Social capital & empowerment
Let’s talk menopause
Women with intellectual disabilities as a population are often marginalised when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health.
Read how these women were empowered in this PhD research study, how their contribution ensured that the research remained relevant to women with intellectual disabilities and ensured culturally competent research practices were followed throughout.
Empathy Detectives changing attitudes
The active involvement of patients, researchers and teachers in the design of empathy experiences led to the development of workshops linked to the Junior Cycle curriculum. Read how how these workshops fostered empathy, changed attitudes and reduced stigma around diabetes.
Knowing me, knowing you
Tusla is an active national partner in the PPI Ignite Network. Relationships and collaborations established within and beyond the Network have enabled Tusla to influence change in a number of domains.
Read about the impact of Tusla’s collaborations on the wider research eco-system, 2021-2025.
Small seeds igniting change
Access to funding to support PPI in research has been identified as a major barrier to high quality PPI: we at the PPI Ignite Network have been working hard to address this barrier. 104 separate seed funding awards, a total of €126,000, have been made by PPI Ignite Network offices over four years from 2021.
Who will we tell?
People living with dementia and their carers were empowered to communicate their experience of living with dementia, and to directly educate healthcare professionals about living with dementia, through an arts-based project, led by an interdisciplinary, music therapy-led research team at UL.
Read how this work, co-designed by a team of PPI contributors, demonstrated how music can help those living with dementia, their family caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
North Limerick City Engagement project
Colleagues at University of Limerick, the HSE Patient and Service User Engagement (PSUE) Mid West, and HSE Network 8 – North Limerick City, undertook a partnership and consultation process to embed patient engagement into the evolving structures and services of CHN 8 – North Limerick City.
Read about the impact of this partnership, impact reaching beyond what could have been envisaged at the beginning.
Improving PPI with refugees & migrants
PPI INCLUDES resulted in a coproduced vision, action plan, and song to improve PPI with refugees and migrants. This project raised awareness nationally, and with the World Health Organisation (WHO), about the ways that arts-based methods using music and singing can provide a direct link with refugees and migrants.
Read about the impact of the PPI Includes project, led by University of Limerick, in 2025.
Transforming Sjögren’s Care Together
SYNERG-IE emerged from a RCSI-Sjögren’s Ireland collaboration, one of many meaningful partnerships developed across the PPI Ignite Network in recent years. SYNERG-IE aims to address needs identified by the Sjögren’s community, by improving awareness of and education on Sjögren’s, and by impacting policy and practice. The patient voice is embedded in this work, from ideation to governance and day-to-day activities.
Read how the Sjorgen’s community and the research team are collaborating to improve the quality and impact of research.
Seeding change
A PPI seed-funding initiative by the PPI Ignite Network at UCD led to positive changes in procedure towards PPI beyond academia. This was enabled by communicating beyond the typical research community, explicitly promoting PPI leadership without prescribing it, and developing local procedures that facilitated awarding of funding directly to PPI partners, shifting the power dynamic.
Read about the impact of this seed funding initiative, written in 2023.