PPIE Projects

Anyone with lived experience of severe mental illness (SMI) who is a member of one or more of the MHP hubs. 

You may have lived experience of SMI from a personal or carer's perspective.

You could be a member of the MHP Steering Group, or part of a Lived Experience Advisory Panel or Group (LEAP or LEAG). You could be a researcher at one of the Hubs who also has lived experience of SMI.

You do not need any previous experience of applying for research grants/awards. 

We recommend you co-lead the projects rather than lead them individually. This could help with the cross-Hub aspect of your project, and will also provide peer support throughout the project.

If you have queries about your eligibility you can get in touch before you apply: mhp@ed.ac.uk 

The project must connect at least two of the Hubs to collaborate on the project.

Your project budget must be a minimum of £2,000 and a maximum of £20,000. 

You should plan the project yourself or with your co-leads. You should also be executing the project.

The focus of the project should align with the themes important to the MHP. For the first round of applications in 2026 the PPIE Collaboration and Impact themes are:

• Improving PPIE best practice
• Evaluating PPIE impact
• Enhancing understanding of people with severe mental illness 

These themes will be reviewed annually.

You will need to fill out an application form, which you can download further down on this page. You will also need to attach some supporting documents.

One of these supporting documents are letters of support for the project from Hub leads from each of the Hubs involved. This means you’ll need to be in touch with Hub leads before you apply to confirm they’re happy to support your project.

Once you have completed your application form and your supporting documents, please save all documents into one pdf and email it to mhp@ed.ac.uk with the email subject “YYYY_MHP_PPIE CandI application_ firstname_surname" Use the name of the lead applicant, or lead co-applicants if there are more than one.

The application form will ask you for the following information:

1. Contact details for the lead, co-leads, and collaborators.
2. Project information
   1. Project title
   2. Start and end dates
   3. Total cost to funder
   4. Hubs involved
3. Theme: Choose one of the PPIE Collaboration and Impact (C&I) themes, which the project will focus on:
   1. Improving PPIE best practice
   2. Evaluating PPIE impact
   3. Enhancing understanding of people with severe mental illness
4. Short sections to fill in:
   1. Plain language summary (<300 words): What your project aims to do, who’s involved, how it connects the Hubs, and how it fits the MHP PPIE strategy themes.
   2. Team responsibilities and lived experience (<300 words): Who’s doing what, and what lived experience each person brings.
   3. Previous PPIE experience (<300 words): Your or your team’s past involvement in PPIE research.
   4. Outcomes and impact (<300 words): How your project will benefit people with lived experience (PWLE).
   5. Diversity statement (<150 words): How you’ve considered equality, diversity and inclusion.
   6. Ethical implications (<150 words): Any ethical issues or risks related to your project.
5. Research plan and timeline (max 4 pages):
   1. How you’ll deliver your objectives
   2. How your projects brings together at least two of the Hubs
   3. Risk management plan
   4. Data management and security
   5. How your project aligns with Hub priorities
6. Timeline of activities. Note all activities must be completed by December 2028
7. Budget plan (1 page):
   1. Cost breakdown. Note that all spending must be completed by 30 March 2029
   2. Include only eligible costs (staff time, travel, engagement, publication costs if needed)
   3. Reference NIHR PPIE payment guidance
8. Optional diversity monitoring questions (MHP standard form)
9. How you heard about this opportunity
10. Conflicts of interest (if relevant)
11. Consent for the MHP team to process your data

You will need to prepare the following supporting documents:

1. Support letters (max 1 page each) from leaders of each of the Hubs involved in your project, and any collaborators. You will need to share your project with Hub leaders and ask them to prepare a letter of support for your application.

There will be one round of PPIE awards every year during the time the MHP is funded. Applications for each round will be open in:

• January 2026
• January 2027
• January 2028

More details on the timeline for the current round are at the top of this page.

All projects must be completed before December 2028, but you have until March 2029 to finish spending the funds. This may be used for example if there were expenses following an event at the end of a project.

You can include the following costs in your budget:

• Staff time directly involved in the project
• Travel and subsistence for attending meetings, workshops, or events essential to the project
• Putting on events, such as networking activities, community sessions, co-production workshops
• Directly incurred and directly allocated costs related to delivering the project

You cannot include the following costs:

• Anything already funded elsewhere (duplication of other funding)
• Indirect or estate costs, such as general overheads or building costs
• Intellectual property or patent-related costs
• Equipment valued over £10,000
• Undergraduate or postgraduate activities or training
• Contributions to existing knowledge transfer partnerships
• Salary costs for investigators or staff already funded through existing Hub awards

We know that this may be the first time you are applying for and leading a research project. We want the process to be accessible and supportive for everyone. The Platform and Hubs involved in each project will offer support and guidance in the applications process.

You should find clear notes on what’s expected in each section of the application form.

Please read through all the information on this page, and through the example applications (see link below). 

To help you complete your application, the MHP will offer a drop-in session before the first round of applications [Dec 2025, date tbc]

You can reach out with further questions: mhp@ed.ac.uk

Expression of Interest

If you have an idea which you think needs further development before you can submit an application, you can outline it in the Expression of Interest form and send it to mhp@ed.ac.uk before 12th December 2026. The Coordinating Team will aim to provide the support you need to progress your idea to application stage. This is not an essential step in the process and also does not guarantee your project will be funded. 

Download the Expression of Interest document further down on this page.

This is a competitive process, and not all projects which are submitted can be funded. There is a total fund available of £100,000, which must be spread over the three rounds of the project applications.

Your application will go through a review process alongside the other projects submitted in the same round. An independent review panel will assess your application. The panel will:

• Be chaired by an experienced PPIE academic (external to the Hubs)
• Be supported by the MHP PPIE Coordinator
• Include members from the PPIE Network, PPIE Steering Group, or Hubs who are not involved in your project but are familiar with MHP’s PPIE activities

The panel will review all eligible projects and provide recommendations.

Final decisions will be made by the MHP Director and Leadership Team, together with PPIE Steering Group representatives (who are not part of the projects being reviewed).

A decision is usually made within eight weeks of submission.

How Your Application Will Be Scored

Projects will be reviewed using a 5-point scale. This is the same process as researcher Collaboration and Innovation Projects

Where: 5 = Outstanding/Fundable → 1 = Poor/Not Fundable

1. Team and Cross-Hub Collaboration (30%)
   • The team has the right mix of skills, lived experience, and knowledge to deliver the project.
   • Roles and responsibilities are clear and appropriate.
   • You have support from your Hubs’ environment and staff.
   • The collaboration between Hubs is well thought out and achievable.
2. Impact and Strategic Alignment (30%)
   • The project tackles an important and timely challenge in Mental Health PPIE, with clear benefits for people with severe mental illness.
   • It fits well with MHP’s PPIE strategy themes and the PPIE priorities of the Hubs involved.
3. Research Quality and Delivery (40%)
   • The project is innovative in its approach, design, methods, or use of technology, and builds on existing Hub work.
   • Diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded throughout the project.
   • The plan, budget, and timeline are realistic and well-structured.
   • Risks are identified with clear mitigation strategies.
   • Data management is transparent, with strong quality, security, and sharing processes.

The scoring criteria can be downloaded further down on this page.

If your project is funded, you’ll be expected to keep in touch about your progress. 

At the start of the project, the PPIE Coordinator (supported by the Coordinating Team) will meet with new project leads. 

During this initial meeting you can discuss any mentoring you feel you might benefit from during the project. The MHP will aim to identify suitable mentors from across the Hubs who can support project leads.

You will also decide together how often you and the Coordinating Team will go on to meet during the project. These regular meetings will help monitor progress against your project objectives.

You must submit brief written project updates twice a year to the MHP Leadership Team. Each update should focus on both the research progress and the operational aspects of your project. You’ll have a simple reporting template provided to support this process.

At the end of your project, you’ll need to submit a final report to the MHP. This report will be shared with the Leadership Team and with the PPIE Steering Group.