Patients and community members will help shape biomedical research proposals at the University of Cambridge before those proposals are even written, through small grants of up to £1,000 that cover their time and expertise. This scheme, called ‘Public Voices in Research Funding’, addresses a critical gap: researchers developing Medical Research Council (MRC) proposals currently lack dedicated funding and support to involve patients and people with lived experience at the earliest, most formative stage—when research questions and study designs are still being decided. Without this early input, research risks being less relevant to the people it is meant to help. If successful, the scheme will embed a sustainable culture of contributor-centred research design across Cambridge’s biomedical community. Researchers will learn to build proposals grounded in real-world needs, making MRC-funded studies more impactful and publicly valuable. The scheme also builds institutional capacity: an interdisciplinary advisory group and the university’s Engagement, Knowledge Exchange and Impact team will provide facilitation and training, so that high-quality public involvement becomes routine practice rather than an afterthought. Over time, this could shift how biomedical research across the UK is conceived and funded, making it more inclusive and responsive from the start.
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We aim to catalyse meaningful, early-stage patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in biomedical research through a new scheme at the University of Cambridge: ‘Public Voices in Research Funding’. Designed for researchers developing Medical Research Council (MRC) proposals, this scheme addresses a critical gap: the lack of funding and support for inclusive, contributor-centred engagement during proposal development. Building on a successful pilot in 2023, this new scheme will enable researchers to engage with patients, community members, and/or those with lived experiences (‘contributors’) to shape or codevelop their research proposals and help to create a new, sustainable culture of best practice. Pre-application PPIE activities will be supported through a competitive open call, with small grants of up to £1,000 offered to cover reasonable costs including reimbursement of contributor time, expertise and expenses, ensuring fair and equitable participation. Our scheme will: Support researchers to engage contributors at the idea stage Build institutional capacity for inclusive, contributor-centred research design Strengthen the quality and impact of MRC proposals through relevant, grounded involvement Develop a sustainable culture of best practice in PPIE by fostering a growing, inclusive community of contributors and researchers skilled in PPIE, embedding learning into institutional guidance and strategy, and supporting a broader shift towards contributor-centric research practice across the biomedical community. The scheme will be strategically coordinated by the University’s Engagement, Knowledge Exchange and Impact (EKEI) team, who will provide facilitation and capacity-building to help researchers embed high-quality PPIE throughout their research lifecycle. This coordination is supported by an interdisciplinary advisory group and our community of contributors. Eligible applicants include University of Cambridge researchers across all career stages and disciplines applying for MRC grants. Funding will be distributed through a peer-reviewed call with clear assessment criteria. In addition to funding, successful applicants will receive tailored support; unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback and may reapply. By embedding best practice and enabling meaningful involvement from the start of a project, we aim to deliver more relevant research with greater public value and long-term benefit.
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