Welcome to the Research Council

 Welcome to IMHPP’s guide to research governance and applications. This page provides a clear overview of how research is managed, reviewed, and conducted under the auspices of the IMHPP. Whether you are a researcher, partner organisation, or member of the public, this guide explains our standards, responsibilities, and pathways for safe, ethical, and high-quality research. 

 At IMHPP, research is any structured activity that aims to generate new knowledge or insights into policy, practice, interventions, or systems. Key points:

• Research seeks findings that are generalisable or transferable beyond a single context.
   
• Both quantitative and qualitative methods are included.
   
• Methodologically weak or exploratory work may still fall under governance requirements if ethical, legal, or research considerations arise.
   
• Roundtable activities, such as policy commentary or strategic reflection—are not research unless they evolve to include original data collection or empirical analysis.
   

Activities like audits or internal service evaluations are not considered research, more like Roundtables!

IMHPP uses a proportionate governance model recognising different types of activity:

1) Roundtable Outputs

• Policy commentary, thought leadership, or strategic reflection.
• No new data collection.
• Requires Research Council approval, but not Ethics Committee review unless activity evolves into research.

2) Non-Interventional Research

• Desk-based research, literature reviews, policy analysis, secondary data analysis.
• Requires Research Council and Ethics Committee approval.

3) Interventional or Empirical Research

• Research involving human participants, primary data collection, or service evaluation.
• Requires full Research Council and Ethics Committee approval.

1.  Submit Proposal – Complete the research proposal seen on this page.
    
2. Research Council Review – Assess feasibility, alignment with IMHPP priorities, and methodological quality.
    
3. Ethics Review – For research involving participants or sensitive data.
    
4. Approval to Start – Research may only begin once all approvals are confirmed.
    
5. Monitoring & Reporting – Teams must follow approved protocols, report incidents, and maintain transparency.
    

Roundtable applications follow an expedited review process and are led by Board, Advisory Council members, Fellows, or Members.