Building a collaborative public involvement system to reduce duplication and strengthen research quality 

Research that reflects the diversity of the populations it serves is more likely to generate findings that are relevant, equitable and applicable in real-world healthcare settings. However, researchers and research organisations often duplicate effort by developing separate resources, processes and public involvement networks, creating inefficiencies for researchers, public contributors and funders. 

To address this challenge, the NIHR BRC: Birmingham played a leading role in establishing the Birmingham Public Involvement Hub, a collaborative service supporting public involvement across Birmingham Health Partners and the many NIHR infrastructures hosted by, or partnered with, the University of Birmingham. The Hub provides practical support for researchers, including shared guidance and templates, public contributor recruitment, training, one-to-one advice and pre-grant PPIE funding. By coordinating activity across organisations, the Hub reduces duplication and costs, improves consistency and makes it easier for researchers to embed meaningful public involvement in their work.  

From launch to September 2026, the Hub’s online resources have received more than 6,000 views, while a shared public involvement database has recruited 362 public contributors whose demographics closely reflect Birmingham’s diverse population. The Hub has advertised 124 research opportunities, generated 353 applications from members of the public, mapped 42 existing public involvement groups, delivered 9 training courses attended by over 100 researchers, provided 22 one-to-one advisory sessions, and supported 12 pre-grant PPIE funding awards. 

These activities have strengthened researcher capability, increased opportunities for public contributors to influence research and provided a more efficient, coordinated approach to public involvement. The Hub demonstrates how shared infrastructure can improve research quality while making better use of public funding and reducing duplication across health research organisations.