We are committed to supporting health and care researchers across Wessex to involve people and communities in health and care research. Across our region, a wide range of services offer specialist expertise - some linked to specific organisations, others to particular localities.
This directory will help you find the right advice, support and connections to strengthen the involvement and engagement elements of your studies. The information sets out the types of communities each service works with, making it easier for you to identify relevant.
Key starting points
For learning more about best practice in public involvement in research:
Further information sources
The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) in the South Central region supports health and care researchers across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Frimley, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire who are carrying out RDN supported research studies. The research includes clinical, public health and social care research across hospital, primary care, community and residential settings working with Integrated Care Systems and NHS Trusts as well as community organisations, Higher Education Institutions, Life Sciences, Local Authorities, patients and the public and other stakeholders.
The Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in Wessex is hosted by the University of Southampton and supports research excellence across Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Dorset, as well as through national priority themes and flagship programmes. It provides infrastructure, expertise and partnerships for researchers working across the region. Research inclusion is a core priority for the ARC and is embedded throughout all activity. The new ARC in Wessex (from April 2026) has committed to increasing diversity among those who take part in research, those who inform research and those who conduct research. It has also committed to increasing year‑on‑year collaborations with voluntary and community sector organisations to advance this work.
The service supports researchers applying for funding for health, public health and social care research through the RSS and SCPH (Specialist Centre for Public Health). It recognises that Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is essential to strong research design and is committed to helping teams embed meaningful involvement throughout the research process. The PPI team provides a wide range of support both before and after funding is awarded. Support includes one-to‑one meetings to discuss PPI plans, facilitation of pre‑grant PPI activities, in‑depth proposal reviews and guidance on the Public Involvement and Engagement Resource (PIER) fund. The team also helps researchers expand their networks, identify suitable PPI members and develop role descriptions and ways of working with PPI groups.
The service is for Public Committee Members, NIHR staff, researchers and professionals. The service works with a wide range of communities and groups to identify individuals who can serve as Public Committee Members and reviewers. It ensures that research funded through NETSCC programmes is shaped by the people it is intended to benefit, involving those with lived experience, carers and broader community representatives throughout the research process.
The service is for Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust study teams, staff and regional higher‑education partners, including Bournemouth University and the Health Sciences University. It supports clinical, public health and social care research across community hospitals, mental health services and residential settings, working closely with Dorset County Hospital, community organisations, the ICB, voluntary sector partners, local authorities and wider regional and national stakeholders. The service engages with patients, the public and community partners across a broad range of settings. It is part of the NIHR Commercial Research Centre: Wessex, which supports nationally prioritised vaccine studies and is developing into a local centre of excellence for innovative research in areas such as oncology, mental health, dementia and cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the SWC RRDN, the service also has access to PPIE contributors and Patient Research Ambassadors who support a wide range of engagement and involvement activities.
The service is for Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust study teams, staff and regional higher‑education partners, including Bournemouth University and the Health Sciences University. It supports clinical research in an acute care setting and works closely with Dorset Healthcare, Primary Care, community organisations, the ICB, voluntary sector partners, local authorities and wider regional and national stakeholders. The service engages with patients, the public and community partners across a broad range of clinical and community settings. It is part of the NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centre: Wessex, which supports nationally prioritised vaccine studies and is developing into a centre of excellence for innovative research in areas such as oncology, mental health, dementia and cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the SWC RRDN, the service also has access to PPIE contributors and Patient Research Ambassadors who support a wide range of engagement and involvement activities.
The service supports colleagues in Primary Care, Population Science and Medical Education at the University of Southampton. It provides support at all career stages, offering input on research design, co‑investigator roles, PPIE organisation, facilitation and community outreach. The service also delivers PPIE activities across the Wessex region for colleagues based in Southampton. It works with a wide range of communities, including LGBTQIA+ groups, autism charities, mental health organisations, local faith groups, refugee and asylum support groups, community groups in disadvantaged areas, Good Neighbour organisations, diabetes and kidney charities, Black youth organisations and community health ambassadors.
The remit and aim of SCREI is to ensure that our research engages effectively with those intended to benefit from, use or enable its outcomes, across public, NHS workforce, policy and industry groups.
A centre of excellence, SCREI brings together the R&D functions:
The centre's activities promote an equitable, diverse and inclusive research culture within UHS and the wider Southampton clinical research partnership. It helps ensure this fully engages and involves public, patients, colleagues and users of research in driving research and research delivery that yields ever more benefit and impact.
The service is based at the University of Portsmouth and works collaboratively with a wide range of organisations, with no strict limits on partnership. It works with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth City Council, charities and community groups. The service is networked with older adults, people who are blind or severely sight‑impaired, autistic adults, people of the global majority and others.
The Academy of Research & Improvement supports Trust staff to meaningfully involve patients, carers, families and communities in research and improvement activities. They help staff bring lived experience into projects, build partnerships, and learn together. The service works with a range of communities, including mental health groups, condition specific organisations, and a variety of community groups.
The service supports study teams at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trust and collaborative partners at the University of Portsmouth. It provides guidance and partnership working across these organisations. The service works with an in‑house Patient Research Ambassador group, representing a range of experiences and ages.
The Sharing Patient and Community Experience (SPaCE) group is for Health Sciences University staff and students involved in PPIE activities across research, academia and clinical practice. It supports colleagues who are directly engaged in designing, delivering and evaluating research with public involvement. The PPIE group (SPaCE) includes HSU clinic patients, carers and people with lived experience relevant to the University’s work, such as those with musculoskeletal conditions. Most members are local, though the group increasingly includes people from across the UK.
The service supports BU staff, community partners, individual public contributors and regional and national research partners. It also works with external organisations through costed roles within commissioned projects and consultancy. The service works with communities involved in health and social care research, including health inclusion groups such as people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. All collaborations begin with a conversation and a relationship‑first approach, and anyone interested is welcome to get in touch.
The service is for researchers and service providers who are working with young people and adult community researchers. It supports teams who want to embed lived experience and community insight into their work. The service works with young people aged 14 and over, as well as adult community researchers. Young people are employed as part of a youth panel, meeting regularly and taking on additional work when needed. Through the NxtGen Academy, trained community researchers - both young people and adults -can be commissioned for community‑focused research, while youth panel members can also contribute as PPIE participants.
The service mainly supports locations across the Wessex geography, but also works in East Berkshire and West Sussex, and will consider projects across South Central England. It provides flexible support to teams and partners working across these areas. The service focuses on communities most affected by health and wider inequalities, who are often least involved in shaping the research that impacts them. Its aim is to improve outcomes by involving people in the design, delivery and transformation of services. The Involving People team is a key service within Help & Care, which has supported local communities across Southern England for forty years.
Raising Voices in Research (RViR) is funded by NHS England as part of the Integrated Care System Research Engagement Network (REN) development programme, which aims to increase diversity in research participation. The service is delivered collaboratively by Action Hampshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and the Engaging Communities Research Centre at the University of Winchester. Together, the partners have delivered multiple phases of RViR and continue to expand the project so it can reach more under‑served communities and support more researchers.