Public engagement in research broadly refers to the many ways in which research can be shared with the public. Public engagement is a key way to inform others about your research; helping to increase public understanding and awareness of health and science, as well as increasing the transparency and accountability of research through constructive and positive conversations with wider society. 
The definition of public engagement varies across sectors and organisations. At the Patient Experience Research Centre, we use NIHR's definition of public engagement which refers to activity 'where information and knowledge about research is provided and disseminated', however please note if you are applying for Wellcome funding, their definition of public engagement involves aspects of both involvement and engagement which includes informing, consulting, and collaborating with members of the public.
At Imperial, the Societal Engagement Team supports researchers to plan and undertake public engagement (defined similarly to that used by Wellcome), through their engagement toolkit, training sessions and seed funding for public engagement activity. They also help to organise the Great Exhibition Road Festival (pictured right) - a free annual celebration of science and the arts in South Kensington and online, which Imperial researchers and staff are invited to get involved in.
Public engagement case studies & examples
public engagement examples
Community outreach case studies and examples
Mosaic Community Trust
Mosaic Community Trust (Mosaic) is a registered charity based in West London in Church Street, City of Westminster. Mosaic aims to empower diverse, socially and economically marginalised and disadvantaged communities, thereby enabling them to participate actively in strategic decision-making at the community level and to access mainstream services and economic opportunities.
With Mosaic, we collaboratively developed a series of health and wellbeing awareness sessions on priority areas of health for the community, such as breast cancer and Long COVID, through which we have educated the local community and also informed local researchers and NHS services on the challenges, concerns and experiences of the community to improve research and clinical care.
Find out more about the outcomes of these sessions in the reports linked below:
ParkLife Café and Enderley Road Patients Association
This community engagement session was developed after being contacted by one of our Imperial Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) Community Partners. As part of their responsibilities with the Enderley Road Patients Association (ERPA) they are involved in organising ‘specialist talks’ for the local patient base. More recently, ERPA have begun to organise gatherings at ParkLife Café in Harrow which provides a relaxed and informal setting to have these sessions.
Find out more about the outcomes of these sessions in the event summaries linked below:
- Occupational Therapy, stroke and transient ischaemic attacks
- Physical activity and movement as we get older
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) stethoscope research project
Community outreach events - 2
The Healing Church of God in Christ (THCOGIC) Community
The Healing Church of God in Christ (THCOGIC) Community established a weekly Friday night Zoom ‘Round Table’ which provides an opportunity for those across their community to come together to learn or talk about a specific topic, for instance health, religion, life skills.
With THCOGIC, we collaboratively developed a series of health and wellbeing awareness sessions on priority areas of health for the community. Find out more about the outcomes of these sessions in the event summaries linked below:
EKTA
EKTA Community is a mental health support group located in Harrow, catering to individuals aged 55 and above. Run entirely by a dedicated committee of volunteers, the group hosts bi-weekly social events featuring activities like yoga and painting. EKTA convenes monthly gatherings, complete with lunch, where members can enjoy informative sessions covering a wide range of topics, from health-related matters to finance and energy management.
With EKTA, we collaboratively developed a series of health and wellbeing awareness sessions on priority areas of health for the community. Find out more about the outcomes of these sessions in the event summaries linked below:
community outreach events 3
Somali community in Hounslow
Since mid-2021 and as part of its ongoing efforts to engage under-served communities in healthcare research PERC has been working to establish a relationship with a Somali community in Hounslow. Through discussions with a Hounslow community leader, PERC was able to identify several areas of health that were priorities for a Somali community in Hounslow. These included health literacy sessions on topics such as diabetes, autism, ADHD, mental health, and cancer.
Find out more about the outcomes of one of these sessions in the report linked below:
Chalkhill Community Centre
Brent residents responding to a Healthwatch Brent survey indicated they did not have enough information about health screening/testing for prostate cancer or bowel cancer. On 7 November 2022, PERC and Healthwatch Brent held a co-produced event with the aim of providing the residents of Brent with a better understanding of the health screening/testing processes for prostate and bowel cancer, and where to seek further support.
Find out more in the Bowel Cancer Screening and Prostate Cancer Testing Community Session event report.
You can find further public engagement case studies on our blog and on the Societal Engagement Team's webpage.
Contact us
PERC Director and Co-Founder
Prof. Helen Ward
h.ward@imperial.ac.uk
For enquiries about PERC's research activity, please email:
patientexperience@imperial.ac.uk
For enquiries about public involvement in research, please email:
publicinvolvement@imperial.ac.uk
Read our blog
All posts- Having an Impact with PPIE in Paediatric Intensive Care Research
- Public engagement and involvement at the Cardiomyopathy UK conference: When researchers and the public meet
- Why did nobody ask us?! Reflections and findings from co-produced research into children’s vaccine uptake.
- Three key takeaways from our participation in the Research Engagement Network (REN) community roadshows
- You and Your Health Data: Results of our Great Exhibition Road Festival activity
- “I sound like Darth Vader and I cough up fur balls” How people living with Airway Stenosis have informed my research career so far.
