Guides & Tools: Public engagement and crowdfunding in health research

With limiting funding opportunities for researchers and traditional methods such as grants, crowdfunding is another process for engaging large groups of people to make monetary and non-monetary contributions. Crowdfunding relies on 'strong public engagement through two-way communication in learning and engaging with the public for mutual benefit'. 'Public engagement is a dynamic process that requires sustained relationships with key stakeholders in the local community, and is increasingly recognized as an essential component of scientific research because the public are patients, funders and research participants'.  

This guide was published by TDR Global, a worldwide community of passionate scientists and experts who have been working with TDR on research on infectious diseases of poverty.  This guide is for researchers, innovators and students to enhance public engagement and consider crowdfunding. For an introduction to the guide watch the video below.  

Executive Summary

Public engagement is essential for high-impact scientific research. Public engagement in research is a bi-directional communication between the researcher and the public for mutual benefit. The public are people in general and especially the local community. Public engagement involves communication and advocacy with the public over time, demanding a strong understanding of the local setting. It adds scientific, practical and ethical value across the lifespan of a research study and is a prerequisite for crowdfunding for health research. We define crowdfunding for research as the process of engaging large groups of people who make monetary and non-monetary contributions to a research project. Crowdfunding requires a creator passionate about the research, networks of potential supporters, and an organizer. The following consensus statement provides practical tools and suggestions for public engagement and crowdfunding, with a focus on LMICs.

Guide

This practical guide was developed through a collaborative process of public engagement led by TDR Global. The purpose of this practical guide is to build capacity for researchers, innovators and students to enhance public engagement and consider crowdfunding. It is designed to be relevant to people in a broad variety of settings, regardless of experience with social media or Internet bandwidth. This practical guide provides tools, open-access resources and advice for researchers, especially those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

Link to access the guide: https://crowdfundinghealth.org/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License