Research participation

You can help change the world.

Our researchers and research students are always looking for people to participate in studies and there can be considerable benefits for volunteers. By participating in research, volunteers contribute to advancing knowledge that can help others, the environment, an industry or challenge we face. Participants may also be eligible to receive financial compensation or other benefits, such as:

• Access to new treatments and interventions that may improve health and wellbeing.
• Interaction with other participants who may be similar to you, and researchers who are experts in their field. 
• Receive health screenings and monitoring that may lead to the early detection of a health concern, issue, or illness.
• Gain insights into yourself or your health, community, industry or environment.
• Learn about the research process and how UC research is contributing to a challenge or innovation.

"Being a research participant was fun and interesting. It felt amazing being part of something that wasn’t about me, but about contributing to something bigger and outside of my world."

- Adrienne, research participant

The level of involvement and time commitment for volunteers varies with the research study. Research participation can look like:

• Surveys and questionnaires; for example, about your diet or driving habits. 
• Focus groups, where participants contribute to a discussion about a topic, such as their experiences finding community connections in their neighbourhood.
• Interviews, involving individual in-depth conversations about participants’ experiences in a particular context, such as their job in industry. 
• Observational studies, which involve monitoring people or an environment in a natural setting without intervention, such as classrooms. 
• Longitudinal studies, where participants are monitored and/or assessed over long periods of time to observe changes and developments, such as their health as they age. 
• Citizen science projects, where members of the public contribute to research through data collection or analysis, for example, taking and sharing a photo of an animal in a particular area. 
• Clinical research, which involves testing with participants to better understand and improve health and disease, such as a sleep study or fitness test under specific conditions.
• Clinical trials, which involve testing treatments, medications, devices or other interventions, for example, the effectiveness of a developing eyedrop formula on short-sightedness.