[Funding conditions and framework conditions for participatory health research from a project's perspective]. / Förder- und Rahmenbedingungen für Partizipative Gesundheitsforschung aus Projektsicht.

Participatory Health Research is a unique research approach that needs unique funding conditions. In April 2020, the German journal Gesundheitswesen published an article that recommends reasonable measures for funding Participatory Health Research. Some of the aspects mentioned are illustrated in the present article with practical examples.Three examples of experiences are introduced to explain the manifold and different conditions for applying for funds for participatory research projects. Example 1 shows good cooperation between the applicant and funder, allowing participatory processes. The conditions for funding in example 2 - despite being focused on participatory involvement - did not allow effective participation. Example 3 deals with the personal, legitimate research interests of affected people, who are only partially reflected in the current funding landscape and hardly receive any funding.The experiences regarding the funding of participatory research are quite different. There are positive cases, however experiences in which applicants meet obstacles that hinder participative collaboration prevail. This particularly concerns the joint development of research tenders (issues, research questions, design) by all relevant stakeholders. Therefore, to effectively foster participatory health research, more calls for proposals are needed that are flexible, have prolonged application periods, allow multilevel funding, and are open to nonacademic stakeholders.

[Participatory research in Germany - quo vadis?] / Partizipative Gesundheitsforschung in Deutschland ­ quo vadis?

GOAL: Participatory Health Research (PHR) approaches are becoming more common in Germany. In this paper, appropriate support strategies for the funding and implementation of PHR projects in Germany are described. METHOD: Nine strategies are discussed, based on the research experience of the German Network for Participatory Health Research (PartNet) and other international networks. RESULTS: In order to foster PHR in Germany, 1) funds have to be available for those participating in the research process, and 2) for the participatory processes themselves; 3) the requirement to promote participation should be incorporated routinely in tender notices, as well as 4) in special funding programs as a funding requirement; 5) participation in research projects should be part of a formative evaluation; 6) methodology development in this field needs specific funding; 7) review processes for research bids need to be adapted to take into account the specifics of PHR; 8) coordination needs to be established across participatory research projects; 9) and successful models and examples of participation in research should be disseminated. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to adapt research funding programs in Germany to the specific requirements of PHR so as to promote meaningful participation on the part of non-academic partners and to avoid tokenism.