The first all-island mental health collaborative research network – CO-PRIME – has been set up to help combat mental ill health in a more coordinated way right across Ireland and will be headed up by Maynooth University's Director at the Centre for Mental Health and Community Research, Prof Sinead McGilloway and supported by MU's Social Sciences Institute for its duration.
“By combining mental health research expertise and resources north and south, this initiative – which is the first of its kind in Ireland – will bring real benefits to people who are affected by mental health difficulties and their families,” said Prof Sinéad McGilloway, who is working in collaboration with Dr Eve Griffin from the National Suicide Research Foundation and Professor Brian McGuire from the University of Galway.
The five-year CO-PRIME (COproducing and Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental HEalth) initiative, funded by the Health Research Board and launched today, aims to reshape some of the ways in which mental health research is conducted and, in particular, how the knowledge and evidence arising from research is used across the island to help inform services and shape government policy.
“The launch of CO-PRIME is a very important moment for mental health research across the island of Ireland,” said Prof McGilloway, speaking about the exciting initiative.
“For the first time we are bringing together diverse voices, including those with lived experience, to build a truly collaborative, inclusive and evidence-informed approach to understanding and addressing mental health needs.”
“As well as helping people with mental health difficulties, this network will benefit other stakeholders working in the area including health and social care services, researchers, policy makers, community organisations and the general public.”
“CO-PRIME has many specific goals it aims to achieve. It will support meaningful and sustained collaboration across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Crucially, it will embed the involvement of people with lived experience of mental health difficulties across all of its activities”.
“We will also foster a culture of wide stakeholder involvement in the design, conduct and application of research, including perspectives from marginalised and underrepresented communities,” said Co-Lead, Dr Eve Griffin, “and we will promote evidence-informed, rights-based approaches in mental health policy and practice”.
“We will aim to build capacity across the mental health ‘ecosystem’ through training, education and researcher development,” said Co-Lead, Prof Brian McGuire.
“We know that mental health difficulties affect directly or indirectly every community, family and part of society, and through CO-PRIME we are working to address that in a more co-ordinated, all island fashion,” said Prof McGilloway.
Speaking about the new network, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler said: “The new all-island Collaborative Research Network will transform how research is coordinated, build research capacity, embed lived experience within research projects, and ensure research findings are translated into real-world impact."
