Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) and research co-production are rapidly becoming a prerequisite across European funders and regulators. Whilst PPIE is well established in clinical research, adoption has been slower in neuropharmacology and neurotechnology. This may cause delayed clinical translation, reduced funding and erosion in public trust. This webinar, grounded in experiences from the UK Northern Centre for Mood Disorders, demonstrates timely action on PPIE is essential.
We provide a concise overview of the evidence base for PPIE and growing demand for its development, from Horizon Europe’s Responsible Research and Innovation principles to ECNP’s own working with people lived experience (PWLE) roadmap. Case studies and patient voices demonstrate its implementation and concrete impact:
- Case 1 (Embedding PPIE in Lithium Optimisation Research): A series of focus groups with PWLE as patients or prescribers led to co-designed research, production of a clinician-facing web-tool to guide lithium prescribing and unconstrained dialogue surrounding stakeholder research priorities.
- Case 2 (Neurotech PPIE guidelines): Multi‑stakeholder workshops delivered across the UK in 2023–24 produced the first published guidelines offering concrete PPIE implementation tools for neurotechnology development.
- Lived experience contributors reflect on their research involvement and participation in the UK’s first accredited course for the public to develop research skills to support co-production.
Together we illustrate how early, structured and meaningful PPIE accelerates methodological innovation and improves clinical utility, sharing easy to translate frameworks. ECNP members will be empowered to integrate PPIE before it’s non‑negotiable, fostering a research culture that listens and co-creates as it innovates.
Title: From bench to voice: advancing neuropharmacology and neurotechnology research with patient and public involvement and engagement
Speaker: Victoria Wing, United Kingdom, and Tiago da Silva Costa, United Kingdom
Breaking Hot Topics webinar series: Following a record number of submissions to the Breaking Hot Topics Symposium at the 38th ECNP Congress in Amsterdam, the ECNP is proud to launch the Breaking Hot Topics webinar series. This new online series features selected runner-up presentations that showcase the most current and compelling science in neuropsychopharmacology.
The series aims to extend the conversation beyond the Congress, foster visibility for emerging work, and connect researchers across disciplines and borders.
