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The QUEST Center supports the active engagement of patients and other stakeholders in health research (preclinical, clinical or health care research). So far, efforts to engage patients and other interest groups have unfortunately been limited in Germany, but current calls for funding proposals increasingly request the active involvement of patients and other stakeholders in the research process.

The relevance and usefulness of research for those affected can be increased if the views and needs of patients and other stakeholders in the health care system are taken into account. These stakeholders may have diverse expectations of health research and may set different priorities than the scientists. Patients and their relatives have a different view of their medical condition or the medical condition of their relative. Therefore, they can provide insights that would otherwise remain hidden from the researchers. In addition, certain outcomes may be particularly important to them – outcomes that scientists may not have thought of or that they consider less relevant.

By active engagement we do not mean the recruitment of patients as “participants/subjects” in clinical trials, or other quantitative or qualitative (interview) studies. Active involvement or engagement means that patients or other stakeholders (e.g. relatives) have had a say in the planning, execution or analysis, or that they were actively involved in the dissemination of study results. Type and extent of engagement must be evident from the publication - ideally, you use the already established GRIPP2 Reporting Guideline. Terminology and concepts in the field of patient engagement are not standardized – they can be found under terms such as "participatory (health) research", "patient and public involvement", "patient-oriented research" or "public and patient engagement". For this reason, diverse forms of engagement can be awarded, which will be evaluated after submission.

Here you can find more information on patient & stakeholder engagement.

Information for your application

  • The QUEST center is offering this award of 1,000 € to first/last/corresponding BIH or Charité authors (and employees) for studies in which patients and other stakeholders are activly involved in the research process. 
  • Papers published from 2017 onwards are accepted.
  • Prizes can be spent until the end of 2024. Awards are given on an ongoing basis.
  • Only one QUEST Prize can be awarded per publication.
  • Authors can apply (with different publications) only once per year per prize (i.e. maximum 5 prizes per year per author).
  • Publications of authors (independent of the author´s position) which are also QUEST employees cannot be considered.
  • Awardees will be featured on the QUEST web pages.

To apply for the award, please fill out the registration form that you can find here

Awarded publications

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Contact

QUEST Center

Contact information
E-mail:quest@bih-charite.de