Skip to main content

PPI Shared Learning Group for PhD Researchers 24/04/2026

This month we ran a practice-based session focused on developing facilitation skills. Members of the SLG were given the opportunity to lead group discussions in order to gain hands-on facilitation experience in a supportive and relaxed environment. At the end of the session, facilitators reported key points back to the wider group.
The discussions focused on the next phase of the PPI Ignite Network, which has just entered a new five-year cycle. We were particularly interested in hearing views from the SLG on what should be prioritised from a PhD student perspective in UCC.
See below for details on what the group discussed:
Notes: Group 1
Gaps and challenges in embedding PPI into research
  1. Participant recruitment.
    Managing recruiting participants and how to go about accessing members. Managing different levels of authority, when having stakeholders/doctors involved as well as patients and carers. How to manage group dynamics.
    Having adequate time and resources to put groups together.
    Managing participant expectations of involvement in the panel.
  2. Communication
    Organisational component of managing a PPI and the various meeting and emails required when people might not be able to make the main meeting.
    Importance of having a clear plan
  3. Being able to reimburse participants fairly when universities may place restrictions on purchases or voucher amounts, how to make it work?
  4. Levels of PPI. Having both patients with lived experience and PPI advocates or PPI experts also involved. Both with different skill set, but highlighting that there is a differentiation between the two and struggle in having the patient voice heard.
How could PPI ignite support in addressing them
  • Having accessible support and communication, in an informal way.
  • More engagement at a departmental level across universities and feeding down to research teams.
  • Have more approachable/outreach supports.
  • PhD students unfamiliar with system should be able to be directed to a pathway on PPI highlighting who and what to engage with first on their journey. And organizations being more vocal in what’s available to help students.
  • Students/Post-docs are usually the ones conducting the PPI rather than PI’s so important they are given the right tools
  • Have drop in clinics in e.g School of Nursing where staff are available for e.g 15 minute sessions to address and initial questions or queries people have about beginning to embed PPI
Notes: Group 2
Supports to Enhance Meaningful PPI Engagement
1. Resources and Infrastructure
There is a need for a centralised database or platform to support connections between researchers and PPI contributors. This could include:
  • Contact details of researchers working on different topics. Other researchers with related topics can contact them to facilitate more project-specific peer learning and the sharing of practical PPI experiences.
  • A register of PPI contributors who are open to involvement in future research, organised by areas of interest. This would be particularly useful for engaging harder-to-reach or underrepresented groups, such as fathers
There was also discussion around variability in institutional support. While some institutions (e.g., UCC) have strong PPI resources and initiatives, such as shared learning groups, others may have more limited practical support. Even where modules exist (e.g. in the University of Galway), ongoing, accessible support is needed, such as a designated contact person whom researchers can reach out to throughout their project.
2. Funding and Practical Support
  • Funding is a key barrier. Many PhD projects do not have dedicated budgets for PPI, making meaningful engagement difficult.
  • Highlighted the value of initiatives such as the Community Engaged Scholars Programme, which previously provided funding opportunities. It appears this is no longer readily available.
  • Small, accessible funding streams would support activities such as participant reimbursement and PPI panel engagement
3. Templates and Guidance
  • Templates for budgeting and compensating PPI contributors
  • Evidence-based guidance that can support funding applications and justification of PPI-related costs
  • General templates and frameworks to simplify the process of planning and implementing PPI
4. Public Engagement and Awareness
  • Greater visibility is needed to help the public understand their role in contributing to research
  • This could involve more active communication strategies (e.g. posters)
  • Increasing awareness may improve willingness to engage and, in turn, support researchers in embedding PPI more effectively
5. Training Opportunities
  • Training on how to engage with specific or underrepresented communities, particularly “seldom-heard” groups
  • Practical training on how to design and facilitate accessible, engaging PPI sessions
  • A shift from purely theoretical training towards applied, skills-based learning
 
Resources mentioned in the session

PPI Ignite Network@UCC

Contact us

4th Floor Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, T12 XF62

Connect with us

Top