New funding awarded to establish the LIFT patient voice network

Arthritis UK, in partnership with Orthopaedic Research UK and the Kennedy Trust, is delighted to announce funding for LIFT – the Listening, Involving, and Forging Trust in Musculoskeletal Research collaborative programme. 

This new UK-wide programme will establish a Patient Voice Network designed to strengthen, diversify and expand patient and public involvement in musculoskeletal (MSK) research. It aims to champion inclusivity by improving engagement and ensuring that lived experience from a wide range of backgrounds shapes research at every stage. 

Why this work is needed 

At Arthritis UK, we believe that no research about people with arthritis, should be carried out without people with arthritis.  

People living with arthritis play a vital role in shaping research. However, many communities across the UK face significant barriers to taking part in Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) activities.  

These barriers mean that many people with lived experience are excluded from influencing the research that affects them.  

Additionally, we have found that researchers, especially those applying for early-stage or pre-award funding, also report challenges in accessing guidance, support, or funding to carry out meaningful involvement. 

Arthritis UK has explored these challenges in depth and wanted to ensure more consistent and accessible PPI support across the MSK research community.

Our Research Facilitation Funding Call:

In partnership with Orthopaedic Research UK and the Kennedy Trust, Arthritis UK set out to fund work that could strengthen and connect the current fragmented PPI infrastructure across MSK research in the UK.  

We were looking for a programme that would improve access to pre-award PPIE funding and lived experience groups, support researchers of all career stages and locations to deliver high quality involvement and build on existing best practice to create a more accessible and equitable PPI ecosystem for the whole research community across the UK. 

How the LIFT programme will address this:

The newly funded five-year LIFT programme brings together leading experts in lifespan MSK PPIE and a broad group of public contributors to create an inclusive, UK-wide Patient Voice Network.

The programme will focus on improving access for underserved communities, supporting researchers who struggle to engage with PPIE - particularly those in laboratory-based environments, providing guidance, training, and small funding pots to support early involvement and sharing learning and best practice across the MSK research community, with particular attention to ensuring equitable access across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

To achieve this, LIFT will: 

• Build accessible UK-wide PPIE infrastructure, giving all researchers—regardless of seniority, geography, or research setting—access to people with lived experience 
• Strengthen support for pre-award PPIE to help researchers develop stronger, more inclusive proposals 
• Embed and share best practice through practical tools, training, and resources 

Together, these actions will increase both the quality and quantity of meaningful involvement in MSK research. 

Professor Krysia Dziedzic, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Impact, and Director, Impact and Accelerator Unit, Keele University says:  

"This is an exciting initiative Listening Involving and Forging Trust in musculoskeletal research a new UK-wide, coproduced partnership to form a national musculoskeletal network focused on inclusion and high-quality public involvement in research. 

We’re building on decades-long established relationships with many of our partners, with hubs in Leeds, Aberdeen and Manchester. 

We’ll be concentrating on how underserved communities including children and young people, and underrepresented researchers can be better supported, and how they can access guidance, training, and pots of funding to do meaningful PPI in musculoskeletal research. 

This programme feels very special and we’re delighted to be working with Arthritis UK, in partnership with Orthopaedic Research UK and the Kennedy Trust." 

How will LIFT benefit people with arthritis?  

LIFT will develop practical and inclusive ways for people with MSK conditions and researchers to work together, ensuring no community is left behind because of geography, background, research setting, or limited resources.  

The programme will improve access for lab-based researchers and those working in the devolved nations, provide early-stage support where it is most needed, and strengthen diversity in PPIE involvement. By ensuring research reflects the real priorities and experiences of people with MSK conditions, LIFT aims to deliver better outcomes and make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. 

Mala Thapar, Public Involvement Lead for LIFT said:  

"As a public contributor living with rheumatoid arthritis and neurodivergence, I know how important safety, clarity and inclusion are in research and for me, LIFT is about making sure people with lived experience are involved from the beginning, not brought in later, so research fits around people rather than people having to fit the system."

Professor Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Arthritis UK said:  

"As the UK’s leading arthritis charity, we are proud to fund research that is dedicated to amplifying the voices of people living with arthritis and finding treatment options based on their very real needs.

The LIFT programme is a major step forward in that direction. Their commitment to removing long-standing barriers to involvement, through improved communication between researchers and people with MSK conditions, will set a new standard for how musculoskeletal research should be conducted.

We believe that the 10 million children, young people and adults living with all forms of arthritis deserve to be heard, treated and supported, and are delighted to be a partner on this project which reflects these values."

Dr Arash Angadji, Chief executive of ORUK said:  

"We are delighted to be supporting an initiative that will improve the quality of arthritis research by giving researchers better access to people with lived experience of arthritis, especially those from underserved communities. We hope that it will encourage even more research into a condition that affects the lives of so many people."

Dr Stephen Simpson, CEO, The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research said:  

"The Kennedy Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with Arthritis UK and Orthopaedic Research UK to support the LIFT programme. By establishing an inclusive, UK-wide Patient Voice Network, we will strengthen connections between researchers and people living with MSK conditions, particularly those from underserved communities, ensuring more meaningful and consistent involvement."