are delighted to be supporting Health Data Research UK’s (HDRUK) Health Data Science Black Internship Programme 2024 . The programme is a brilliant way to gain hands-on experience, carrying out practical projects in the real world, find out about a rapidly advancing area of science, meet fellow interns and boost employment opportunities.

The programme, which sets out to tackle underrepresentation of Black people in the health data science sector, offers opportunities to help expand knowledge and gain the necessary experience to kickstart, or advance, a health data science career.

We know that our research will be stronger by fostering a fully inclusive environment where everyone feels supported, valued, and given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Embedding equality of opportunity and ensuring that the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion are second nature to everyone in our experimental medicine and translational research community is key to our South West centre of biomedical research.

Health Data Research UK (HDRUK) are an independent, charity organisation on a mission to unite the UK’s health and care data to enable discoveries that improve people’s lives. Their work spans across academia, healthcare, industry, and charities, as well as patients and the public.

Meet the interns who took part in the 2023 Health Data Science Black Internship Programme to hear how much they enjoyed the experience.

What are the details?

We will recruit and employ an intern for 8-weeks between Monday 1 st July and Friday 23 rd August 2024. You will receive a stipend equivalent to the London Living Wage of £13.15 per hour. In addition, you will participate in training activities throughout the internship, including:

• Friday afternoon ‘takeover’ sessions with health data experts
• Access to HDRUK virtual learning platform Futures for training on health data topics
• A group technical challenge
• In-person events with the other interns

Who’s eligible?

Internships for summer 2024 are open to all Black people who are:

• Current students at a UK university at any level (undergraduate, post grad diploma, Master’s, PhD or returning student)
• Recently graduated from a UK university (2022 and 2023)
• International students currently registered at a UK university
• Of any academic background, but is ideally suited to those with a degree in maths, engineering or computer / data sciences, and medicine and bioinformatics-allied subjects.

*Please note that you must have a right to work in the UK. The programme does not support visas.

Find all the details on the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme – HDR UK webpage.

Applications for the 2024 programme are open

Closing: 11:59pm, 7 th January 2024  GMT

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MRC Epidemiology Unit

Unit welcomes first intern as part of Health Data Research UK’s Black internship programme

July 6, 2021

The MRC Epidemiology Unit is participating in the  Health Data Research UK  (HDR UK) Black internship programme, and this week we welcomed our first intern, Elizabeth Oduala, to the Unit. Elizabeth is doing a degree in Applied AI & Data Analytics at the University of Bradford, and during her internship Elizabeth will work under the supervision of  Dr SM Labib  and  Dr James Woodcock  of  the Unit’s Public Health Modelling programme .

The Black community are heavily underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) community, with only  65 Black individuals among more than ten thousand science professors in the UK . Through the Black internship programme, HDR UK hopes to help tackle the underrepresentation of Black people within the STEM community by transforming the prospects of and providing the opportunities for young Black people in the UK to flourish in their future STEM careers.

HDR UK has recruited a total of 54 interns to join the programme, which runs over six weeks this summer. The internship programme is being organised in partnership with the  10,000 Black Interns initiative  and the  UK Health Data Research Alliance (HDR Alliance) , and will provide paid work experience to future Black data scientists as they work at 25 of HDR UK’s partner organisations.

Discussing what she wants to achieve during her internship, Elizabeth said:

“I am super thrilled about the opportunity to work in the PHM unit, especially as I will get to work with experienced academics who are leveraging data for health improvement. I also look forward to exploring data analysis and visualization using modern tools and learning new technical skills that will be of great relevance to my career goals as a Health Data Scientist.”

Dr Labib added:

“We are excited to have Elizabeth as our projects have several fronts where she can explore interesting ideas and expand her skills in data science and its application in public health modelling.”

Welcoming Elizabeth to the Unit,  Professor Nita Forouhi , who is Director of Organisational Affairs at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine in addition to her Unit role as programme leader for Nutritional Epidemiology, said:

“This internship is directly aligned with our goal to build capacity for doing best research together with maximising equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are confident that our training environment will provide Elizabeth with new knowledge and skills, and hopeful that this experience will help to raise aspiration, increase confidence and open future opportunities for a successful career in academia.”

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Transformation Directorate

NHS England PhD Data Science internship scheme for innovation and analytics in health

Applications for the next phase of the scheme (for placements in 2024) are open from 4th December 2023.

Internship scheme webinar

In support of our internship scheme, Health Data Research UK hosted a special NHS-led webinar on 19 October 2022 .

During the webinar, the scheme was presented and interns from waves 2 and 3 will discussed their research and experiences.

The webinar is available to watch on the HDRUK event page .

The Digital Analytics and Research Team (DART) data science internship scheme is to connect NHS real data with academic thought and research through short-term PhD internships. Evidence based academic research is of great value to the NHS and this collaboration allows insights to be acted upon in a real-life setting. For the student and university, the internship is an opportunity to work on and support real time research analytics in an industrial setting, with access to NHS data, which may ultimately impact on patient services.

If you’re a PhD student working in a quantitative discipline and want to apply your knowledge whilst gaining experience of creating solutions within health and care settings, you're who we’re looking for. The internship is fully funded at an NHS Agenda for Change band 6 level with the project period covering between 3 and 5 months. Please see the information and instructions for the application process.  

Our aim is to build on previous learning whilst having an avenue for including the latest research and approaches. Where possible we will work in an open and transparent way ensuring learning is shared and insights made available for others to reproduce. At the end of the project the applicant will submit a final report suitable for publication in open literature and presentations to NHS England of their results, including their experience of the project. The nature of the output will depend on the specific project.

Key priorities of the internship will be:

• safe and appropriate use of NHS data
• to producing a balanced outcome for both the student and NHS England, with useable outputs
• to provide the students with experience of completing a live business project
• to provide the NHS with an avenue to experience current research and ideas
• to kick-start or accelerate current projects and ideas
• to build a long term programme with developing research areas

The successful candidate will occupy a role within the NHS England Digital Analytics and Research Team for between 3 and 5 months. During the internship the candidate will be expected to progress their chosen project autonomously with supervision from colleagues in the analytics unit as well as their current academic supervisor. The candidate will be expected to be focussed on the project and self-driven during the internship period, providing regular updates on progress and issues.

Within the topic area of the chosen project, there will be some freedom to direct the development of the research and knowledge but this will also need to be balanced against creating a learning outcome or tangible output, that benefits the PhD scheme objectives and is in a shareable state for future projects to pick up and continue the development.

As the candidate will be an NHS England employee during the internship period, standard employment checks and some mandatory training are required.

Key aims for the intern will be to progress the research project ensuring learning and outcomes are shareable with NHS England and where appropriate made suitable for publication.

Find out more and apply

Find out more about the current available internships and how to apply.

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News posted 27 July, 2022

• Meet the interns: budding health data scientists join MFT

The next generation of health data scientists are taking their first steps into this rapidly expanding field, with internships at the UK’s largest NHS trust.

Four young people have been offered placements at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) , under two distinct schemes run by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) .

HDR UK is the national institute for health data science, on a mission to unite the UK’s health data to enable discoveries that benefit people’s lives. It supports research by facilitating the sharing of health data at scale, in order to advance understanding of disease and enable new discoveries to improve the health of the UK.

MFT has offered placements to four people, three as part of the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme , and one as part of the HDRUK-Wellcome Biomedical Vacation Scholarships in Health Data Research .

About the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme

Run in partnership with the  UK Health Data Research Alliance  and the  10,000 Black Interns initiative , this programme helps to kick-start the data science careers of recently graduated Black people, or those in their undergraduate years, by providing opportunities to work on health data science projects.

Interns are offered opportunities to learn about health data science in action and to carry out their own, clearly defined, research projects.

Dr Katherine Boylan, Head of Innovation at MFT, said: “Having interviewed an outstanding group of candidates – and part-funded by NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre – we are delighted to have appointed three new colleagues under the Black Internship Programme.

“Having begun their eight-week placements with us at the beginning of July 2022, they will now support data projects across our Trust, hosted infrastructure and Clinical Data Sciences Unit (CDSU).

“David, Rola and Ibukunoluwa have all been matched with personal mentors and have already impressed us with their enthusiasm and work ethic, and I am looking forward to supporting their progression throughout their time at MFT.

“I have no doubt they will do great things in the future.”

About MFT’s Black Internship Programme interns

David Boakye is 21-years-old, from Milton Keynes, and has recently completed his third year of a Pharmacy degree from Aston University.

David said: “I heard about 10,000 Black Interns via TikTok. A friend told me, ‘you should have a look at this scheme’, and I managed to apply for it just before the deadline. I was really pleased as I did quite a few interviews before this, but this was the one I always had in mind.

“It’s an important scheme, as I feel there are a lack of black males specialising in pharmacy. In my case, my brother is a pharmacist, so it’s been important to have him as a role model.

“Of course, data science is extremely different to pharmacy! But I would hopefully like to switch into pharmaceutical data science or the tech field, and this is a great opportunity to gain some experience.

“I definitely wanted to be involved in the NHS – it makes so much sense coming from a pharmacy background – and I’m really pleased to be here.”

Rola Adefarasin is 18-years-old, from Watford, and has recently completed her first year of a Computer Science degree at the University of Leeds.

Rola said: “I was researching internships and I came across the HDR UK scheme on LinkedIn. I read into it, and it looked interesting, particularly the computer science element.

“There aren’t many black girls or women on my course, so this is an important opportunity.

“I have always wanted to be involved in healthcare, such as the NHS, whether medically or in terms of helping people with computer science. I’m not sure exactly what I would like to do eventually in my career, but definitely something involving artificial intelligence.”

Ibukunoluwa Adesina is 27-years-old from Cramlington, Newcastle, and has a degree in Bioinformatics.

“It’s an important scheme, as it’s always better when there is equality and representation.

“I’m really pleased that my internship is within the NHS – I always wanted to be somewhere where I could have a positive impact on people’s lives.

“Career-wise, I’m leaning towards genome sequencing and personalised medicine, so this feels like the perfect placement for me.”

Find out more about the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme 2022 via the HDR UK website .

About the hdruk-wellcome biomedical vacation scholarships in health data research.

This programme is designed to support undergraduates, in the middle year(s) of quantitative degrees, to undertake health data research projects for the very first time.

It offers interns valuable insights into scientific research and the opportunity to work under leading UK academics and clinicians.

About MFT’s Biomedical Vacation Scholarship intern

Jake Parker is 21-years-old from Rainford, Merseyside, and has just completed his second year of a Maths with Finance degree at the University of Plymouth .

He has been offered an eight-week scholarship at MFT as part of this scheme and is working on a project to compare continuous blood pressure measurements in the intensive care unit with hourly checks performed by nurses.

Jake is being mentored by Dr Anthony Wilson and Dr Alexander Parker, who are both Critical Care Consultants at Manchester Royal Infirmary, which is part of MFT.

“I have personal experience with the NHS and wanted to gain experience in a role where I could have a positive impact and potentially make some improvements.

“It will be really inspiring to work with Dr Wilson, Dr Parker and other colleagues, such as the CDSU team, so I can’t wait to get started.

“I would eventually like to be a forecast analyst in the public sector – which is where artificial intelligence is used to predict patterns for the future.”

Dr Wilson said : “It is a big help for us to partner with students like Jake, who are keen to apply learning from their degrees in a hospital setting.

“Projects like this vacation scholarship are great way for us to help build the healthcare data scientists of the future.”

Find out more about Biomedical Vacation Scholarships in Health Data Research via the HDR UK website .

• News Releases

The UK’s national institute for health data science opens its Black Internship Programme for 2023

Health Data Research UK

image: HDR UK's 2022 interns view more 

Credit: [email protected]

From Friday 1 November, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is taking applications from interns and host organisations for its Health Data Science Black Internship Programme for 2023. 

The programme, run in partnership with the UK Health Data Research Alliance and 10,000 Black Interns , is helping to tackle the underrepresentation of Black people within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing opportunities to work on health data science projects with some of the UK’s leading health, research and academic organisations. 

The UK has an urgent need for new health data scientists in this rapidly expanding field which has the potential to transform the future of health and care for all.  A report commissioned by The Royal Society states that for the years spanning 2007/08 to 2018/19, just 3.5% of Black STEM academic staff held a professor post compared to 6.6% of Asian staff and 11.9% of White staff.  

This programme, shortlisted for CorpsComms Magazine ’s Best diversity and inclusion initiative awards event on 17 November, is just one of HDR UK’s schemes which supports our belief that health data science should be as effective as possible in serving and reflecting the needs of the entire UK population. 

HDR UK’s internship programme provides interns with hands-on experience, using real-world data and host organisations with motivated students and graduates ready to use their skills. 

Shaun Cochrane, Deputy Director of Biomedical Research Centre Operations at St Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust, said:  

"It was fantastic to host the interns within our facility. Their experience included working with world-class research teams such as King’s College, London. They also learnt coding and programming using Python, as well as health data analysis using NumPy and Pandas.” 

Sarah Cadman, Director of Talent and Training at Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) said: 

"Following the success of last year's programme where 100% of participants said they would recommend the programme, we are delighted to welcome interest from both interns and host organisations for 2023! It is incredibly exciting to once again be supporting the next generation of health data scientists." 

Organisations interested in finding out how to become a host can register for a webinar taking place on Tuesday 29 November at 13:00.  

To register their interest in the programme, prospective host organisations simply need to complete a 2-min pledge form  by 16 January 2023.

Interns should read the information for applicants before completing an application form by 9 January 2023. 

HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme is aimed at Black people who are either studying an undergraduate degree or who have recently graduated from any UK university.  

The internship will be for 8-weeks from Monday 3 July – Friday 25 August 2023. 

About Health Data Research UK   

Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national institute for health data science. HDR UK’s mission is to unite the UK’s health data to enable discoveries that improve people’s lives. HDR UK is funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Department of Health and Social Care in England and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and leading medical research charities.               www.hdruk.ac.uk    

Note to editors  

For more information, please contact Clare Leahy Communications Lead at HDR UK on [email protected] or 07748016062  

Black Internship FAQs: https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/careers-in-health-data-science/internships/health-data-science-black-internship-programme/faqs/ 

Method of Research

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Home » HDI Internships » HDI Internship Programme

HDI Internship Programme

| Published on: Oct 10, 2023 | Categories: HDI Internships , Internship Lead Article , News |

Applications for 2024 Internships are now closed.

Applications open: October 2023

Closing date: 5pm Monday 4 th December 2023  

Shortlisting: December 2023

Interviews: January 2024

Offers sent: February 2024

Contracts sent: May 2024

Internship start: July 2024  

Internship ends: 2-3 months after starting

Applications are now open for 2024

Health Data Insight CIC was created as a social enterprise to address some of the tech and data issues that challenge the NHS. We are passionate about finding simple elegant solutions to real everyday problems in healthcare.  

We use our intern programme to bring six enthusiastic young people with a diverse range of skills to form a single team to work with us on one of our current challenges.  

At the beginning of the internship we will give you the most recent problem(s) brought to us by our healthcare partners in search of a solution. As a team you will develop an innovative  digital and/or physical solution using data  which will make a difference to the healthcare system. See the links below for some of the projects tackled by previous year interns.  

Patientsight

Intern Project 2022 , Internship

TheatreCapture

Data Visualisation , Intern Project 2021 , Internship , Teaching

Intern Project 2020 , Internship , Synthetic Data , Teaching

Building a successful team is as much of a challenge as the technical aspects of the project itself – so while some of the students who join us will be very strong in tech, data and analytics – others will take the lead roles on project management, design, customer and business requirements.  

During your time as an intern we will provide the team with coaching and supervision using in-house staff and several experts from NHS and Government.  Your project will be developed in an agile/scrum project framework and we hold regular problem-based-learning sessions to tease out some of the more complex issues.  

If this sounds like you, get your application to us by 4th December (details below). We can’t wait to meet you!

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who want to be part of an innovative multi-disciplinary team, developing skills in coding, teamworking, visualisation, and science communication to solve real-world problems, and create resources and tools to support healthcare systems.  

We welcome applications from undergraduates, postgraduates or graduates up to 2 years since graduation or Masters/PhD completion.  

The internship is open to anybody who is eligible to work full-time in the UK. 

What skills/experience are needed?

Enthusiasm and eagerness to work as part of a small team of like-minded individuals are the main attributes we are after.

Candidates from all backgrounds are welcome, particularly if you have interest or experience in one or more of these areas:

• Data handling (analysis, encryption, transmission, storage and visualisation)  
• Hardware development  
• Web and mobile app development  
• Electrical engineering, microprocesses and embedded devices  
• Coding and software development  
• Machine learning  
• Project management  
• Stakeholder engagement  
• Business development  
• User engagement  
• Problem solving  
• Science communication

How do I apply?

To apply, please send the following:

• an up-to-date CV
• what skills and attributes you would bring to the internship
• any background experience that you feel is relevant
• proof that you are eligible to work full-time in the UK (see  https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work )

Please email these documents to [email protected] by 5pm on Monday 4 th  December 2023.  

Once we receive your application, a simple task for you to complete will be sent by auto-responder –  please look out for this and check your spam folders. You need to complete this task within two weeks.

What is the recruitment process?

We will be longlisting candidates based on their CV, covering letter and response to the task.  

Those who are longlisted will be invited for an informal chat via zoom.  

Those who are shortlisted will be invited to join us at the HDI Offices for a day of team activities and a personal interview.

What do we offer and how are Interns supported?

This internship will support the development of specialist skills and is also a chance to enhance your communication, collaboration, organizational, business and team-working skills.  

What are the hours, pay, expenses and leave entitlement?

The normal working week is 37.5 hours and we offer flexible working. Interns are paid £1,860 per month,  plus expenses according to our expenses policy. You are also entitled to 2.25 days leave per month plus bank holidays.  

When is the Internship?

The Internship starts in the summer months.  

Dates for 2024: Internships are offered for two to three months starting in July 2024. The team will give a presentation 2 months into the internship to showcase their work. There may be a possibility to extend the internship, for example for graduate interns wanting to take the project from prototype to pilot stage or beyond – please discuss during your interview.

Where will the Internship be?

Interns will work in the HDI offices in Capital Park, Fulbourn, Cambridge although travel to other sites may be necessary as part of the project. If remote working is necessary, we have the setup required to do this.

Is accommodation available locally?

The following links offer some accommodation options in Cambridge:

Accommodation Service The Accommodation Service’s office at Kellet Lodge is open to visitors. The satellite Eddington office remains closed to visitors but o ur staff are still working normal office hours – from 9am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday.

Cambridge University Accommodation Service (above) can provide accommodation for students from outside the University of Cambridge but there is a small charge for gaining access to their listings. If you wish to apply to them, fill out the form on their website the best you can putting “ Health Data Insight CIC” in where it asks for Dept and the dates you will be here and they will then contact you.

Accommodation for Students: Houses, Halls, Flats & Studios Search the UK’s No.1 Student Accommodation website for Student Houses, Halls, Flats & Studios. Find student accommodation in over 130 locations.

Airbnb | Holiday rentals, cabins, beach houses & more 5 Dec 2023 – Find the perfect place to stay at an amazing price in 191 countries. Belong anywhere with Airbnb.

Please note we do not have any affiliation with any of the companies mentioned above and cannot endorse them but if you are having trouble finding accommodation please get in touch and we will see what we can do to help.

2021 Interns at HDI

internship_experience (1080p) An introduction to internships at Health Data Insight CIC https://www.healthdatainsight.org.uk

Recent Interns at HDI have come from:

• Our members
• Our services for the NHS
• Developing your innovation
• Optimising Care of Long-Term Conditions (starting with Cardiovascular Disease)
• Enabling More Days at Home
• Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health
• Environmental sustainability: supporting a Net Zero NHS 
• Impact Reports
• News and insight
• Discover-NOW

Read our latest Impact Report.

Meet the Interns: HDR UK Black Internship 22

Adoma Adjei  and Fisayo Banjoko  reflect on their time at Imperial College Health Partners over the summer as part of Health Data Research UK’s Black Internship Programme.

Data Science in Health is a rapidly expanding field with a high demand for experienced and motivated individuals. There is currently a large underrepresentation of Black people within this sector and the HDR UK Black internship offers a brilliant opportunity for talented students looking to get the experience they need to kickstart an exciting career in data science in Health, and for employers looking to gain the benefit of intelligent and enthusiastic individuals at the start of their career path.  

ICHP were delighted to welcome two fantastic data science interns this summer. Adoma and Fisayo worked closely with us on two impactful projects relating to population health management. Both interns demonstrated a clear interest and passion for improving health outcomes throughout their time with us, and a desire to learn and improve their analytical and professional skills. They gained experience in presenting findings, organising work events, chairing meetings, and contributing to our organisational strategy in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group.  

To mark National Inclusion week, and to highlight the brilliant HDR UK internship programme we are proud to participate in, we asked Adoma and Fisayo to share their reflections on their experience at ICHP.  

At ICHP, diversity in our workplace is vital to our ability to serve our local population, and we thank both HDR UK for the opportunity to host the interns, and Adoma and Fisayo for being such brilliant team members. We wish them the very best in their next endeavours and exciting careers. 

Jonathan Watkins, Health Research Advisor   

Adoma Adjei  

• What interested you in the ICHP placement?  

Personally, my interest in this placement was rooted in observing how health data was being utilised to transform patients’ lives. I wanted to get a view ‘behind the scenes’ of health data scientists as well as seeing the roles of others (e.g., project leads, innovation advisors etc.) and how they collaborate to achieve objectives in making headway in healthcare.  

• What have you worked on during your placement?  

I had the fantastic opportunity to work with Rafal Kulakowski in line with the Population Health and Management Inequalities (PHMI) study. My project involved investigating the effect of socioeconomic factors on disease prevalence and healthcare quality using data from WSIC. I deployed multiple poisson/negative binomial regressions to look at the counts of Long-Term Conditions (LTCs) and Disease outcomes using R Studio as well as with presenting data visualisations to see the relationships between socioeconomic variables and counts. 

Additionally, I worked on an E&DI (Equalities, Diversity, Inclusion) data scoping task that involved looking at staff demographics (e.g., ethnicity, disability) and comparing them to other organisations such as Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. We also compared these to London as one of the aims of the ED&I strategy was to make sure that our workforce was reflective of the population we serve. 

I am grateful for the report that I received from my supervisor and line manager as it allowed me to really expand my knowledge whilst being able to rely on them for help and guidance. 

• What have you found most exciting/interesting/shocking during your placement?  

During my placement, I have found the Brunch and Learn sessions, something ICHP offers to all staff on Friday mornings, really interesting. I particularly enjoyed the session on the Hamburg Health Kiosk, especially their identification of the need to combine the medical sector with social services.  

I also found that despite my internship being remote, I was still able to form relationships and have a strong welcoming support system throughout, which was lovely. Despite everyone working remotely, things seem to run efficiently and effectively. 

• What have you learnt about the NHS and/or healthcare data?  

Having a demonstration of FARSITE was extremely fascinating. It was interesting to see how effective this profiling tool was for searching, finding, and contacting patients with research opportunities, whilst still preserving their confidentiality. It was also interesting to see how the tool could quickly match you up to eligible patients and how you could easily filter the criteria.  

• What would you say to anyone considering a placement like this?  

I would tell them to dive right in and to grasp this opportunity. There are a lot of skills to be gained. It really is an invaluable experience to immerse yourself fully in the health data science research world. 

Fisayo Banjoko  

What interested you in the ICHP placement?   

Before I started the internship, I was interested in how data analysis was performed with healthcare data. However, when the internship started my interests grew from just the analysis of healthcare data to how data is collected from individuals, how data is deidentified, stored and how the database is queried. My interest also grew in the non-technical aspects of processing health data such as, strategy, planning, ensuring proper data representation and reducing bias.  

2. What have you worked on during your placement?   

My internship project was centered on the ‘Analysis of Healthcare Services Accessed by Unpaid Carers’, where I analysed and made statistical inferences about unpaid carer’s access to outpatient services before and after Covid, and unpaid carer’s access to accident and emergency care services.  

I learnt to select the best model for a dataset, and I used new statistical methods such as Poisson regression, chi-square test, correlation and overdispersion tests. I also did some data extraction for the Equality, Inclusion and Diversity team, where I extracted relevant staff demographics and compared the staff demographics of ICHP, a similar organisation and North West London.  

3. What have you found most exciting/interesting/shocking during your placement?   

I was pleasantly shocked at the many processes involved in healthcare data processing. I found it interesting that each team, including the non-technical ones, were cogs that made processing healthcare data possible. I was also impressed at how staff health in ICHP was prioritised with fitness and sporting activities  

4. What have you learnt about the NHS and/or healthcare data?   

I learnt about the structure of the NHS, and the important role ICHP plays in that structure. I learnt that the NHS is made up of organisations that often work independently from each other, which can have a negative impact on healthcare experience. To better meet healthcare needs, organisations like ICHP were created by the NHS to support complex change across the health and care sector – innovating and collaborating for a healthier population. I also learnt how the Health and Care Act 2022 will make it easier for health and care organisations to deliver joined-up care for people.  

5. What would you say to anyone considering a placement like this?   

A placement like this is a great opportunity to better understand and gain relevant experience in the field you are interested. Working with, being mentored by and learning from experienced professionals in your field is an irreplaceable experience and will give you a major boost in your career. You will also learn useful career tips and network with other professionals and your peers.

To find out more about internship opportunities at Imperial College Health Partners, email [email protected].

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Research Fellow

University of Birmingham - Department of Applied Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health

Salary:  Full time starting salary is normally in the range £45,585 to £54,395 with potential progression once in post to £61,198

Contract Type:  Fixed Term contract up to March 2028

To work as a key member of a wide-ranging programme of applied health research. This will involve developing a strong programme of personal research in this field, conducting evidence syntheses, leading and contributing to research grant applications, and providing rapid response support to health service research priorities. 

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and lead/contribute to writing publications 
• Work as a key member of a wide-ranging programme of applied health research
• Work responsively and flexibly to manage an evolving and fast-paced research environment
• Use of significant skills and experience of systematic review, evidence synthesis, quantitative methods and literature searching techniques, including the use of electronic databases
• Initiate and conduct original research which has measurable outcomes and is reflected in a growing national and often incipient international reputation
• Plan, design and co-ordinate research activities and programmes
• Contribute to the development of research strategies
• Publish results of own research
• Supervise PhD students
• Contribute to the Department/School through management/leadership 
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement activities, widening participation, schools outreach or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University

Person Specification

• Normally, a higher degree relevant to the research area (normally PhD) or equivalent qualifications
• Track record in the conduct of high quality and high impact systematic reviews and evidence syntheses
• Fluency in relevant methods pertaining to systematic review, evidence synthesis, quantitative methods and literature searching techniques, including the use of electronic databases 
• Experience of Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) in research
• Extensive research experience and scholarship within subject specialism
• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation 
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods
• Extensive experience and achievement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Ameeta Retzer, email: [email protected]

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the ' Apply ' button above.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Closes: 17/09/2024

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Scientific Research Facilitator

How to apply.

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG) within the Department of Anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine is hiring a Scientific Research Facilitator (SRF). MPOG is a consortium of over 60 hospitals that seeks to improve patient care, through research, quality improvement and education, using electronic health record (EHR) and clinical registry data. Our multidisciplinary Michigan-based team includes anesthesiologists, nurses, data scientists, computer programmers, project managers, epidemiologists and statisticians. We work closely with colleagues at Anesthesiology departments across the country and internationally to develop policies, procedures, and the technical infrastructure required to conduct large-scale research, create quality improvement initiatives, educate caregivers, and guide healthcare administration. The SRF position is a service-based role that includes critically evaluating research proposals, assessing the progress of research projects, and identifying challenges to data access and data quality with the overarching goal of increasing the efficiency of study teams in obtaining and utilizing EHR data. The SRF will collaborate with research colleagues and work as part of the MPOG Research Team but will also need to work independently with autonomy in decision making. Please note that the opportunity for part- or full-time work of 20-40 hours a week is available for this position. If you are interested in working a part time schedule, please indicate this in your cover letter and include the number of hours that you would work each week.

Mission Statement

Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally.  Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.

Why Join Michigan Medicine?

Michigan Medicine is one of the largest health care complexes in the world and has been the site of many groundbreaking medical and technological advancements since the opening of the U-M Medical School in 1850. Michigan Medicine is comprised of over 30,000 employees and our vision is to attract, inspire, and develop outstanding people in medicine, sciences, and healthcare to become one of the world’s most distinguished academic health systems.  In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. Work at Michigan Medicine and become a victor for the greater good.

What Benefits can you Look Forward to?

• Excellent medical, dental and vision coverage effective on your very first day
• 2:1 Match on retirement savings

Responsibilities*

• Review proposed research proposals and consult with study teams to refine and adapt methodologies to fit research requirements and determine data availability, feasibility, and reliability
• Formulate research methods and advise on the quality of study design and data management sections of research proposals, grant applications, and publications
• Communicate regularly with study teams both via email and virtual video meetings to discuss and troubleshoot proposed research projects
• Assess ongoing progress of research projects, identify potential obstacles or barriers to completion, and suggest options for improvement
• Collaborate with clinicians and colleagues across MPOG teams which includes participating in working groups and/or quality subcommittee meetings
• Maintain large datasets through tasks such as merging files; restructuring and recoding variables and checking for errors; performing basic data analyses

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelors degree or higher in Information Science, Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be accepted; including relevant undergraduate ad graduate student experience. 
• A minimum of four (4) years of experience in an academic or medical research environment with at least two (2) years of experience in reviewing or writing research proposals
• Previous experience with practices of peer-reviewed observational research and epidemiologic principles
• Highly professional demeanor and positive attitude with outstanding written and oral communication skills and the ability to interact with diverse individuals including research scientists, clinicians, analysts, and programmers
• Ability to multitask and prioritize effectively while working as part of a team or individually to meet deadlines
• Knowledge of and familiarity with statistical software (at least one of SAS, STATA, or R) and Microsoft 365 tools
• Ability to schedule and lead Teams and/or Zoom virtual meetings

Desired Qualifications*

• Masters degree or higher in Information Science, Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience 
• Previous customer service experience
• Previous experience with project management practices
• Previous experience working with large datasets (over 25 million cases)
• Knowledge of database structures and structured query language, such as Microsoft SQL, would be beneficial

Work Schedule

Please note that the opportunity for part- or full-time work of 20-40 hours a week is available for this position. If you are interested in working a part time schedule, please indicate this in your cover letter and include the number of hours that you would work each week.

Work Locations

Hybrid (Remote and Arbor Lakes)

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes .

Background Screening

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings.  Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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Briefing notes for researchers - public involvement in NHS, health and social care research

Published: 05 April 2021

Version: 1.0 - April 2021

Briefing note one: introduction

This guidance is for researchers new to public involvement in research and just starting to consider how best to involve members of the public in their work. It will also be of interest to researchers with experience of public involvement in research who are looking to update and refresh their knowledge and skills. And it will be helpful to others interested in public involvement in research, including involvement leads. This guidance explains the different ways that members of the public are involved in research. It will help you to plan, resource and support public involvement in research. You can find more involvement resources and guidance on Learning for Involvement .

Briefing note two: what is public involvement in research?

Definitions of involvement, engagement and participation.

Researchers and others use a variety of words to describe ways of interacting with the public. The terms involvement, engagement and participation are sometimes used interchangeably but the NIHR ascribes specific meanings to these terms as follows:

Involvement

NIHR defines public involvement in research as research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.  It is an active partnership between patients, carers and members of the public with researchers that influences and shapes research. When using the term ‘public’ we include patients, potential patients, carers and people who use health and social care services as well as people from specific communities and from organisations that represent people who use services. Also included are people with lived experience of one or more health conditions, whether they’re current patients or not. Here are examples of how members of the public might get involved in research:

• as  joint grant holders or co-applicants on a research project
• identifying  research priorities
• as members of a project advisory or steering group
• commenting on and developing patient information leaflets or other research materials
• undertaking interviews with research participants
• carrying out research as user and/or carer researchers

Public involvement as defined here is also sometimes referred to as Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). More information about approaches to public involvement can be found in section seven.

Where information and knowledge about research is provided and disseminated. Examples of engagement are:

• science festivals open to the public with debates and discussions on research open days at a research centre where members of the public are invited to find out about research raising
• awareness of research through media such as television programmes, newspapers and social media
• dissemination to research participants, colleagues or members of the public on the findings of a study.

Find out more about engagement through the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

Participation

• Where people take part in a research study. Examples of participation are:
• people being recruited to a clinical trial or other research study(eg to test the efficacy of a new treatment)
• completing a questionnaire or participating in a focus group as part of a research study

Find out more about how members of the public participate in NIHR research on Be Part of Research. These different activities – involvement, engagement and participation – are often linked and, although they are distinct, they can complement each other.

Briefing note three: why involve members of the public in research?

Public involvement can improve the quality and relevance of research, as well as serving the broader democratic principles of citizenship, accountability and transparency. For these reasons, public involvement is increasingly an expectation if not a requirement of research funders. Research teams do not always clearly articulate their rationale for public involvement. A clear rationale helps researchers be more specific about who they want to involve, and in what ways.

Democratic principles

People who are affected by research have a right to have a say in it. Public involvement in research is an intrinsic part of citizenship, public accountability and transparency. It can also help empower people who use health and social care services, by providing the opportunity to influence research that is relevant to them.

Providing a different perspective

Members of the public might have personal knowledge and experience relevant to your research topic or be able to provide a more general societal perspective.  They might have lived experience of one or more health conditions or of using services. Members of the public will also bring their experiences of being part of specific communities or groups.

Improving the quality of the research

Involving members of the public helps ensure that research focuses on outcomes that are important to the public.  It is also a good way of tailoring your research to the needs of specific communities.  For example, if you are seeking research participants from a particular community, involving members of that community in shaping the study design can help improve recruitment and retention of participants by ensuring that your ways of communicating and your research methods are sensitive to the needs, customs and circumstances of the community.

Making the research more relevant

Public involvement can make research more relevant for example through:

• identifying a wider set of research topics than would have been generated just by  academics and health or social care professionals suggesting ideas for new research
• ensuring research is focused on what matters to people - for example by prioritising symptoms that are of importance to patients with a particular condition
• helping to reshape and clarify the research

Interests of research funders and research organisations

Several funding bodies, as well as research ethics committees, ask grant applicants about their plans for public involvement with an expectation that if they are not involving members of the public in the research then they need to have clear reasons for this and be able to explain them. For example, NIHR has a standard application form used by all research programmes. One of the sections on the form asks applicants to describe how they have involved the public in the design and planning of their study as well as their plans for further involvement throughout the research, including plans for evaluating impact. Applicants are also asked to provide details of the budget they have allocated for public involvement in their research. Responses to these questions will be considered by the reviewers, research panels and boards (which increasingly include members of the public) and will influence funding decisions.

The Research Ethics Service will ask about the plans for public involvement in your research if you apply for ethical approval, and it will be part of their assessment process. They expect the involvement of the public in research, as it can help ensure that research planned is ethical, relevant and acceptable from a public perspective. 

Briefing note four: why members of the public get involved in research

Members of the public get involved in research for a variety of personal and social reasons. For some, these are linked to personal experiences of health or social care services and a desire to bring about change in the quality of care or to improve treatments either for themselves or for others with a similar condition. For others it might be a way to have a ‘voice’ and influence the processes that affect people’s lives. Some people have had difficult experiences and appreciate being able to do something positive with that experience. Others have had very good experiences, and see their involvement as an opportunity to ‘give something back’. Other people get involved to ensure the voice of their community/communities are represented in research. Well planned and resourced involvement in research can also be valuable to those involved by increasing their confidence and knowledge and helping them to develop new skills. healthtalk.org has a series of interesting videos where various members of the public talk about their reasons for getting involved in research, including helping others and medical science and also for personal benefits .

Briefing note five: how to involve members of the public in research

Uk standards for public involvement.

A good place to start when planning how to involve members of the public in research is the UK Standards for Public Involvement . Developed over three years by a UK-wide partnership , the Standards are a description of what good public involvement looks like. They encourage approaches and behaviours that are the hallmark of good public involvement such as flexibility, sharing and learning, and mutual respect . The Standards are for everyone doing health or social care research, and provide guidance and reassurance for practitioners working towards achieving their own best practice. The six Standards are:

• inclusive opportunities – offer public involvement opportunities that are accessible and that reach people and groups according to research needs
• working together – work together in a way that values all contributions, and that builds and sustains mutually respectful and productive relationships
• support and learning – offer and promote support and learning opportunities that build confidence and skills for public involvement in research
• governance – involve the public in research management, regulation, leadership and decision making.
• communication – use plain language for well-timed and relevant communications, as part of involvement plans and activities
• impact – Seek improvement by identifying and sharing the difference that public involvement makes to research

Below we provide more information on each Standard. The Standards were tested by over 40 individuals, groups and organisations during a year-long pilot programme, and you can find out more about these ‘test bed’ projects and how they went about implementing the UK Standards for Public Involvement in the Implementation Stories report .

Inclusive opportunities

Offer public involvement opportunities that are accessible and that reach people and groups according to research needs. Research is to be informed by a diversity of public experience and insight, so that it leads to treatments and services which reflect these needs. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• are people affected by and interested in the research involved from the earliest stages?
• have barriers to involvement, such as payment for time or accessible locations for meetings been identified and addressed?
• how is information about opportunities shared, and does it appeal to different communities?
• are there fair and transparent processes for involving the public in research, and do they reflect equality and diversity duties?
• is there choice and flexibility in opportunities offered to the public?

The NIHR is committed to actively and openly supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and this also applies to how we do public involvement . As such, this Standard is crucial for NIHR, and the research we fund.

The NIHR’s Being Inclusive in Public Involvement in Health Research guidance provides key tips for researchers and practitioners:

• check your power - try to understand power relationships within your context and your role, and how to  promote inclusion
• value the people you work with - people will bring different perspectives and opinions
• use language carefully - avoid jargon, write in plain English and be considerate
• consider inclusive locations - decide together on the best places for meetings
• listen and seek agreement
• get from A to B, perhaps via Z - be flexible
• collaborate - work with community organisations
• invest in the workplace
• commit to a relationship
• evidence, evaluate, share and reflect
• act small, think big - support people, researchers and members of the public to develop confidence, learning and skills

Find out more about EDI and accessibility:

• Tips for researchers involving unpaid carers in health and care research
• Being Inclusive in Public Involvement in Health Research guidance
• Different experiences: a framework for considering who might be involved in research guidance
• government guidelines on writing about ethnicity
• the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network PPI webpages have a number of top tips leaflets for engaging with various communities
• NIHR Plain English Summaries guidance

Working together

Work together in a way that values all contributions, and that builds and sustains mutually respectful and productive relationships. Public involvement in research is better when people work together towards a common purpose, and different perspectives are respected. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• has the purpose of public involvement been jointly defined and recorded? 
• have the practical requirements and arrangements for working together been addressed?
• have all the potential different ways of working together been explored, and have these plans and activities been developed together?
• is there a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities and expectations of public involvement?
• have individuals’ influence, ideas and contributions been recognised and addressed?

Support and learning

We offer and promote support and learning that builds confidence and skills for public involvement in research. We seek to remove practical and social barriers that stop members of the public and research professionals from making the most of public involvement in research. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• is there a range of support to address identified needs?
• have specific resources been designated to support learning and development opportunities for both the public, researchers, and staff?
• do the public know where to go for information and support about public involvement?
• is there a culture of learning- by- doing, building on and sharing that learning for researchers, staff and the public?

Different types of training might be:

• sharing knowledge and experiences with colleagues and peers ‘on the job’ training
• attending training sessions or courses

Support might take the form of:

• support from other team members
• a mentor with similar experience
• team meetings or one-to-one meetings with line managers
• IT support for remote working
• informal or formal mechanisms of peer support

Find out more about guidance, training and support on Learning for Involvement .

Involve the public in research management, regulation, leadership and decision making. Public involvement in research governance can help research be more transparent and gain public trust. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• are public voices heard, valued and respected in decision making?
• are public involvement plans in place that are regularly monitored, reviewed and reported on?
• is there visible and accountable responsibility for public involvement throughout the organisation?
• are realistic resources (including money, staff, time) allocated for public involvement?
• is the privacy of personal information protected by collecting and using it in a suitable way?

Communications

Use plain language for well-timed and relevant communications, as part of involvement plans and activities. Communicate with a wider audience about public involvement and research, using a broad range of approaches that are accessible and appealing. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• has a communications plan been developed for involvement activities?
• are the needs of different people being met through inclusive and flexible communication methods?
• are processes in place to offer, gather, act on and share feedback with the public?
• are you sharing your public involvement learning and achievements, good and bad?

Be clear with the people you want to involve. It is important that both you, as a researcher, and the people you involve have a shared and clear understanding of what they are being invited to do. Explain why you are asking people to get involved, and agree the aims of the research. It can be helpful to develop a role description and/or terms of reference so people know what is expected of them, and what they can expect from you.

Seek improvement by identifying and sharing the difference that public involvement makes to research. Understand the changes, benefits and learning gained from the insights and experiences of patients, carers and the public. The questions below may help you reflect on and decide if you meet the Standard:

• are the public involved in deciding what the assessment of impact should focus on, and the approach to take?
• is it clear what information you will collect to help assess impact, including who has been involved and how?
• are there processes in place to help reflect on public involvement?
• is there a commitment to learn from the public involvement experience and, where possible, to act on this learning?

Resource public involvement in research

To achieve good quality public involvement, as set out by the UK Public Involvement Standards, it is crucial to consider how to resource public involvement both in terms of budget and the additional time required to involve the public in your research. Some research funders, such as NIHR, will actively encourage and expect public involvement to be adequately costed in research proposals. It can be challenging to obtain funding for public involvement later if it has not been built into your research grant application. Costs will differ depending on how you are involving people in your research and who you are involving. You can find in-depth information on budgeting for involvement in the NIHR’s Payment Guidance for researchers and professionals .

Do I need ethical approval for public involvement?

Ethical approval is not needed where people are involved in planning or advising on research, for example as a co-applicant on a research grant, a member of an advisory group or in developing a questionnaire.  For more information, the following resources are recommended: Qualitative research and patient and public involvement in health and social care research: What are the key differences?

Clarify your organisational responsibilities

It is important that you liaise well in advance with the relevant departments within your organisation such as finance and human resources (HR). Explain how you plan to involve members of the public in your research. This will ensure that you are aware and informed of local arrangements for involving members of the public and any issues that finance or HR may raise about the proposed arrangements. If there are any concerns raised by these departments you will have time to address them early on. Examples of issues you might need to consider are:

• payment and expenses policies
• methods for paying people (including tax and national insurance deductions)
• confidentiality agreements –(where these apply,  all members of the research group should be asked to sign , not just the members of the public
• health and safety
• honorary contracts
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

We recommend that you:

• have a lead for public involvement in your team so there is a point of contact for all involved
• talk to others within your organisation who have involved people in their research
• make sure that people involved know that they can stop being involved at any time
• consider the emotional support you might need to offer people, if the research is sensitive or they find some of the information distressing, and where to access this support
• if asking your own patients or their  carers to work with you on a study consider if this is appropriate and how this might affect your relationship with them
• where appropriate, discuss in advance what will happen should people become ill for periods of the research discuss in advance with the people you have involved whether and in what ways they might want to stay involved after the project

Briefing note six: who should I involve and how do I find people to involve?

Who should i involve.

In deciding who best to involve it is important to think about the knowledge and perspectives that you are looking for from members of the public, and what support you are able to give to people who you plan to involve. You might also want to consider involving carers in your research, as they provide a unique and valuable perspective. We have produced some tips to help you involve unpaid carers in your research project . Key points to consider when deciding who might be involved in research,  are set out in the guidance note: Different Experiences: A framework for considering who might be involved in research guidance and include the following:

• be clear about the purpose of involving people in research and what experiences and knowledge they can provide
• include a diversity of relevant views and perspectives
• take a common sense approach to who you involve
• people can wear several hats, and their contributions may be broader because of this range of experiences
• the type of lived experience required will vary depending on the focus of the research

For most studies it is not appropriate for people involved in the research also to be participants in the research as that can compromise both the researcher and the person involved. The possible exceptions to this may include some participatory/action research studies where the participants of the research may also be acting as co-researchers, influencing the shape of the study as it progresses.

Involve more than one person

Involving more than one person allows you to include different people at different stages of the research, and provides them more choices in  how they are involved. It will also help you to:

• increase the breadth of experience and skills brought to the project
• provide an opportunity for those involved to support and encourage each other
• make the overall public presence more resilient to individual absences resulting from illness or clashing commitments Include a diversity of relevant views and perspectives

Consider the broad and different views and experiences you will need to include in your research. Try to ensure that you have a variety of perspectives so you get different viewpoints and allow time for those who have the skills you require for the project to network with others. You can read the Being Inclusive in Public Involvement in Health Research guidance for further information, and refer to the ‘inclusive opportunities’ Standard for public involvement .

How do I find people to involve?

Once you have considered who you would like to involve, you then need to think about how to make contact with them. Speak with colleagues and members of the public and ask for their views on how to find the people you want to involve. Allow time to make contact with organisations and individuals as finding people will nearly always take longer than you think.  Rather than inviting people in to talk to you, go out and engage with communities or groups where they already meet, whether that be in physical spaces or online forums. Others have contacted people by:

for specific communities, getting in touch with relevant community groups, community and faith leaders, or other individuals who can help you engage with specific groups of people

• asking community members or patients about people who might be interested in getting involved
• advertising in GP surgeries, outpatient departments, local newspapers and on the radio
• talking to local or national patient support groups and voluntary organisations
• searching online for relevant organisations
• using social media such as Facebook or Twitter
• talking to other health and social care professionals such as community development workers, social workers, health visitors, GP practice managers
• contacting the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officer based at your local NHS Trust
• putting details of the opportunity for people to get involved on the People in Research website so interested members of the public can make contact

Spend time developing networks and building relationships. This might involve visiting organisations to hear about what they do and talking to them about your research. Many researchers develop long term relationships with organisations and individuals who continue for many years past the involvement in the first research project. Be aware that some people or organisations might choose not to get involved in your work. This might be for a variety of reasons but it might be because their aims do not match yours, they do not have the time, or because the practical costs of either getting involved or finding somebody to get involved in your work is too great. Some organisations charge when they are asked to find people to get involved in research activities.   Find out more about how to find people to involve:

• watch this Youtube video from Caroline Barker, from the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, on Reaching new public members in a virtual world
• People in Research is a national platform to help members of the public find opportunities to get involved in research and for research organisations and researchers to advertise involvement opportunities
• Vocal creates opportunities for people to find out about, and have a voice in, health research in Greater Manchester
• Patient has a comprehensive list of national and local support groups and organisations

Briefing note seven: approaches to public involvement in research

We use the terms consultation, collaboration, co-production and user-controlled describe different broad approaches to involving people in research, associated with progressively increasing levels of power and influence for members of the public. In practice, research projects can include a combination of these four and boundaries between them are not clear cut. Moreover, each approach encompasses a range of specific methods for involving people. For example, you might work with one or two service users or carers as collaborators throughout a research project, as well as consulting with a wider group of service users on a specific aspect of the study, while some members of the public might lead on one stage of the research. How you involve people will depend on the nature of your research, as well as the different activities people decide they would like to get involved in. If it is the first time that you have involved people in research consider where public involvement will be most effective in your research. This might be in a relatively modest way at first, perhaps in just one activity or at one stage of the project. Build on the skills and experience you develop in future projects

Consultation

Consultation is when you ask members of the public for their views and use these views to inform your decision making. Consultation can be about any aspect of the research process – from identifying topics for research through to thinking about the implications of research findings. You might, for example, hold one-off meetings to ask people’s views on the importance of a study and areas that it is important to measure within the study. Research funders may consult members of the public by asking for their views on research grant applications. If this is the first time you have involved people in your research, it can be a good starting point. It can also be a way of getting the views of a larger group of people. However, think carefully about what you are asking and what you will do with the information. Be clear about these aims with the people you involve. You might find that people are frustrated at being asked for their views without a commitment from you that you will act on them. There is a danger of ‘consultation fatigue’ for individuals and organisations who have been consulted before and think that their views have been ignored. If you decide to consult people on your research we recommend that you:

• give them enough time to respond
• feedback on the actions you have taken as a result of the consultation
• ask if they would like to hear about the findings of the research

Benefits of consultation:

• it enables you to find out people’s views
• it can be useful when exploring sensitive and difficult issues
• you can get a wide range of views
• you can involve people in discussion and debate

Challenges of consultation:

• you might not get the broad views you hope for
• people might have previous bad experiences of consultation where their views were not listened to
• as the consultation is framed by your own concerns and questions, you might not get the level of insight from consultees that could emerge in
• a more two-way process
• you might require an experienced facilitator

Working more closely with members of the public, returning to ask them for further information, and developing an ongoing relationship with them, will take you towards collaboration.

Collaboration

Collaboration involves an ongoing partnership between you and the members of the public you are working with, where decisions about the research are shared. For example, members of the public might collaborate with the researchers on developing the research grant application, be members of the study advisory group and collaborate with researchers to disseminate the results of a research project. This is a broad approach that can be used in a wide range of different research activities and at many different stages of the research project. Collaboration requires commitment, openness and flexibility and it is important to plan and prepare adequately (see briefing note five on planning and preparation). Benefits of collaboration:

• helps to ensure research remains focused and relevant
• skills and perspectives of the public and the researchers can complement one another
• helps to ensure the research is ethical
• can help with recruitment and informed consent

Challenges to collaboration:

• time-consuming and involves additional cost
• researchers and the public may require training or support
• researchers need to be flexible and willing to share the control of the research

Co-production

Co-producing a research project is an approach in which researchers, practitioners and the public work together, sharing power and responsibility from the start to the end of the project, including the generation of knowledge. The assumption is that those for whom the  research is most relevant  are best placed to design and deliver it in partnership with the professionals, and have skills, knowledge and experience of equal importance. There is an overlap with the collaboration approach but what defines co-production is the values and principles that underpin it, rather than any specific tools or techniques. Indeed, there is no single formula or method for co-production and such an approach would be counter to the innovation and flexibility that is implicit in co-produced research. Rather, co-production requires that relationships are valued and nurtured, that efforts are made to redress power differentials, and that people are supported and enabled to realise their potential in carrying out their roles and responsibilities in the project. Co-producing research can include partnerships between academia and organisations representing the public as well as individual public members working with organisations, for example universities, which undertake research. The NIHR’s Guidance on co-producing a research project describes key principles and features of co-production. These are summarised below: Key principles:

• sharing of power – the research is jointly owned and people work together to achieve a joint understanding.
• including all perspectives and skills – making sure the research team includes all those who can make a contribution.
• respecting and valuing the knowledge of all those working together on the research – everyone is of equal importance.
• reciprocity – everybody benefits from working together.
• building and maintaining relationships – an emphasis on relationships is key to sharing power

Key features:

• establishing ground rules
• continuing dialogue
• joint ownership of key decisions
• a commitment to relationship building
• opportunities for personal growth and development
• flexibility
• continuous reflection
• valuing and evaluating the impact of co-producing research

The NIHR’s Guidance on co-producing a research project also presents some challenges that need to be addressed to enable more opportunities for co-producing research. These challenges touch on the topics of power (and power sharing), flexibility in research approaches and practices, the need for more guidance on co-production, and how to assess and evaluate co-produced research. Find out more about co-production:

• NIHR Guidance on co-producing a research project
• NIHR Co-Production in Action (Number One)
• NIHR Co-Production in Action (Number Two)
• NIHR Co-Production in Action (Number Three)
• BMJ: ‘Co-production of knowledge: the future’ Collection of articles (2021)
• the NIHR Research Design Service South East have produced a  podcast series on co-production
• the Co-Production Collective is a community of patients, carers, researchers, practitioners, students and anyone else who is interested in co-production

User controlled research

User controlled research is research that is actively controlled, directed and managed by service users and their service user organisations. Service users decide on the issues and questions to be looked at, as well as the way the research is designed, planned, written up and disseminated. The service users will run the research advisory or steering group and may also decide to carry out the research. Some service users make no distinction between the terms user controlled and user led, others feel that user led has a different, vaguer meaning. They see user led research as research which is meant to be led and shaped by service users but is not necessarily controlled or undertaken by them. Control in user led research in this case will rest with some other group of non-service users who also have an interest in the research, such as the commissioners of the research, the researchers or people who provide services. Examples of user-controlled research in action have highlighted several key reasons why user-controlled research is important for service users:

• a commitment to changing or improving the lives of their community of service users
• frustration with traditional research and services which exclude them
• frustration with mainstream research in failing to capture their needs or to research things they feel are important

As a researcher, you might get involved in user controlled research in several ways such as:

• training or supporting a group of service users who are undertaking their own research
• supporting user controlled research in a specific part of the research
• a user controlled organisation might commission you to carry out research under their direction

Organising and hosting meetings

Regardless of the approach you take, involving members of the public is likely to entail organising and hosting meetings. How you do this can make a huge difference to how people feel about the research and how much they are able and want to get involved in your work. Holding a meeting is only one of the ways to involve people and you may decide that this is not the best approach for your research. If you do choose meetings, you need to consider whether face-to-face, online, or a combination of the two work best for your research project, and your public contributors.

Planning for meetings: face-to-face

• explore opportunities for meeting people in their own environment, such as by attending a regular meeting of an organisation or group consider venues that are on neutral ground – venues such as hospitals or local authority departments might be associated with difficult experiences
• those who are working, have young children or who are carers might need to meet outside office hours
• make sure that there is parking and public transport nearby
• it is often better to plan for a mid-morning or early afternoon start to the meeting – this makes it easier for people if they have to travel some distance to the meeting or if they need additional time in the mornings because of their disability or health condition
• in some situations, you might need to offer overnight accommodation, in which case check if they have any special requirements for an overnight stay
• make sure meeting places, hotels and facilities are accessible to all those attending, for example if you are inviting a wheelchair user to join your committee, meet in an accessible meeting room with parking nearby and fully accessible facilities
• where possible, visit the venue in person in advance of the meeting, and ask to be shown around to check its suitability and access to all rooms, dining area, disabled toilets and the stage speaker area (if required)
• ask people if they have any special dietary requirements and let them know what refreshments you will be providing
• be mindful of practical matters such as microphones and hearing loops for people with hearing impairments or large print for people with visual impairments
• think about whether you will need interpreters for people from different ethnic groups or for sign language
• provide clear information about the meeting, timings and directions for getting to the venue well in advance and in a relevant format
• ask people if they require information posted to them or if they would like to receive it by email
• plan and prepare a budget for your meeting
• consider developing terms of reference and/or ground rules for the meeting so that those attending know why the meeting is being held and the responsibilities of those attending

Planning for meetings: online

The NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) has developed useful guidance on how to hold a PPI meeting using virtual tools , which details these key tips and tricks:

• keep it simple - use easy software and tools
• send documents in advance
• don’t chair and make minutes simultaneously
• choose appropriate software - SPCR provide specific tips for Microsoft Teams and Zoom
• promote the opportunity widely - virtual meetings  give  you the opportunity to involve people not usually involved in research
• adjust the agenda accordingly - take into consideration more frequent breaks
• have a backup plan if technology fails
• provide support before and during the meeting

There is a wide range of guidance on good practice for online meetings for involvement. Here are some of the ones we think might be most useful:

• here is an overview of the best video conferencing apps for accessibility
• National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement Online Engagement: a guide for creating and running virtual meetings and events
• a blog by University College London on Engagement in a time of social distancing , which also includes further resources and reading
• Engaging at a distance guidance from Being Human, which has a useful online event checklist
• there are particular considerations to keep in mind when hosting online meetings which will be accessed by disabled people. Find out more about how to make your virtual meetings and events accessible to the disability community and how to run accessible online meetings for disabled people working and studying from home.

Conducting the meetings (face-to-face and online)

• brief the Chair and other committee members to ensure that the members of the public are welcomed and included during the meeting. You can find out more about chairing a meeting by reading the  TwoCan Associates guidance for chairs
• offer a pre-meeting or telephone discussion for members of the public to discuss the agenda and papers
• for face-to-face meetings, provide name badges in a large clear text font
• ask people to introduce themselves at the beginning of the meeting
• agree ground rules for how you will conduct a meeting so everybody has an equal opportunity to contribute
• members including members of the public agree to these rules of mutual respect
• make sure that everybody has an equal voice on the group
• encourage the use of clear language, explain jargon and acronyms
• ask the Chair to regularly check that people understand the language used and the content of the meeting
• plan for frequent breaks as people might need to take medication or find sitting for long periods difficult
• for face-to-face meetings, see if it is possible to have a spare room to allocate as a quiet room for those who might need to take some time out of the meeting
• consider different ways of conducting meetings, such as time in small group sessions (breakout rooms online) as well meetings in a larger
• group to allow people the opportunity to contribute in different ways
• create a mentor or buddy system to support the members of the public you are involving on an ongoing basis

After the meeting (face-to-face and online)

• share a write up of the event, including any recommendations or outcomes
• provide feedback on any recommendations or outcomes
• allow sufficient time between meetings for people to consult with their peers or their organisations if they wish to do so
• ask for feedback from members of the public involved in the meeting and if they have any suggestions for improvement for future meetings

Briefing note eight: ways that people can be involved in the different stages of the research cycle

Members of the public are getting involved in a whole range of research activities. These include helping to develop the research question, applying for funding and ethical approval, sitting on advisory groups, carrying out the research and disseminating the research findings. This section considers the different ways members of the public can get involved in the stages of the research cycle. When reading through this section, keep in mind the six UK Standards for Public Involvement : inclusive opportunities; working together; support and learning; governance; communications; impact.

Identifying and prioritising research

Involving the public in helping to identify and prioritise research questions is a powerful way of ensuring that your research priorities are aligned with those of people who have a personal stake in the subject, for example if they have the condition you are researching or use relevant services. Depending on the type of funding call you are applying for, topics might have already been decided by the research funder or commissioner. Members of the public might have been involved in the identification and prioritisation of the topics by the research funding organisation. People with lived experience -  and the organisations that represent - researchers and health and care practitioners will all have distinct, though often overlapping research priorities.  By working together you can develop a shared agenda. An active partnership will enable you to learn from each other and agree on the research questions together, and the final topic will be a shared decision between the group. Consider recording how the research questions were developed and the different influences on the questions at the beginning of the project. Researchers and research organisations use a range of different ways to work with the public to identify and prioritise research. These include:

• discussions with existing reference groups and networks
• inviting people to an event or holding a workshop or focus group
• attending meetings held by service user groups
• peer group interviews
• surveys and interviews
• asking support organisations about the feedback they get from people who use services
• using an independent facilitator (this reduces the risk of researchers influencing the agenda too much)

Sometimes it is difficult for people who are unfamiliar with research to identify research questions. It may help to first discuss problems that people experience living with their condition/s, or using treatments or services, before discussing how these might be turned into research questions.

Find out if others have worked with members of the public to identify research topics

In several areas of research including cancer, arthritis and mental health the research topics and priorities of people with these conditions have been explored and published. Find out if research has been carried out to identify the topics most relevant to patients or service users in your area of work to enable you to identify relevant research topics. The James Lind Alliance , funded by the NIHR, facilitates Priority Setting Partnerships. These partnerships bring patients, carers and health and care practitioners together to identify and prioritise the care and treatment uncertainties which they agree are the most important for research. It’s not too late to involve people if you have already identified a research topic – you can still involve the public by asking them if the topic is relevant to them. Most researchers or research organisations have a range of topics or areas that they would like to research. Members of the public can work with individual researchers, research teams or organisations to decide which topics to focus on first. Listen, respond and talk through with them how their ideas can be included in your research questions.

Commissioning research

Many funding organisations now involve members of the public in commissioning research. For example the NIHR recruits and supports patients, carers and members of the public to give feedback on health and social care research funding applications . This gives a broader perspective to the review process, by considering the issues that are important from a public and patient perspective. Involvement in commissioning can be done in a variety of ways, including:

• involving members of the public in reviewing research proposals
• having members of the public on research commissioning panels or boards
• involvement in the monitoring process of research, once funded
• user controlled organisations commissioning research

Designing and managing research

Involving members of the public in the design of research helps to ensure that the research is relevant to the needs of people and that the research questions and outcomes are clear. It strengthens the ethical basis of the research, and can help improve the recruitment and retention of volunteer participants in the study. Public involvement in the design stage of the research can:

• demonstrate to funders and commissioners that the topic is important and relevant to the end users of research and that they have been
• involved in the design of the research
• identify aspects of the research that raise ethical considerations and provide a broader set of perspectives  on solutions
• suggest ways that people can be meaningfully involved in the various stages of the research
• suggest ways to ensure that diversity and inclusion are addressed in the research, for example in ensuring that volunteers can be recruited
• from certain ethnic communities
• ensure that your recruitment process is practical and feasible
• help you to develop a budget for public involvement in your research and ensure that the time and the support needed for public involvement
• is built in to the research from the beginning
• help develop written information in user friendly and plain language, which is appropriately targeted at specific communities

Be clear with the people you are involving about the fact that the funding process can be lengthy and that the research may not get funded.

Funding to support public involvement in your research grant application

It can be challenging to obtain funding to support public involvement prior to your grant application being successful. Speak to your organisation or university to see if they have any funding for public involvement. It’s not too late to involve people if you have already developed your research grant application. You can still involve members of the public by:

• asking people to review your proposal and give written comments on any potential difficulties in your design
• taking your proposal to a local public involvement group or panel and ask for their views – your university or NHS Trust might already have a
• group or panel of people who are willing to do this
• thinking about how best to involve people at other stages of the research if your application is successful

Managing research

One of the main ways that members of the public get involved in managing research is through membership of a study steering group or management committee. Increasingly members of the public are taking a more active role in research as collaborators or in some cases as the principal investigators in studies. In these circumstances they will often be employed as a member of the research team. Involving members of the public in managing research can help to ensure that:

• a public and societal perspective is maintained throughout an individual project or a programme of work
• public involvement in the project is properly budgeted and funded
• effective support is developed for members of the public involved in the study
• advice is available on improving the recruitment of participants to the study
• there is involvement in the selection process of staff and researchers for the study – particularly helpful if they are going to be working with research participants

Find out more about public involvement in managing your research on the NIHR website . 

Undertaking the research

Members of the public can get involved in a variety of roles in carrying out the research such as:

• gathering and reviewing documentary evidence
• undertaking library-based research
• carrying out interviews
• running focus groups
• analysing and interpreting the results of research

Gathering and reviewing documentary evidence and undertaking library-based research

Members of the public can help look at different types of evidence and interpret the literature from a public perspective. 

Interviewing and running focus groups

If you are going to involve members of the public as peer interviewers (people who have direct experience of the topic being researched and who carry out interviews with other members of the public) or in running focus groups, we suggest you consider:

• who the ‘peers’ are for your research project, for example their gender, age, ethnicity or experience of using a particular service
• training and support required to carry out the role.

Analysing and interpreting the results of research

Involving members of the public in analysing and interpreting research findings can:

• help to identify themes that researchers might miss
• help check the validity of the conclusions from a public perspective
• highlight findings that are more relevant to the public

You might involve the members of the public who have been working with you on the research project to analyse and interpret the research findings. Alternatively you could hold a small event to find out the views of a wider audience.

Disseminating research

Members of the public involved in your research will want to ensure that the findings are widely disseminated so they can influence and change practice for the better. It has been found that involving people at the dissemination stage is more successful if they have also  been involved at the earlier stages of the research as they then benefit from a sense of ownership of the research and an understanding of the context and background. This means they will be more likely to disseminate the results to their networks, to help summarise the research findings in clear user-friendly language and ensure that the information is accessible to a public audience.

To encourage and support public involvement in dissemination:

• develop progress reports or newsletters to keep people informed throughout the project, reporting both negative and positive results
• feedback results to all those you consulted and collaborated with as well as participants
• work with members of the public to develop your dissemination plans – they will often have access to groups and forums that researchers are not aware of
• involve people in presenting at conferences, speaking to patients, support groups and service providers
• ask members of the public involved in your research to be co-authors in journal and newsletter articles
• acknowledge the contribution members of the public made to the research when writing journal articles and reports

Remember to include funding for public involvement in disseminating the findings in your grant application, and consider if you will need to allocate funding for developing and printing summaries and for postage. It’s not too late – if you have reached the stage of disseminating your research, there are still options open to you for involving people:

• discuss your research findings with members of the public and listen to their views
• ask for their ideas on how best to report your findings to others through networks, newsletters and different media and formats
• involve people in working with you to ensure that the information is clear and easy to understand for different audiences
• reflect on and plan how you will involve people earlier in your next project

Implementing research

Public involvement in your research can influence, support and add strength to the way your research is taken into practice. Public involvement in research often provides a route to effecting change and improvement in aspects of health and care practice that are of particular concern to people. Members of the public involved in research are often passionate to ensure that action happens as a result of the research and might be able to establish influential relationships with key agencies and policy makers.

Evaluating impact

From the beginning of your project think how you are going to monitor and evaluate public involvement and its impact throughout the project. Working with the people you involve, document and write up an evaluation of the public involvement in your research recording short and long term impacts. This will help you for future projects and provide valuable knowledge for other researchers looking to involve members of the public in their work. Help to build the evidence base and let others know about what worked well and what didn’t and the impact of public involvement in your research by:

• including the information in your research reports
• publishing information on the impact in journal articles

Find out more about reporting evaluating impact of public involvement in your study:

• PiiAF – The Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework and Guidance (Popay, Collins et al 2013)
• What does it mean to involve consumers successfully in NHS research? A consensus study (Telford et al 2004)
• PIRICOM study: a systematic review (Brett et al 2010)
• Service user involvement in nursing, midwifery and health visiting research: A review of evidence and practice (Smith et al 2008)

Briefing note nine: what to do when things go wrong

In this guidance we have provided information to help you think through how best to involve people in your research. However, there will occasionally be times when things go wrong. Problems can often be sorted out by informal discussions but if you think that things are going wrong it is best to act quickly. If left unresolved, problems can get worse and affect a growing number of members of a team or organisation. Depending on what the issue is we suggest you consider some of the following:

• acknowledge that there is a problem
• listen to any concerns and openly discuss them with those involved along with any concerns that you might have
• allow space and time for all involved to reflect - public involvement in research is a learning process
• refer back to any relevant documents that you have developed such as ground rules for meetings, complaints policy, confidentiality agreements
• set a timescale for agreed change to happen
• let people know about any actions/changes/decisions
• ensure support is available if necessary
• consider using a skilled external facilitator to help with the reflection process

If you are unable to resolve issues using some of the above strategies or if either you or the member of the public feel a more independent review of the situation is required then a more formal approach should be considered. It is helpful to outline in your planning and preparation the procedure for complaints and resolving differences so that the information is clearly available from the beginning. More formal procedures might be:

• Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officers
• university complaints procedures
• local authority complaints procedures

If you are working with people representing a non-statutory organisation, that organisation might have its own processes.

Briefing note ten: where to go for further information

Nihr information.

Learning for Involvement allows you access training and guidance on public involvement People in Research reports live opportunities for public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research, and allows you to submit your own Read the NIHR Payment Guidance for Researchers and Professionals NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) -  The RSS provides free and confidential support for researchers to apply for funding and develop and deliver clinical and applied health and care research. Access to support, advice and expertise is available for all researchers in England working across  the remit of the NIHR . NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) - The CRN supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, thereby advancing knowledge and improving care. The CRN comprises 15 Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRN) and 30 Specialties which coordinate and support the delivery of high-quality research both by geography and therapy area. National leadership and coordination is provided through the Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre. Contact your LCRN .

How to cite this guidance

NIHR, Briefing notes for researchers, April 2021, [URL], (Accessed on: [DATE])

Acknowledgements

This resource was reviewed by the NIHR in March 2021 for accuracy and currency. The NIHR endorses this resource. The previous version was referenced as: INVOLVE (2012) Briefing notes for researchers: involving the public in NHS, public health and social care research. INVOLVE, Eastleigh.

The authors of the 2012 version of the Briefing Notes for Researchers were Helen Hayes, Sarah Buckland and Maryrose Tarpey, who used to work for the INVOLVE Coordinating Centre. Additional contributors to thank for their involvement in the development of the 2012 version are: Ann Louise Caress, Alison Ford, Lesley Roberts, Carer, Kati Turner, Derek Ward, Tracey Williamson, Sarah Howlett, Lucy Simons, Philippa Yeeles, Gill Wren, Paula Davis, Sandra Paget, Doreen Tembo, Christine Vial.