MEDIA RELEASE: 23 JUN 2025, 9am AEST, SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
Awards Celebrate the Power of Lived Experience in Health Research
Public voting is open across Australia for AccessCR’s inaugural national awards celebrating the contribution made by patients, carers and other users of health services (also known as health consumers) to health and medical research.
The Australian Consumer Partnerships in Research Awards (#CPIR2025Awards) celebrates excellence, innovation and extraordinary partnerships between health consumers and researchers in health and medical research nationally.
The Awards are hosted by AccessCR, a social enterprise, in support and celebration of the broader community taking part in and partnering in research, a group we call CCReW – The Community and Consumer Research Workforce.
Managing Director of AccessCR, Janelle Bowden (PhD) said the awards aim to raise awareness of and celebrate the people from all walks of life shaping and improving research, challenging the perception that only those with science degrees and PhDs ‘do’ research.
“People with lived experience of health issues are needed to collaborate with researchers to guide research towards what truly matters - For instance, improving quality of life, rethinking care delivery, preventing or curing illness, or making research more inclusive, respectful, and effective,” said Dr Bowden.
“Patients and carers are best placed to know what the gaps in knowledge or care may be, the challenges experienced living with their health issues, and their needs. When their voices guide research, it can improve research relevance and efficiency, the outcomes, and the sharing of those outcomes, so more people benefit more quickly from research,” she said.
“Last year our community asked for a way to shine a light on the contributions consumers are making to research. These Awards are the result. In partnership, consumers and research sector professionals have worked together to create this event and judge the entries. Now, the public are invited to learn about these impactful partnerships in research and vote for their favourite for a People’s Choice Award from the top 10 in 3 categories,” said Dr Bowden.
Voting closes on the 24 July. The live, online finals are on the 12 August during National Science Week. The People’s Choice Award will be announced on the 13 August alongside the Category winners selected by the judging panels. Anyone is welcome to register for these Live events.
Vote. Register. Be Inspired. Take Action.
“I hope these Awards help Australians understand and celebrate how everyday people are improving research and making a difference to the lives of others in the future. Further, I hope they are inspired to take action, to reach out to us or their local health services, universities and research institutes to ask how they can get involved in research,” said Dr Bowden.
To learn more about the Awards, how to vote, and register for the Live Finals Event, visit: https://ccrew.accesscr.com.au/cpir-2025/.
FURTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION
How to Get Involved, Take Action
Register to vote here: https://accesscr-cpir.awardsplatform.com/. Entries will be visible for review and voting (when signed in) from 23 June – 24 July.
People’s Choice Award Voting closes: 24 July 2025, 11:59pm AEST.
Register for the Live Finals and Awards Ceremony here: https://events.humanitix.com/cpir2025awards
Awards Event: 12 August 2025, 10am-3pm AEST: Opening Plenary and Finalists presentations
13 August 2025, 5-6:30pm AEST: Closing Plenary and Awards Ceremony
Intrigued and inspired about how you could contribute to health and medical research? Contact us, or consider subscribing to our CCReW Updates for monthly opportunities to participate in clinical trials, or learn about/contribute to/partner in research: https://bit.ly/Signup_for_CCReW_News. Alternatively, reach out to your local health service, university or research institute to see what opportunities they have for you to get involved in their research.
About AccessCR
AccessCR Pty Ltd is a social enterprise providing services to the research sector to engage, understand the experience of and involve health consumers in research and development, to improve the relevance, efficiency, conduct, and experience of clinical trials & medical research. Our services fund our work to advocate for and support the needs of people learning about, seeking, taking part in or partnering in research, a group we call the Community and Consumer Research Workforce (or CCReW). The #CPIR2025Awards are one of our CCReW initiatives.
Learn more about AccessCR: https://accesscr.com.au/
Learn more about how we support CCReW: https://ccrew.accesscr.com.au
About our Award Sponsors and Supporters
These Awards would not be possible without the contributions of our financial sponsors below:
• Platinum Event Sponsor: Bellberry Limited. Bellberry Limited is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2004 providing high-quality, time-efficient, and internationally-accredited scientific and ethical review of research projects.
• Gold Sponsor, Excellence in Research Participant Experience Award: Mater Research.
• Bronze Supporters: Save Our Sons Duchene Foundation; Curtin University enAble Institute
Thanks also go to all our in-kind supporters who have helped spread the word about this event.
Learn more about all our steering committee, judges, sponsors and supporters here: https://ccrew.accesscr.com.au/thankyou-cpir-village/