Herewith a copy of the announcement that you will also find on the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and INVOLVE websites to day about the award of the new INVOLVE contract. This means INVOLVE now enters its second decade of being fully funded by the NIHR and the only such body of its kind across the world. An incredible achievement. But what this announcement says is that no one is resting on their laurels. It is time to build on the great work that INVOLVE has already done and for it to work with its many partners so that one day public involvement is second nature in everything that the NIHR and its people does.
Formal announcement as follows:
13 August 2015
The University of Southampton has been awarded a four year contract worth £3.2 million to deliver the NIHR’s Centre for Patient and Public Involvement, Participation and Engagement, taking account of the Going the Extra Mile report.
To date, INVOLVE has delivered knowledge, guidance and support that is highly respected and of immense value to the public and researchers alike. It has established an international reputation for excellence and leadership in public involvement in research.
Based in the Wessex Institute at the University of Southampton the new contract will start on 1 February 2016. INVOLVE will build on its strong foundations of providing support and expertise whilst evolving the way it delivers it services. Through a new partnership with the NIHR Research Design Service, INVOLVE will provide leadership in public involvement in research at national, local and regional levels.
Professor Dame Sally C. Davies FRS FMedSci , Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health said:
“INVOLVE represents our core values, with patients and the public being at the heart of everything that we do . This new contract will provide continuity for the superb work already underway, with new and greatly improved links to the regional and local expertise of the NIHR Research Design Service and across the NIHR.”
Simon Denegri, Chair of INVOLVE said:
“This is great news for the public and for research. The ‘Going the Extra Mile’ report underlined that, as the NIHR community of patients, carers and the public grows, we must work differently to better support their contribution to research. The Wessex Institute will provide a strong foundation for the work of INVOLVE, enabling it to build upon its success while ensuring it continues to innovate and think strategically about advancing public involvement across the NIHR. The partnership with the NIHR’s Research Design Service means we can strengthen the practical support and advice available to colleagues locally, and better assure its quality. I am excited about these new arrangements and look forward to judging their success on whether they have resulted in a stronger patient voice in NIHR research in five years’ time.”
The announcement of the INVOLVE Centre contract comes a few months after the publication of the ‘Going the Extra Mile’ report and recommendations following a year-long strategic review of public involvement across the NIHR. The review panel welcomed the NIHR’s on-going commitment to supporting INVOLVE over the last ten years. It also provided expert input into how INVOLVE might be remodelled for the future so that it continued to meet the needs of the public, researchers and other partners in a rapidly changing health research system.
Click here for more information about INVOLVE http://www.nihr.ac.uk/about/involve.htm
Simon Denegri's Lay Review 