Participation in research and research policy refers to processes in which individual citizens or organized civil society groups of players from politics, administration and science engage in active dialogue, learn from one another or do collaborative research. The aim of participation is to make use of the jointly generated knowledge for research policy or in research.
Strategies, policy papers and guidelines
How can citizens become actively involved in research and research policy? What makes excellent participation? The Strategy for Participation in Research of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and guidelines offer guidance and help to further develop participatory formats.
The aim of the BMBF’s Strategy for Participation in Research is to improve the environment for participation in research and research policy. This is in order to better tap the added value of participation for innovation policy and for society. To this end,
- it is important to make stronger use of synergies from different participatory research approaches;
- learn from one another and structure knowledge; further professionalize the field, for example with a view to gauging impact;
- intensify support programmes;
- and firmly anchor participation in the scientific reputation system as part of good scientific practice.
Developing the Strategy for Participation in Research
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Strategy
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The Strategy (= White Paper) identifies concrete measures and proposals on how to foster the use and quality of participation and to establish a culture of participation which employs innovative participatory approaches that are needs‑based and continuously enhanced. The aim is to make better use of the added value of participation for innovation policy and society. Participation in research and research policy must be consistent with scientific freedom and, at the same time, should take into account the basic principles of excellence and efficiency.
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White Paper
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Perspectives from science, civil society, politics and administration were gathered in the White Paper process. The core of the White Paper process was civil society participation through the Citizens' Assembly on Research. A discussion group on participation was set up to focus on the inclusion of the science community. The Alliance of Science Organisations also published a Statement on Participation on 9 November 2022.
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Green Paper
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The Green Paper “Participation” provided the conceptual considerations for the White Paper process. The Paper outlined the challenges associated with tapping the full potential of participation in research and research policy and proposed a few initial approaches to overcoming these challenges. The contents are based on an online consultation involving experts from science and civil society as well as a BMBF internal review of and reflection upon experience gained with participatory formats.
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Policy Paper
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In 2016, the BMBF published a Policy Paper on participation which took a clear stance on quality participation in research and research policy. The Policy Paper provides an overview of the goals and guidelines of participation processes and introduces a typology of participation formats in research. The Paper also outlines the BMBF’s participation processes at the time.
Participation formats are diverse and can also mean striking out on new paths. Guidelines and how-to information can help with the planning and practical implementation of participatory projects.
Selection of publications
Guidelines on citizen science with schools
The guidelines provide project initiators with ten recommendations on how to develop and implement citizen science projects with school students. The guidelines were drawn up by the working group on citizen science in schools in cooperation with the “mit:forschen!” platform for citizen science in Germany.
“Gut kommuniziert!” guidelines for good communication practice
The “mit:forschen!” networking platform has published communication guidelines for citizen science projects. The guidelines provide an overview of possible elements of communication and describe first steps to developing an own communication strategy.
Active participation in health research
A publication on the active involvement of patients in health research by DLR Projektträger guides researchers to developing a meaningful involvement strategy in clinical/health research.
OER handbook on social citizen science
The BMBF‑funded project "SoCiS: Social Citizen Science for Addressing Grand Challenges“ produced a practical introductory handbook as an Open Educational Resource (OER), which is a freely accessible and editable learning tool.
Patient involvement in cancer research
International representatives of patient organizations, cancer research and participatory research developed Principles of Successful Patient Involvement in Cancer Research and launched the Alliance for Patient Involvement in Cancer Research.
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT)
In an approach that is unique at European level, patient representatives are involved in all steps of selecting, designing and developing the new NCT sites. Their involvement was a priority criterion when the BMBF published the funding call.
Legal questions in citizen science
A guide for legal issues concerning citizen science projects, published in the course of a BMBF‑funded project, provides an overview of relevant legal provisions and shows how careful planning can avoid legal pitfalls and risks.
Manual on patient involvement in clinical research
A BMBF‑funded project on active involvement of elderly patients in clinical research produced a manual on patient involvement in clinical research.
Innovation toolkit for community-based mobility projects
The accompanying research done as part of the research agenda for “Sustainable Urban Mobility” generated an agile innovation toolkit with information, guidelines and practical examples of different approaches to sustainable mobility. Participatory formats and methods also play an important role in this context.
td Academy methods toolbox
The BMBF‑funded TransImpact project developed a toolbox that provides an overview of transdisciplinary and participatory methods. The aim is to enhance the impact of research and practicality of solutions for society.
Introducing new perspectives – participation in research policy
Involving civil society in research policy is a way to address and include citizens’ ideas, questions and visions of the future early on. The BMBF takes advantage of innovative participation formats and will continue to do so in the future.
Participation in research policy occurs primarily in strategic exchange formats, for example in expert/advisory bodies and in participatory agenda-setting processes to discuss future research priorities. Citizens and civil society organizations play a role in shaping research policy to be agile, practical, and oriented towards the values and needs of society. They also work to refine the focus of scientific issues that are relevant for society. In these processes, the BMBF tests innovative participation formats such as citizens' assemblies. A few examples:
Citizens' Assembly on Research (2021-2022)
The Citizens' Report provides recommendations on how to improve participation processes even more. Many of these recommendations were fed into the Strategy for Participation in Research. The independent evaluation of the report suggested that citizens' assemblies may be a suitable instrument for the BMBF in the future.
“Ideenlauf” ideas campaign (2021-2024)
The outcome paper is based on the more than 14,000 questions submitted during the “Ideenlauf” ideas campaign in Science Year 2022 – Participate! . The commentary report (2024) contains a total of 531 measures and shows that many questions from the public are already the focus of ongoing research.
Forum Health Research
The Forum Health Research facilitates a cross‑organizational dialogue about health research in Germany so that patients can benefit from research findings more quickly in the future. The Forum published a corresponding Statement in 2023.
Patient councils for research institutions
The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have each set up a patient advisory council. The DKFZ Patient Advisory Council focuses among others on current topics in cancer research. The DZNE Patient Council provides advice on dementia research.
Franco-German Forum for the Future
Experts from public administration, academia, and civil society from both countries have cooperated since 2020 in the Franco‑German Forum for the Future to develop policy recommendations for a sustainable future and to strengthen the transformation capacity of our societies.
The future of value creation
The BMBF programme Future of Value Creation looks at options for action in designing products, services and work processes. Advisory bodies integrate representatives from society (social partners), also to identify research needs.
Research for civil security
In the process of developing the Federal Government’s Framework Programme Research for Civil Security, various formats were used to integrate citizens’ perspectives in order to identify possible research topics or wishes related to civil security research.
Advisory council for social innovation
The body is composed of high‑ranking representatives from industry, science and civil society. Its expert advice for the BMBF is channelled into the implementation and further development of the National Strategy for Social Innovation and Social Enterprises.
Forum #Zukunftsstrategie
The group is composed of 21 members from science, industry and civil society. It monitors the implementation and continued development of the Future Research and Innovation Strategy, advises the Federal Government on research and innovation policy issues, and provides support to the interministerial mission teams.
Join in with the research – participation in research
The participatory research environment is diverse and brings together many different research approaches and traditions. The Participation in research visual illustrates the present participation formats in research. It serves as orientation and does not claim to be exhaustive. Crossover between the four main categories is fluid. The classifications neither reflect a ranking nor the degree of participation.
In order to network participatory researchers, the BMBF launched funding in 2022 for the annual PartWiss expert conference on participation in science. Since spring 2023, the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (GTPF) has also been strengthening cooperation between actors in transdisciplinary and participatory research. This contributes to quality assurance, support of young researchers and the visibility of these research approaches.
The range of topics open to participation in research is remarkable, as the following selection of BMBF participatory projects shows:
Select BMBF-funded participatory projects
Citizen Science
In two open-topic funding regulations for citizen science projects (2017‑2020, 2021‑2024) and through funding for the mit:forschen! platform (since 2013), the BMBF has made a significant contribution to establishing citizen science as an innovative research approach across disciplines in Germany.
Social innovation
The BMBF uses the “Gesellschaft der Ideen” competition for social innovation (2020‑2026) to fund projects that aim to develop social innovation in three thematic areas. Selection of projects for the conceptual and pilot phases occurred in a participatory evaluation process.
Junior research groups in social-ecological research
The BMBF’s Junior Research Groups on Social-Ecological Research provide junior researchers with the chance to successfully integrate practitioners, including civil society organizations, in the transdisciplinary research process.
Transformation clusters
The aim of the transformation clusters on social innovation for sustainable cities is to research and test the real potential of social innovation - which includes participatory approaches such as digital urban neighbourhood platforms - for sustainable cities.
Sustainable mobility
The Mobility Workshop 2025 competition of the BMBF provides local communities with an opportunity to work in research projects to draft locally adapted mobility concepts and trial them in living labs on the ground. The BMBF further experimented with the citizens' assembly format regarding the Joint transport transition in urban and rural areas.
Transforming the energy system
The Kopernikus project Ariadne investigates which policy instruments can be implemented to successfully shape the transformation of the energy system. Together with citizens it develops concrete solutions to issues related to the transformation of the heating and transport sectors as well as equity.
Clinical research
Since 2013 the BMBF has published an annual announcement of funding under the Clinical trials of high relevance for patient care initiative to support projects which place special focus on the needs and experience of concerned patients by involving them actively from the start.
Nursing care research
The citizen advisory committee of informal caregivers (Bürgerbeirat „Informell Pflegender“) established under the funding measure to promote technology-assisted innovation for care communities with the aim of improving the quality of life and health of informal caregivers (Technologiegestützte Innovationen für Sorgegemeinschaften zur Verbesserung von Lebensqualität und Gesundheit informell Pflegender) brings in the perspective of informal caregivers to the projects and evaluates their activities.
Practice-based research networks
The individual practice‑based research networks of the DESAM‑ForNet Initiative of German Practice-Based Research Networks involve patients in their research in various ways, for example in advisory boards and forums and in the implementation of research projects.
Open innovation for quantum technologies
The projects awarded funding under the 2022 Quantum aktiv – outreach concepts and open innovation for quantum technologies funding regulations are expected to open new innovation pathways and enable the broader public to actively participate in the innovation process.
Curiosity piqued? You’d like to be part of a citizen science project? Check out the “mit:forschen! Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen” platform for information about current citizen science projects.
Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024