PPIE BRC Public Involvement in Research Competition 2026 is now open

The NIHR Imperial BRC management team proudly recognises the exceptional public involvement in research across Imperial. As a mark of our continued support and encouragement, we are delighted to announce that the call for entries to the BRC Public Involvement in Research Competition 2026 is now officially open.

The competition seeks to celebrate public involvement in innovative and impactful biomedical/health research projects carried out at ICL or ICHT since the beginning of the current Imperial BRC (November 2022) which relate to early translational research. Project teams will be made up of researcher/s (staff and/or students affiliated to ICL or ICHT) and public contributors. Projects led by Early Career Researchers are particularly encouraged. Researcher/s and public contributors are encouraged to contribute collaboratively to the application as appropriate for each project. Detailed guidance can be found here.

Submitted projects will be reviewed by a judging panel comprising academics and BRC community partners. To ensure impartiality, applicants’ names and any identifying details will remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process. The Prize consists of £500 in Imperial-administered grant funding awarded to the lead researcher to undertake public involvement or public dissemination activities and up to £500 allocated collectively to the public contributors (either £500 awarded to a community group/charity/patient group OR £50 voucher, with vouchers available for up to 10 public contributors)

Completed application forms must be submitted via email by 5 pm on 19 January 2027. The winner will be announced in late March 2027 and invited to co-present their project, alongside one of their public contributors, at the NIHR Imperial BRC Annual Meeting, where they will also receive their award.

We extend our best wishes to all applicants and look forward to celebrating your inspiring contributions.