Consumer and community advice

Bringing lived experience into study design

Including the perspectives of patients, carers and community members in the design of your scientific research — before it begins — helps ensure studies are shaped around the needs and experiences of the people they’re intended to benefit.

The aim is to bring lived experience into the design stage if the study development to help shape it towards the needs of the people it is intended to benefit.

Specialist panel offers unique participant viewpoint

Recognising the need to bring the voices and knowledge of participants and community members directly into the design of clinical trials, Bellberry established the Consumer and Community Advisory Panel (CCAP) in 2025.

The CCAP gives researchers unique access to lived experience perspectives at the concept and study design stage, before submission to a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). The CCAP review is independent of the HREC review.

For more information on the panel’s structure, expertise and accreditation, see Consumer and Community Advisory Panel (CCAP).

When to engage Bellberry’s advisory panel

If you’re considering scientific research involving human participants, we encourage you to engage the CCAP at the earliest stages of your study design, before detailed study documentation is developed.

The earlier you engage, the more opportunity there is for participant perspectives to shape your study from the outset.

You do not necessarily need a completed protocol to seek feedback. Instead, the panel provides practical feedback on your research concept, helping identify opportunities to improve participant information, study design, recruitment and the overall participant experience.

CCAP review complements — but does not replace — formal HREC review.

“You work long hours as a researcher, and you hope to have an impact. Bringing your scientific knowledge together with lived experience, and understanding what scientific evidence means in the real world, can improve the impact of your work.”

— Ann Single, Patient Voice Initiative CEO and Health Technology
Assessment International (HTAi) Chair

How Bellberry’s CCAP can support your research

Early engagement with our Consumer and Community Advisory Panel can help you:

• Design participant-centred studies from the outset
• Improve the clarity, relevance and accessibility of your study
• Identify potential concerns from a participant perspective
• Strengthen recruitment and participant experience
• Refine your research concept before ethics submission.

By incorporating consumer and community perspectives early, our CCAP helps researchers develop studies that are not only scientifically robust but also meaningful and appropriate for the people involved.

How to submit your project

If you’re interested in receiving feedback from the Consumer and Community Advisory Panel, please contact us before preparing your ethics review submission.

Our team can explain the process, discuss whether CCAP is appropriate for your project and help you engage the panel at the right stage of study development.

Applications can be reviewed at any stage of the study design development. A detailed concept can be provided to gain early participant perspective insights into the design, or if the protocol, PICF and other participant facing documents are close to being finalised, more specific feedback can be provided.

Browse helpful guides:

• CCAP Application Form
• Applicant User Guide document

For more information, contact:

• Trina O’Donnell, Director of Strategic Projects
• Phone: 08 8361 3222
• Email: trinaodonnell@bellberry.com.au
• General AEC queries: bellberryaec@bellberry.com.au