This summer more than 700 organisations and individuals took part in our 12-week Make it Public consultation.
The consultation, which ran from June to September, asked for feedback on our draft strategy to improve research transparency. You may have seen us promote the consultation on our website using a hashtag logo to represent the four pillars of research transparency.
There were almost 500 responses to our online survey, and over 150 people attended face to workshops in London, Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. We are very grateful to everyone who shared their thoughts to help inform lasting change. The consultation included workshops around the UK for HRA staff, a focus group for patients and the public and a webinar for members of Research Ethics Committees. In total this is the highest number of responses the HRA has ever received to a consultation.
We’re also delighted that respondents included people involved in and affected by health and social care research studies.
Of the individual respondents to the online survey 21% were researchers, 32% were patients, patient advocates and research participants and 16% were research managers
At our face to face workshops 25% were patients, patient advocates and research participants, 18% were research managers and 17% were researchers.
A full record of all responses will be published alongside our consultation report later this year.
We’re now working closely with the Research Transparency Strategy Group to devise a final strategy before the end of the year. The group met earlier this month to consider the top line responses to the strategy and you can read the minutes of their meeting here. After their next meeting a strategy will be shared with the HRA Board in December, before being presented to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. You can read more about our engagement with the Committee on the transparency section of our website.
When research is carried out openly and transparently, everyone benefits, and we look forward to ensuring that this is always the case as our work in this area continues.