National Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Network Funding Opportunity 2021

The Health Research Board (HRB) and the Irish Research Council (IRC) are now inviting an application for the establishment of a National PPI Network aiming to support and further build capacity for high-quality PPI in research throughout Ireland. The HRB and the IRC are pleased to announce the further continuation of agency partnership with the aim of delivering a transformational impact on Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) in research in Ireland, through a network that serves its members and benefits the wider community.

Commenting today on the launch of the next phase of the partnership, Peter Brown, Director of the Council commented: “The call for a National PPI Network is a unique programme and the emphasis on public and patient involvement, engaging with researchers, fosters continued transformation of the research culture where meaningful PPI is embedded at a national level with knowledge exchange from PPI contributors and partners.”

“The ongoing partnership between the Irish Research Council and the Health Research Board under this programme is extremely timely as it will enable the National PPI Network to respond in an interdisciplinary context to current and future challenges faced by patient-oriented and clinical research and population health research. We are delighted to continue to work in partnership with the HRB.”

In 2017, the IRC and the HRB launched a joint inaugural call to support institutions to embed a culture of public and patient involvement (PPI). Five universities received funding (University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Galway, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Limerick) under this call. The PPI Ignite teams have been working together to support knowledge sharing nationally and moving to develop a national network. Each PPI Ignite team has been working on establishing a footprint within their institutions and collaborating and networking externally with PPI partners.

Following on from the PPI Ignite awards, the National PPI Network award will provide funding of up to a maximum of €3.3m over a period of five years. The Network remit includes health and social care research across all disciplines. The award will be for five years and no more than one award will be made. A joint application should be made ideally by the seven major HRB Host Institutions (NUIG, UCC, UL, UCD, TCD, DCU and RCSI), at a minimum. In the long-term vision this funding will create a network that will have international reach and position Ireland as a leader in PPI.

For more information please see our funding page here.