People with lived experiences can provide valuable insight, find out how we can connect you with our Research Involvement Network and the different ways you can involve them in your research.
We strongly encourage all researchers to work in partnership with people living with or affected by pancreatic cancer. It can enhance your work at all stages of the research process.
Our Research Involvement Network (RIN) is group of people who each have a personal connection to pancreatic cancer. It is comprised of mainly loved ones and carers but does also have some patients and survivors. The group has a diverse range of views and experiences and can provide you with insights that inform and shape your work.
It was really good to meet with the RIN members. Hearing their lived experience is a motivation to push research along, and their input on the direction of research is invaluable.
Involvement of lived experience can help shape your project ensuring that it is appropriate for, meets the needs of and reflects the voice of people with pancreatic cancer. This is something that funders, including Pancreatic Cancer UK, look for when reviewing applications and deciding which projects to fund.
We support any researcher looking to involve the voice of lived experience in their pancreatic cancer research. You do not have to be a current grant holder with Pancreatic Cancer UK or applying for our grant funding schemes.
We include people with lived experience on our Scientific Advisory Board and all of our grant review panels and these individuals are keen to see a detailed Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) plan embedded in your research proposal.
Individuals with lived experience can comment on documents associated with your project. Whether this is clinical trial information or your lay summary for a grant proposal, are these documents easily understood by their intended audiences? Documents can range from project summaries, information leaflets, patient information sheets and study protocols.
Focus groups are a good way to stimulate discussion on your research project but can also aid the planning of your research proposal. These can be held at any stage of your project and can be in person or virtual.
Please note: Pancreatic Cancer UK will help advertise your opportunity however the responsibility of organising and facilitating this will sit with you.
Co-applicants, steering groups or patient advisory groups that will meet throughout the duration of the research will ensure that people affected by pancreatic cancer are fully represented in your project and it is relevant to people affected by pancreatic cancer from the early stages.
Please note: Pancreatic Cancer UK will help advertise your opportunity however the responsibility of organising and facilitating this will sit with you.
Ask our individuals with lived experience specific questions or get their opinions to help shape your research.
Please note: Pancreatic Cancer UK is unable to create the online survey for you.
Disseminate the outcomes and impacts of your research and discuss the next steps for your project. It is important to feed back to individuals who were involved in shaping the research how their voice influenced your work.
Events are a great way to share your research results with people affected by pancreatic cancer or invite individuals to your research facilities.
You can involve people with lived experience at any stage of your project. Whether this is from the very beginning of your project by seeking input when writing a grant application, throughout the project by individuals sitting on a steering committee or patient group or at the end of your project where you’re disseminating findings.
In general, think of all the different ways that someone who has been affected by pancreatic cancer could enhance your work. This could be through attending events, speaking in public, getting involved with campaigns or responding to surveys and commenting on documents.
We strongly encourage all types of projects to involve individuals with lived experience even if your research is primarily basic science. People with lived experience can help to ensure that your research is relevant to patients and also that your lay sections are easy to read.
We are happy to connect you with people with lived experience of pancreatic cancer by advertising your opportunity to our RIN. To do this, you will need to complete our application form.
Our RIN bulletins are sent out at the beginning of each month and so your application will need to be received by the 20th of the previous month that you would like to advertise in. For example, if you would like to advertise your opportunity in the March bulletin, we would need your completed form sent to us by 20th February.
We will then get in touch with you within 5 working days to ask any queries and confirm when we will be able to advertise your opportunity.
Please note we do not send a bulletin at the start of January.
If you would like to connect with people affected by pancreatic cancer who can help shape your research, please complete the application form below and the Research Team will get in touch about your involvement opportunity.
Use our research project finder to browse a wider selection of our recently funded research
We're committed to funding world class research to transform the lives of those affected by pancreatic cancer.
For the latest updates on our research and funding schemes.
If you have any questions about our RIN, we are more than happy to help or advise you.
The Research Team
