In the first three weeks we received 750 expressions of interest and almost 400 completed application forms. While we only need 60 people to participate in the pilot, it is great to have so many people interested, because if the pilot is successful we will need many more.

Dr Siobhan Hendrick, who is coordinating the process said,

‘There’s obviously a huge appetite amongst the general public to contribute to health research. Many of the people contacting us told us that they were motivated simply by a desire to help others’.

After an initial eligibility check had been completed, 60 people were selected at random (30 men, 30 women) to participate in the pilot.The next phase will consist of training workshops for these public reviewers. After that they will begin their reviews.

People who were not selected will be kept up to date on progress of the pilot. If it is successful, they could be invited to participate in the review process in the future.

Many thanks to everyone who has shown interest to date.