Public involvement in research usually happens too late—after funding is secured and the science is already planned. RIPPLE shifts that, bringing patients and community members into the process before a grant application is even written. This matters because early-stage research is where assumptions get baked in. Without lived experience at that point, studies can miss the mark on what matters to patients, or fail to recruit participants effectively. At Dundee, partnerships like the Parkinson’s Exchanges have already shown that public input improves disease-focused research, but such collaboration rarely happens at the pre-application stage. RIPPLE aims to close that gap. Over 18 months, the scheme will support around six pilot projects, pairing life sciences researchers with public partners as equal collaborators. A dedicated team will provide coaching, budgeting help, and facilitation. “Connecting Communities” events will spark new relationships between researchers, charities, and lived-experience networks. If successful, RIPPLE will produce tools, case studies, and practical guidance that embed early-stage public partnerships into research culture—not just at Dundee, but across the UK. The goal is to make patient and community involvement a routine part of how research ideas are born, not an afterthought.
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RIPPLE: Researchers Involving the Public at Pre-application, to Learn and Embed University of Dundee RIPPLE is an exciting new initiative from Life Sciences at the University of Dundee. It’s designed to transform how researchers and the public work together - starting from the very beginning of the research journey, before a funding application is even written. At Dundee, public involvement has already made a powerful difference in disease-focused research. Public partnerships like the award-winning Parkinson’s Exchanges and the Dundee Research Interest Group have shown how lived experience can shape better science. Yet such partnerships are still uncommon when research is in its earliest stages. We aim to address that. This 18-month scheme will support life sciences researchers to build meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships with public partners at the pre-application stage - bringing fresh perspectives and real-world relevance to emerging research ideas. It is open to researchers at the University of Dundee who are eligible for MRC funding, with public partners welcomed as equal collaborators. Researchers and public partners will be supported by a dedicated team of public involvement professionals offering coaching, support with planning, budgeting, logistics and evaluation, and facilitation of activities. “Connecting Communities” events will provide a space to spark new relationships between researchers, public involvement professionals, community groups, charities, and lived experience networks. RIPPLE will fund around six pilot projects. A strong evaluation focus will capture learning and feed into wider conversations on best practice. What makes RIPPLE different is its focus on legacy. As well as funding projects, we’ll share tools, case studies, and practical learning to help embed early-stage public partnerships into research culture - in Dundee and beyond.
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