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Summing up the Special Workshop on Knowledge Translation and Brokering

We are pleased to report that the Special Workshop on Knowledge Translation and Brokering was a huge success!

Approximately 100 delegates gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Montréal, Québec on October 20, 2010 to attend this knowledge-exchange and networking event. The workshop was organized by Environment Canada’s Science and Technology Liaison, ResearchImpact, the Canadian Water Network, and collaborating partners York University, Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the British High Commission, under the auspices of the Canadian Science Policy Conference.

Morning highlights included a keynote address by Andrew Campbell (Triple Helix Consulting), an internationally recognized leader in knowledge translation and knowledge brokering (KT/KB). Andrew shared his extensive experience with the science-policy interface and delivering better return on research investment in the Australian context, and noting the many similarities with our own Canadian context challenged the audience to “go for it!”

Following the keynote address, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a dynamic and interactive Knowledge Café session, where they engaged in focused discussions around 10 different KT/KB related topics.

The afternoon program included three concurrent skills sessions during which participants

  • explored the fundamentals of KT/KB — “Making Sense of Knowledge Mobilization and What it Can Do for Me,” with York University’s David Phipps and the Hospital for Sick Children’s Melanie Barwick
  • learned how to sharpen their writing skills to enhance KT/KB — “Effective Written Communication to Targeted Audiences,” with Leah Brannen of Environment Canada
  • shared available tools to assist in KT/KB  — “Finding the Right Tools: Putting Knowledge Translation and Brokering into Action,” with Delta Partnership’s Louise Shaxson.

The skills sessions were followed by an expert panel discussion featuring David Phipps, Karl Schaefer (Environment Canada), and David Clements (Canadian Institute for Health Information). The discussion was moderated by Environment Canada’s Alex Bielak and included enthusiastic audience participation.

To wrap up the workshop, Andrew Campbell provided a summary of his observations, and Alex Bielak proposed some next steps for continuing the KT/KB dialogue. We believe that this productive event has provided a strong foundation for additional collaborations within the KT/KB community in Canada and internationally, and we look forward to engaging with our colleagues at future events.

— by Katrina Goreham Hitchman, Manager of Strategic Programs, CWN

To learn more about the KT/KB workshop from the perspective of other participants, please visit the following sites.

Download the KT/KB workshop agenda.

Friday, November 12, 2010