Research Opportunities
Often, Haref is asked to help connect researchers from local academic institutions or VCSE organisation with ethnically-marginalised groups. This helps to diversify studies, and means that research is more applicable for all communities.
We have rounded up the latest opportunities below for September 2026.
General Call for Research Participants - Voice
Voice, part of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) within Newcastle University are looking for participants to take part in a paid research opportunity.
Each year Voice gathers a group of members with varied experiences from across the UK to meet on a monthly basis and advise researchers and innovators on the early stages of their work into better living. Your perspective will go a long way in influence and impact by helping the experts make their work more effective, engaging and accessible.
Every third Thursday of the month, the group meets online and in-person in The Catalyst Building in Newcastle upon Tyne and you will receive a £30 GiftPay voucher to thank you for your time.
If you’re interested, please find more details and apply now through their website. For any questions, please contact hello@voice-global.org
Help Shape a New Checklist for Working with Interpreters
Researchers at University College London’s (UCL) Centre for Translation Studies are inviting doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals (interpreter in healthcare, a clinician, a nurse, a healthcare provider, a member of a professional association of interpreters, an interpreter trainer, or a researcher in interpreting) to take part in a survey.
The project has developed a draft checklist to support healthcare professionals working with interpreters and improve communication with patients who have limited English proficiency.
The survey will gather expert feedback to help refine the checklist and build consensus on its use across healthcare settings.
Seeking Research Participants: Asylum Seekers who had their Claims Withdrawn by the Home Office
Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) are looking for participants to take part in a research study about asylum seekers who, for various reasons and sometimes without realising it, have had their claims withdrawn by the Home Office before receiving a substantial decision.
Participants can be people who applied for asylum between 2021 and 2026, and:
have had their claims withdrawn; or
lost contact with the Home Office and don't know the status of their claim; or
applied for asylum more than 6 months ago and haven't yet been invited for their substantive interview.
Interviews are completely confidential, and participants will receive a gift voucher as a thank-you for their time.
The project is being conducted by the Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Asylum Welcome. Further details are available here.
The centre now has an amazing team of community researchers who can conduct interviews in multiple languages, including English, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Albanian, Arabic, Dari and Farsi.
Understanding Urgent Care Choices in Gateshead: Exploring How Residents Decide Where To Go For Urgent Health Care, Advice & Treatment.
Healthwatch Gateshead want to gather feedback from local people who have had an urgent care experience. This is to find out more about how they decide where to go when they need urgent health care, advice or treatment. This could include services such as;
A&E (Accident & Emergency) / Emergency Department
Urgent Treatment Centre
GP Practice
NHS 111 Online or Phone Service
Pharmacy First / community pharmacy
Out of hours GP services (GatDoc)
This project is running up until Friday 16 October. The survey link can be accessed here.
Newcastle Physiotherapy Survey
This project aims to explore decision-making and experiences of accessing NHS and private physiotherapy services in Newcastle. It will investigate the reasons people choose one route over the other.
The findings will help identify areas for improvement, guide decision-making, and track key performance indicators like, service use, accessibility, and outcomes. We aim to identify practical, evidence-based interventions that can improve access, uptake, and engagement with NHS and private physiotherapy services.
The Wildlife Trusts: Fix nature. Fix health.
People from racialised communities are statistically less likely to live in neighbourhoods with an abundance of trees, parks, or green spaces. This structural inequality is compounded by experiences of racism in these spaces, which can emphasise feelings of exclusion.
We cannot let this go unchallenged. The evidence shows that access to nature improves physical and mental health, while also contributing to positive social factors like safety, belonging, and community. Improving the accessibility of green spaces is, therefore, not only an inequality issue, but also a racial justice issue.
That is why Race Equality Foundation are pleased to support the ‘Fix nature. Fix health.’ project from The Wildlife Trusts: a vital step towards changing the narrative about who nature is for.
They want the voices of people from our communities to be at the heart of this project and campaign. As such, they encourage you to complete The Wildlife Trusts’ survey on the benefits, barriers, and community uses of nature spaces.
Complete the survey: How nature helps your health and wellbeing (Page 1 of 3)
Learn more about the project: Fix nature. Fix health. | The Wildlife Trusts
