Service user and carer priorities in a Biomedical Research Centre for mental health

The term "service user involvement in research" implies that service users are stakeholders in the research process, rather than mere participants. The principles of involvement have long been recognised in this journal (Callard & Rose, 2012; Callard et al. 2012; Evans et al., 2012; MacInnes et al., 2011; Rush, 2008; Thornicroft et al., 2002; Townend et al., 2008; Trujols et al., 2013; Ward & Bailey, 2013). Involvement helps prioritise research questions and direct funding into research areas valued by service users (Trivedi & Wykes 2002). One example of this process in action is the recent Roadmap for Mental Health Research in Europe (ROAMER), funded by the European Commission. This exercise included service users, carers and their organisations alongside scientific experts developing mental health research priorities (Fiorillo et al., 2013; Wykes et al., 2015). Nonetheless, service user voices are not always present in setting research agendas. Discussions about "important research areas" can become dominated by the voices of researchers, who may have vested interests in perpetuating their own funding rather than prioritising areas valued by service users.