Useful links for getting involved in research

Courses, networks, clubs and more – discover more opportunities from our partners to learn research skills or to be more involved.

If you are interested in finding out more about mental health research, or looking for other opportunities to get involved there are a number of partner organisations you can contact:

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Involvement Register

It provides opportunities for both service users and carers to become involved with us in the planning and development of services. There are a wide variety of activities to get involved in, including:

helping to deliver training
sitting on interview panels
or by offering views and opinions at committees and groups.

Find out more about joining the Involvement Register at the Trust here.

Research at the Trust

South London and Maudsley aims to put research at the core of everything they do, to continually improve its clinical care. Read more about its research activities here.

Research Club

The Research Club is a collaboration between the SLaM recovery college and Lived Experience Research Ambassadors. It was developed to ensure that research at the Trust and the IoPPN, King’s College London is discussed with service users, staff, and all at Trust.

The sessions involve researchers talking about their findings and how the research has shed light on how improve their current work and treatments as clinicians. A participant of the study often attends and explains what it was like to take part in the research study.

It runs every month online – find out more information about the Research Club here.

NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility

The NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility is a specialist research facility within King’s College Hospital which runs regular Patient and Public Involvement activities.

NIHR: National Institute for Health and Care Research

The NIHR funds, enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people’s health and wellbeing, and promotes economic growth.

It has a wide range of opportunities for people to share their lived experience and get involved in research.

People in Research tells you about opportunities for public involvement in clinical research, and gives information about taking part in clinical trials.

It contains a database with details of research projects and research organisations looking for members of the public to get involved in their work.

The NIHR’s Be Part of Research database allows people to search for research by locations and topic.

The NIHR has a useful glossary of research terms on their website, and a more general glossary about healthcare here.

The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), to enable the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England. We do this as part of NIHR’s overall mission to improve the health and the wealth of the nation through research.

The RDN launched in October 2024. We cover the whole of England and consist of 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) and a Coordinating Centre (RDNCC), working together as one.

Mental health research charities

MQ: Transforming Mental Health

MQ’s Lived Experience Network enables people living with mental health conditions to share their insights and experience to help shape, direct and support their research interests.

Find out how to join the Lived Experience Network.

The McPin Foundation

The McPin Foundation is a mental health research charity. They believe research is done best when it involves people with relevant personal experience that relates to the research being carried out. Visit their public involvement web pages.

Understand more about research - online courses

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research is an online course delivered over 4 weeks and is free of charge. It runs regularly and is an excellent introduction to the world of research and why it’s so important for our healthcare today, and in the future. Anyone can take part and the course is available and delivered online so you can complete it at your own pace. You will learn the basics of how research is developed, who carries it out and why it’s so important. (FutureLearn)

What is Health Research? Have you ever wondered how doctors and nurses know what treatment or care to give? It’s only through health research that healthcare professionals find new and better ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating disease. Today’s research is tomorrow’s treatment. On this course, you will learn how health research happens, why it matters and what to expect if you take part. You will also hear stories from people who have taken part in research; why they volunteered and the difference it made. (FutureLearn)