The NIHR Innovation Observatory has joined a pledge to public involvement in research

The NIHR Innovation Observatory is committed to strengthening our work through proactive involvement of, and engagement with, service users, carers, communities and the wider public

Today, the NIHR Innovation Observatory has strengthened its commitment to public involvement in its research by signing up to the joint Health Research Authority/NIHR Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.

You can read more about the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement here.

The NIHR Innovation Observatory is committed to strengthening our work through proactive involvement of, and engagement with, service users, carers, communities and the wider public. As part of joining the Shared Commitment, we will:

Expect research within the NIHR Innovation Observatory to demonstrate meaningful, diverse and inclusive involvement in line with the UK Standards for Public Involvement and our patient and public involvement strategy.
Have a diverse portfolio of involvement, engagement and outreach activities that are varied with differing features and applicability as is most relevant and purposeful to the each activities aims.
Embrace community and public engagement, increasing the sharing of power and knowledge through engagement and outreach events.
Evaluate our involvement, engagement and outreach activities, including identifying any difference they make to research products, researchers, patients, service users, carers, communities and the wider public, and any gaps or weaknesses within them.
Address any identified gaps and weaknesses in our involvement, engagement and outreach activities, actively seeking opportunities for learning and for feedback.
Proactively use the best evidence to inform undertaking of our involvement, engagement and outreach activities, in partnership with the Shared Commitment signatories and public contributors.

The NIHR Innovation Observatory’s Director, Prof Dawn Craig, says: “The Innovation Observatory, as part of the NIHR family, continuously strives to ensure that we place public involvement and engagement at the core of our research. We believe that getting the ‘right innovations’ into the health and care system cannot happen without meaningful input and involvement from people and communities. This vital input and involvement needs to start at the very beginning of the journey if we are to ensure that our health and care system truly meets people’s needs.

By signing up to this shared commitment, we are strengthening our promise (and reaffirming our NIHR position) to ensure that our research is developed and undertaken collaboratively with communities, patients, and members of the public both nationally and locally.”

Find out more about our Shared Commitment partners and their work: