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Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)

At Grounded Research, we work with patients, carers, and members of the public to help design research. Your ideas and experiences make research more useful, meaningful, and effective.

We define public involvement in research as research that is done with or by members of the public, not research that is done to, about, or for them. This means that patients, carers, and community members are active partners in shaping the work we do.

Why public involvement matters

Patients and carers are at the heart of our work. Their input ensures that research is relevant to the people it affects. Public involvement helps at every stage of the research process:

  • choosing research questions: you can help us decide what is most important to study
  • designing studies: you can advise on the best ways to carry out studies so they are safe, clear, and useful
  • sharing results: you can help make sure findings are easy to understand and helpful for the public

By involving patients and the public, research becomes better, fairer, and more effective.

Research advisory groups

We work with people through research advisory groups. These groups give advice and help researchers make studies more relevant and meaningful.

There are two main types of groups:

Study-specific advisory groups

  • Set up for a particular research project.
  • Members help with study design, materials, and processes.
  • They make the research clear, safe, and meaningful.

Health-specific advisory groups

  • Focus on a broad area of health, like mental health, nutrition, or physical wellbeing.
  • Members meet regularly over time, giving advice on multiple studies in that area.
  • They build long-term relationships with researchers to help shape future research.

What good public involvement looks like

High-quality public involvement can make a real difference to research and the people it helps. It means:

  • listening to patients, carers, and the public as equal partners
  • working together to improve research at every stage
  • continuously learning and improving how public involvement is done

When done well, public involvement ensures research is meaningful, accessible, and helpful to everyone it affects.

Your voice matters

By getting involved in patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), you can help research:

  • answer the questions that matter most
  • reflect the needs of patients and communities
  • improve care, treatments, and outcomes for everyone

Whether you are a patient, carer, or member of the public, your voice can make research stronger and more useful.

Join a Research Advisory Group

If you would like to be part of a future study-specific or health-specific advisory group, please complete the form below.

Let us know your interests and areas you care about, and we will add you to our list of people to contact when opportunities arise.

We cannot guarantee how often opportunities will come, but we will keep in touch when there are relevant ways for you to get involved.

Your input can help shape research and make it more useful for patients, carers, and communities.

Page last reviewed: November 25, 2025
Next review due: November 25, 2026