[Research impact and participatory health research: an international debate]

In recent years, the academic world has been increasingly concerned with the social benefits of research and how they can be identified and demonstrated. Various discussions are being held on the impact of research, which are especially controversial in those countries where impact has become an important factor in the distribution of research funding. For participatory health research, a form of research that prioritises the engagement of those whose work or lives are the topic of the research, achieving social just impact outside the academic world is fundamental to its goal to reduce health inequalities.This article explores the questions of how research impact can be understood and collected and whether the impact of participatory health research can contribute to equal health opportunities. It addresses aspects of impact discussions in the United Kingdom and Germany exemplarily and presents the current state of the professional debate on the topic. Finally, it describes the drivers of participatory health research that can lead to a strengthening of equal health opportunities.The discussion of research impact allows for assessing and strengthening the sustainability and value of research, not only in the field of participatory health research. The diverse impacts of participatory health research have, however, the potential to reduce health inequalities and need to be recognised as such.