Funding secured for consumer and community involvement in research

As part of the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA), SPHERE together with Monash Partners, Western Australian Health Translation Network and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia will work together to lead exciting new government-funded research to embed consumer and community involvement (CCI) in research.

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant of close to $1M to AHRA acknowledges the importance of consumer and community involvement in research to improve relevance, translation and health impact. 

SPHERE Leader of Consumer and Community Involvement and Engagement, Ms Ainslie Cahill AM, said the funding recognises years of work in this area. 

"Our shared vision for this research is to see CCI as intrinsic to, and embedded in, the operations of all research bodies, reflecting genuine sharing of power, mutual trust and shared belief in its value," said Ms Cahill. 

“This funding builds on work led by the Research Translation Centres over a number of years and is an exciting opportunity to work together and build a national knowledge hub to strengthen consumer and community involvement. We know that involving people with a lived experience in research ensures that research outcomes are responsive and relevant to the needs and preferences of the people and communities it is meant to serve. We are excited to generate new knowledge and implement evidence-based solutions to embed CCI in research to make a real difference in the lives of researchers, health professionals and patients."

The research aims to:


Build a network of engaged and upskilled consumers
Develop an innovative digital knowledge and practice hub for tools and resources
Generate new knowledge to enable behavioural change towards consumer and community involvement
Introduce implementation resources to enable national scale-up.
Engage under-represented community groups in health research, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.