ERICA Community Led Research Scheme - UCC Researcher Application Form - Expression of Interest

The Scheme is funded by the Wellcome Trust and delivered through a partnership between: University College Cork, Health Research Charities Ireland and the British Science Association. The scheme supports HRCI Charities and the people and communities they serve to identify and explore issues that matter to them through research.

Funding is available to support HRCI Charities and UCC Early Career Researchers to co-design research around issues that are important to people and communities. UCC Early Career Researcher(s) will work alongside HRCI Charities to develop and carry out a research project based on an idea for research identified by the Charity and the people or communities they serve.

We are particularly interested in ideas around issues affecting people or communities traditionally underrepresented in research and who may be experiencing health and well-being inequalities. Research partnerships will be established in 2026, and will run for twelve months. 

Ahead of completing the UCC Researcher Expression of Interest below, please notify us of your interest in the scheme by October 16th by sending an email to Michelle O’Riordan, Education and Public Engagement Officer at ERICAproject@ucc.ie

Project Funder

The Wellcome Trust is a global, independent charitable foundation based in London, UK, focused on supporting science to solve urgent health challenges. Funded by a £38.2 billion investment portfolio, it funds research in mental health, infectious disease, and climate change, supporting researchers across academia, humanities, and business. The ERICA Community Led Research initiative is funded via a Wellcome Institutional Funding for Research Culture Grant.

All queries about applications and administration of the scheme should be directed to the UCC ERICA team. Please do not contact Wellcome directly about the scheme.

Project Partners

Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI) is the national umbrella organization for charities engaged in health, medical, and social care research in Ireland. It represents over 45 member charities that, collectively, represent over 2 million people, aiming to improve lives through impactful research.

The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity founded in 1831 aimed at making science more relevant, representative, and connected to society. It focuses on public engagement, promoting diversity in STEM, and increasing engagement among underrepresented audiences through initiatives like British Science Week and the British Science Festival. It has led the piloting and development of Community Led Research schemes in the UK.

Governance

The UCC ERCIA Team provides Operational Leadership

• Dr Martin Galvin, Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation, UCC
• Michelle O’Riodran, ERICA Education and Public Engagement Officer
• Ashling O’Sullivan, ERICA Co-ordinator

ERICA oversight is provided by a Governance team. 

• Professor John O’Halloran, President of UCC
• Professor John F Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation, UCC
• Dr Martin Galvin, Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation, UCC
• Professor Maggie O’Neill, Director of Collective Social Futures and ISS21
• Ms Sarah Chaytor, British Science Association
• Dr Avril Kennan, HRCI
• Dr David O’Connell, Director of Research Policy, UCC
• Dr Siobhán Cusack, Director of Research Strategy and Projects, UCC

General Information

If you’re an Early Career UCC researcher who would like to be involved with ERICA, firstly notify us of your interest in the scheme by October 16th by sending an email to Michelle O’Riordan, Education and Public Engagement Officer at ERICAproject@ucc.ie. Then secondly, please complete an Expression of Interest form by October 30th 2026.

The ERICA Community Led Research Scheme is putting HRCI Charities and the people and communities they serve  at the heart of their own research process – inviting them to develop and deliver a research project – by working with a UCC researcher(s). 

HRCI Charities, particularly the people and communities they serve, will partner with UCC researchers, across the entirety of the research life cycle. This partnership will define and deliver a research project that can potentially influence public policy, thereby delivering real world value and benefit (impact) for the people and communities the Charity serves.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a research scheme with people and community at its heart. If you have any questions that aren’t answered below, please get in touch with Michelle O’Riordan, Education and Public Engagement Officer at ERICAproject@ucc.ie (Place ERICA in the subject line).

What is Community Led Research?

Community Led Research places people and communities at the centre of the research process. Rather than UCC researchers deciding what ideas to investigate, people and communities help to identify the issues that matter most to them and then work collaboratively with researchers to explore them. Research projects are co-designed together.

Community-led research is a form of Engaged Research, which aims to improve, understand, or investigate issues of public interest where people and communities are involved across all aspects of the research process. It is an inclusive approach that moves beyond the mindset of conducting research on people. Rather it encourages research with people. It includes practices such as public patient involvement, or participatory action research as well as concepts such as co-production or co-creation of research. It involves approaches from the arts, humanities, social sciences as well as health/public health.

Research Ideas

We encourage ideas from HRCI Charities that explore issues affecting people or communities traditionally underrepresented in research and who may be experiencing health and well-being inequalities.

Ideas for research can be new or built on existing work by the HCRI Charity. We particularly encourage ideas around:

• Communities experiencing socioeconomic disadvantages.
• Minority ethnic communities including Travellers.
• Migrant and refugee communities.
• People experiencing health and well-being inequalities.
• Disabled people.
• Neurodivergent people.
• Other groups that have traditionally had limited opportunities to participate in research. 

We are looking for ideas for research from HRCI Charities that have the potential to lead to longer-term community and researcher relationships and generate new knowledge or approaches. The aim is that the researcher will respond to, and will work alongside people and community, contributing their expertise to flesh out and support and develop the idea into a research project. This is not about a 'one off' consultancy or advisory role, but an ongoing community and researcher collaboration of true partnership.

Resources Available

Projects will run from October 2026 and conclude in 2027 with researcher and HRCI Charity group ‘matching’ and research proposal preparation beginning in 2026 on a rolling basis. A total of €200,000 is available for the scheme and we expect to fund up to 10 ideas. Funding will be distributed equitably between the Charity and Researcher. Funding may vary across the range of ideas suggested. Individual project spend will be co-designed and agreed by the charity group and the researcher.

Which researchers are eligible to take part?

Essential

• Early Career Research within 0–10 years of the award date of their PhD or equivalent doctoral qualification; and has not previously held a substantial independent research award as lead principal investigator*;
• Research focused on health (applicants from the arts, humanities, social sciences and public health are particularly encouraged);
• Potential for research leadership / independence;
• Potential to work collaboratively with HRCI Charity and to develop further develop the researchers engaged research expertise;
• Potential for the researcher to support engaged research that has an impact - particularly on public policy;
• Openness to innovation and exploring new ways of addressing societal challenges;
• Suitability / match with a HRCI Charity Organization expressed research need or idea.

* The scheme will exercise discretion in determining ECR status where applicants have followed non-traditional, interdisciplinary, clinical, practice-based, community-based, or interrupted career pathways.

Desirable

• Prior experience of working with communities as part of research;
• Potential for inter-multi- and trans-disciplinary approaches.

Application deadline

Ahead of completing the UCC Researcher Expression of Interest by October 30th, please notify us of your interest in the scheme by October 16th by sending an email to Michelle O’Riordan, Education and Public Engagement Officer at ERICAproject@ucc.ie

How will UCC Researchers and HRCI Charities and the people and communities they serve be matched?

• An open Call for Ideas will be issued to HRCI charity groups to identify their ideas for research.
• Post the Call for Ideas stage, selected UCC researchers will be matched with the relevant charity group to engage first-hand with their research ideas.
• One-to-one interaction between a researcher and a charity group may include an online meeting and/or a site visit to establish relationships, confirm suitability and explore how best to work together.
• Each charity group will provide information on how a UCC research partnership may support their community-led research idea. This information will form the basis of discussions.
• Partners will agree on a Ways of Working statement that details how they will collaborate, communicate, make decisions, resolve issues, and hold each other accountable throughout the partnership.

How the Call for Ideas will be assessed

Each Call for Ideas from HRCI Charities will be reviewed by an assessment panel comprised of UCC, BSA, an independent international expert and an independent community organisation. Please note that Charities submitting a Call for Ideas does not guarantee inclusion in the scheme.

What is meant by a co-developed research project?

To be eligible for ERICA funding, research projects must be co-designed by the Charity (and the people and communities they serve) and the UCC researcher:

• The proposed research project will have strong foundations in engaged research to enable collaborative engagement between partners in research project design, development, implementation and dissemination.
• Projects in which researchers conduct research or gather data “on” or “about” rather than “with” the Charity will not be supported.
• Projects should have a strong impact orientation towards beneficial change beyond publications, particularly the potential to influence public policy outcomes.
• Projects that have the potential to foster longer-term community and researcher partnerships and generate new knowledge are encouraged.
• It is also expected that learning from the initiative will help inform the researchers future research plans and approach.

What supports are provided?

ERICA provides a unique opportunity for researchers, people and communities to join a Community of Practice that co-explores the potential of community-led research to create a space for equity in knowledge co-creation around research that matters to community, and thus contributing to a more inclusive research culture. Researchers and their community partners will receive with 'wrap around' support tailored to each individual project needs.  

• UCC provides support from the ERICA Team and will assign each project an Engaged Research Mentor.
• Professor Per-Anders Hillgren an international expert in human interaction design from the University of Malmo brings expertise in research co-creation processes to each research project, including futures thinking.
• Creative facilitation expertise for each project is provided by socially engaged artists Think Visual.
• An expert from the BSA will offer specialist support in the use of evidence - including lived experience - in shaping policymaking.

Please note the following events:

• In-person Workshop on Research Co-Creation Approaches and Methods with Professor Per Anders Hilgren Malmo University -November 11th 2026.
• Policy Roundtable with researchers, community and policymaker - to build mutual awareness of the research projects underway and policy priorities - towards exploring areas for collaboration and mutual knowledge exchange - Jan-April 2027.
• Symposium on Community Led Research – April 2027.

What is the time commitment?

Time commitment at each stage will depend on the community-led project and will be agreed once UCC researchers and Charity partners are matched.

Are there any ethical approval considerations?

ERICA projects will generally require UCC Tier 2 SREC Ethics Approval. Please note that research involving patients is clinical research and falls outside ERICA’s remit. However, ‘service users’ are not patients, and research with these communities can proceed via the SREC Route. 

• A condition of the scheme is a mandatory Research Ethics Clinic.
• Online follow-up support will be provided by SREC to each project group.
• Online Support Training is available.

In exceptional circumstances, ERICA Grantees may require SREC Tier 3 Approval. Early discussion of such circumstances is critical to ensure it can be accommodated within the ERICA timeframe.

Conflict of Interest

UCC Researcher Applicants must declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or be seen to influence, the fair assessment of HRCI  Charity Call for Ideas submissions and UCC Researcher and Charity matching. Any conflicts identified will be managed appropriately to ensure a fair and transparent process.

Got a Query?

Contact Michelle O’Riordan, Education and Public Engagement Officer: ERICAproject@ucc.ie