The Knowledge Broker

The Knowledge Broker Model: Knowledge Mobilization for the Social Sciences and Humanities

Canadian academic research institutions have a long history of successfully transferring research with commercial potential to private sector partners in order to bring new technology-based products and services to market for the benefit of consumers. Most academic institutions provide their technology-based researchers with technology transfer services as part of a broader knowledge exchange strategy. Although the social sciences and humanities represent more than 50% of researchers at Canadian academic institutions and many researchers in the social sciences and humanities are working with non-university partners, no systematic service exists in any Canadian university to use the results of research in the social sciences and humanities outside of the university. Research in the social sciences and humanities does have the potential to create cultural, social and economic benefits as shown by the ad hoc instances where a researcher has worked with a non-academic organization to affect decision making. However, these benefits are only occasionally realized since there is no institutional mechanism to mobilize this knowledge and bring it to the attention of people and organizations that can use it in decision-making. This grant will allow the development, at the institutional level, of a knowledge mobilization service for research findings in the social sciences and humanities.

York University and the University of Victoria (UVic) will broaden their existing knowledge mobilization strategy beyond technology transfer. By focusing on their research strengths in Health and Society (e.g., health services, health policy, health and human rights, determinants of health, wellness, violence and injury, healthy aging, vulnerable populations, global health) and partnering with public sector organizations from municipal, provincial and federal governments, York University and UVic will develop and test a knowledge mobilization unit for the social sciences and humanities with the following two components: 1) a knowledge broker will develop a service similar to technology transfer seeking to match up health and social agencies and government policy makers; 2) an interactive web site, on-line tools and broadband networks, will allow key stakeholders and government policy makers to identify academic research and researchers of interest. The knowledge mobilization unit will be supported by a seed fund that will provide funds to attract and match external investments in health policy and programming research. Engaging health and social planners and policy makers in the design and funding of academic research will ensure that the research results are relevant to their needs and may be used in more effective and efficient decision-making. Furthermore, the knowledge mobilization unit of each university will seek to combine resources so that research and researchers at both institutions will be made available to local health and social planners and other decision makers. The analysis of the impact of the knowledge mobilization units will be used to develop a knowledge mobilization strategy that can be rolled out of all social science and humanities research at Canadian universities.

Ultimately knowledge mobilization will be bi-directional and thus synergistic with knowledge receptors being an integral part of creation of new knowledge in partnership with academic knowledge creators. The anticipated outcome of both new knowledge mobilization units is that leading edge academic research will be increasingly employed by government policy makers and health and social service agencies to develop more effective, efficient and responsive public policies, ultimately resulting in cost savings. In addition, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will gain experience working with these various stakeholders and will graduate as more highly qualified personnel with broader skill sets able to work at high level decision making positions in the public, private or voluntary sectors.