Public Involvement in Research Impact Toolkit (PIRIT)

Public involvement positively shapes research. By sharing their time and personal experiences with researchers, members of the public can influence what research takes place, how it’s carried out, and how the results are shared.

PIRIT, a new toolkit led by Alisha Newman and co-developed by public contributors and staff members for use at the Marie Curie Research Centre and the Wales Cancer Research Centre, is a set of pragmatic tools which aim to support researchers working with public contributors to:

• plan and integrate public involvement in research
• track public contributions and the difference they make to the research
• report impact against the UK Standards for Public Involvement.

The toolkit includes:

• The PIRIT Planning Tool - a checklist of potential public involvement related activities
• The PIRIT Tracking Tool - a spreadsheet to record when and how the public contributed, what they hoped to influence, what changed, why it matters, and the related standards.

These tools can be used separately or together, and in conjunction with other published public involvement assessment frameworks and reporting tools.

Alisha Newman, Team Manager at Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, said:

We are making this resource freely available to help others plan meaningful public involvement, track and demonstrate the difference it makes”

You can download the PIRIT toolkit and start using it today, free of charge.