The rationale for patient and public involvement (PPI) in the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process has been widely documented.  Engagement of patients or public in the process facilitates a broadening of scope and delineates a role for the patient as an ‘expert witness’ who has unique insight to living with an illness and the potential benefits/disadvantages (including side effects) that medical technology may offer.   Our objective was to explore the concept of practical and meaningful public participation in the HTA process and present a research protocol to propose a PPI framework applicable to the Irish context.  A qualitative systematic literature review and concept analysis was used to identify key attributes relating to patient and public involvement.  It is proposed that this knowledge will be supplemented through semi-structured interviews of key informants and a review of a purposive sample of HTA agency websites. Researchers, decision makers and policy makers will contribute to development and refinement a framework through a process of deliberation.  Capturing the diverging perceptions of key informants will lead to the enhancement of the proposed framework.  The role of the publics will be clarified, various levels and methods of PPI further defined.  This research will explore the concept of PPI and suggest a study protocol for the development of a framework for PPI in the context of the Irish HTA process.