According to Dr Siobhan Hendrick, HRB, who is co-ordinating this activity,
‘Public reviewers will be asked to review specific aspects of the research proposals submitted to the HRB.
‘In the pilot phase, Public Reviewer’s comments will be used to provide feedback to researchers on how they might improve public and patient involvement in their research ideas. Over time, if the pilot is successful, we will include the public reviews in the overall assessment of the proposal’.
The HRB strategy commits the organisation ‘to develop and promote public and patient involvement (PPI) within the HRB and in HRB-supported projects and programmes’. This pilot is the start of that process, and the outcomes from it will inform future thinking and actions in this area.
Further information will be posted at www.hrb.ie/ppi in the coming days.