Research with Impact: Highlights from Our Grant Writing & Public Involvement Event!

Fighting Blindness is committed to supporting the next generation of vision researchers and clinicians, while ensuring that the lived experience of people affected by sight loss remains central to every stage of the research process.

Through initiatives like the Fighting Blindness Retina Network Ireland and V.I.P Network, we strive to equip emerging researchers with the skills, insights, and partnerships needed to drive meaningful progress – and to champion truly inclusive research that reflects the voices and priorities of those it seeks to benefit.

On 22 October 2025, Fighting Blindness was proud to host Research with Impact: Grant Writing & Public Involvement, as part of the National Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Festival 2025. This half-day event brought together researchers, clinicians, and members of the public to learn about research funding opportunities, strengthen grant writing skills, and explore how to communicate research in an engaging an accessible way to the public.

Shannon Lee (Fighting Blindness) speaking to attendees. — Dr Shannon Lee (Research Officer, Fighting Blindness) speaking to attendees of the event.

Strengthening research proposals

The morning session featured a series of insightful presentations from funding experts and experienced researchers.

Dr Anne Costello and Dr Márcia Aranha (Health Research Board) and Dr Emer Cahill (Research Ireland) provided insights and guidance on funding opportunities available to early-career researchers and more advanced researchers in Ireland. They also provided information on larger European funding opportunities and discussed the increasing emphasis on meaningful PPI in grant applications.

Dr Adam Dignam (Research Development Office, Trinity College Dublin) delivered a practical session on grant writing and preparing strong, competitive proposals. He also offered tips to help early-career researchers plan their approach for grant applications to increase their success rates.

For the PI Panel session, Dr Laurence Fitzhenry (SETU) and Prof Sarah Doyle (TCD) shared their personal experiences navigating the research funding landscape, giving attendees insights and encouragement for developing their own careers in vision research. They discussed topics such as developing your track record in research, building collaborations and partnerships, and advice on how to handle grant rejection.

Speakers from the morning session participating in the panel Q and A session. — Speakers from the morning session participating in the panel Q&A. From left to right: Dr Emer Cahill (Research Ireland), Dr Laurence Fitzhenry (SETU), Prof Sarah Doyle (TCD), Dr Anne Costello (HRB), Dr Márcia Aranha (HRB) and Dr Adam Dignam (TCD).

Shaping research together

In the afternoon, Gerry Eastwood (Fighting Blindness) and Mandy Daly (Irish Neonatal Health Alliance) shared powerful reflections on the value of public and patient involvement from their experiences of being PPI contributors and PPI partners on research projects. They discussed the role of a PPI co-applicant and emphasised the value of meaningful involvement at every stage of the research process. Attendees were encouraged to explore the many ways they can engage with PPI and help shape the direction of research. Their stories highlighted how lived experience can transform the research process – shaping questions that matter most, improving study design, and ensuring that outcomes truly reflect the needs and priorities of the people affected.

Speakers from the afternoon session participating in the P.P.I panel discussion. — Speakers of the afternoon session, Mandy Daly (Irish Neonatal Health Alliance) and Gerry Eastwood (Fighting Blindness) sharing insights from their PPI experiences. Declan Meenagh (Advocacy Officer, Fighting Blindness) chaired the session (middle seat).

A key aspect of the event was the breakout group discussions, focused on reviewing plain-language research summaries provided by researchers attending on the day. Researchers, clinicians and public members worked side by side to discuss how best to communicate research, ensuring information is accessible, clear, and engaging to the public. This was a practical example of PPI in action on the day!

Each group shared the key points from their discussions with the wider room. Common challenges identified across the summaries included finding the right balance between scientific detail and clear, accessible language – particularly avoiding excessive technical terms or data. However, participants also highlighted many strengths, such as the creative efforts used to make complex science more understandable through the use of clear analogies. Public contributors offered valuable advice to researchers, encouraging them to make it clear WHY their research is important and to simply ask people HOW they prefer to be communicated with to ensure clarity and inclusion.

Declan Meenagh standing in the room as he speaks to the attendees sitting around him. — Declan Meenagh (Advocacy Officer, Fighting Blindness) sharing insights with attendees in the room.

Real Impact for Attendees

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Some feedback we received from researchers and clinicians include:

The morning session on grant writing and funding opportunities was very useful. It provided valuable insights into how to structure a strong proposal and highlighted several relevant funding schemes. I particularly appreciated the practical tips, especially learning about the PPI involvement assignment and the examples shared during the session.

It was simply amazing!! a real game changer and so revealing. We scientists often think our “lay abstracts” are clear (even the name shows the jargon… we should be talking about plain-language summaries!!), but patients still struggle to understand a word. These open conversations, all sitting at the same table, help enormously. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity.

Hear what Dr Lynett Masiwa had to say about her experience below:

When asked about what the key highlights of the event were, some feedback we also received from public members include:

Hearing about the research and the involvement of PPI in research

The positivity and engagement of all attendees

Click below to hear speaker, Mandy Daly, share her reflections on the event:

We want to say a huge thank you to all speakers, attendees, and contributors for making the day so impactful!

More information about the Fighting Blindness V.I.P network and Retina Network Ireland can be found below:

The Visually Impaired Person’s (V.I.P) network is a Fighting Blindness initiative for people affected by sight loss who are interested in Public and Patient Involvement (P.P.I) and wish to take part in advocacy and research opportunities. To find out more about the V.I.P network and how to join, please click here.
Retina Network Ireland (RNI) is an all-island network for early career researchers, clinicians and allied healthcare professionals in the area of vision loss to provide career-building, training, and networking opportunities. To find out more about RNI and how to join, please click here.

Fighting Blindness plan to continue hosting events that bring together researchers, clinicians, and members of the public. Our goal is to create more opportunities for open discussion about research and to emphasise the vital role of Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) in ensuring that lived experience remains at the heart of research we support.

If you would like to know more about Public and Patient Involvement, the V.I.P Network or Retina Network Ireland, you can email the Fighting Blindness Research Department at research@fightingblindness.ie.