Delivering research impact that is aligned to social priorities requires public participation throughout the process

The notion that increased public participation is a key component of research impact has developed and gained traction. Indeed, recent analysis has shown that public and user participation does play a key role in delivering impact. However, how does this participation work in practice? Steven Hill, Elizabeth Morrow and Fiona Ross note that the majority of public engagement focuses on the dissemination of findings. Consultation and collaboration remain uncommon, with public participation rarely extending to the framing and development of research questions. Such narrow use of participation risks missing opportunities to align impact more closely with social priorities.