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Social Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches ensciences humaines du Canada
How did KE/KMb evolve and why does it matter?
Implementing a Knowledge Exchange/Knowledge Mobilisation Practice June 10, 2010, University of St Andrews
Craig McNaughton
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
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Outline of presentation
4 key value-ideas on KMb currently in play
trace the roots of these ideas
give you an idea of SSHRC‟s approach
propose an integrated model of KMb
review a couple of applications of the model
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Confluence of KMb value-ideas at SSHRC
1. Communication of SSH research
2. Application of SSH research results
3. Promotion of the value of SSH knowledge
4. Co-Construction of SSH knowledge
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KM: Communication of research results
• focus: value effective dissemination – e.g., via
information technologies – as way of maximizing return
• 1998: Research Data Centres proposed (data
liberation initiative)
• 2004: Open Access policy
• 2004: Clusters launch: networking of dispersed
academics
• 2005: International Policy & International Opportunities
Fund program
• 2006: Open Access journals program
• Aid to Research Workshops & Conferences
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KMb: Application of SSH research results:
• focus: value KMb as way of securing specific socio-
economic solutions or innovations
• knowledge transfer model (like tech transfer)
• counterfoil is the “Ivory Tower”
• strategic grants & joint initiatives (e.g., Metropolis)
• 2001: Initiative on the New Economy
• 2001 to present: Public Outreach
• 2005: “Knowledge Fair” at Chateau Laurier
• 2005: Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) program
• 2007: MBF call: KIS, Clusters & Public Outreach
competitions
• York (ResearchImpact), University of Victoria (CBR) &
Memorial (Yaffle)11/30/2010 5
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KMb: Promotion of the value of SSH research
• focus: value KMb as way of demonstrating the
value of SSH research
• 2005: Knowledge Fair at Chateau Laurier
• 2008: special call for 17 impact studies
• follow-up workshops by SSHRC evaluation shop
• work on impact metrics
• Results for Canadians (2000)
• SSHRC Web site: success stories, Dialogue
• program evaluations (e.g., case studies)
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KMb: Co-Construction of SSH knowledge
• focus: value intellectual advancement, experimentation, cross-fertilization, challenge
• 1999: CURA launched: roots of “knowledge co-production” (partnered research)
• 2004: Aboriginal Research pilot launched (First
Nation, Métis, Inuit knowledge traditions in the
lead)
• 2010: Knowledge Commons initiative
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SSHRC definition of KMb
Knowledge mobilization is about ensuring that all
citizens benefit from publicly funded research.
It can take many forms, but the essential objective is
to allow research knowledge to flow both within the
academic world, and between academic researchers
and the wider community.
By moving research knowledge into society,
knowledge mobilization increases the intellectual,
economic, social and cultural impact of that
knowledge.
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SSHRC KMb strategy - objectives
1. facilitate and enable the accessibility and impact of
research by increasing and enhancing the flow of
research knowledge among researchers, and
between researchers and knowledge users;
2. improve research connections by facilitating
reciprocal relationships between researchers and
knowledge users for the (co-)creation and use of
research knowledge; and
3. enhance the quality of knowledge mobilization by
developing networks, tools and best practices.
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KMb strategy - deliverables
• improved guidelines, adjudication criteria &
program design (e.g., program architecture
renewal, follow-up on Blue-Ribbon Panel report on
peer review, performance & evaluation objectives)
• use & development of KMb infrastructure & tools
(e.g., Synergies, CRKN, on-line and open access,
data access, online reporting on awards, use of
social media)
• integration and expansion of a community of
practice both internally and externally (e.g.,
workshops, website resources)
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Inclusive definition of KMb
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SSHRC programs in KMb
Aid to Scholarly Journals
Aid to Research Workshops & Conferences
Public Outreach
Knowledge Impact in Society
Strategic Knowledge Clusters
Community-University Research Alliances
Major Collaborative Research Initiatives
Research grants (strategic & standard)
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Public Outreach – Summary Table
Year Awarded#
GrantsSelected Topics
2001 (INE) 5 Sustainable development, higher education, e-commerce
2004 (INE) 8 Privacy, literacy, popularizing academic research
2005 ( INE) 42 Equity, auto industry, community theatre
2007 (INE) 5 Cyber atlas, immigration and settlement
2007 (MBF) 10 Risk management, corporate social responsibility, regional
innovation and policy, developing indigenous commercial code
2008 (MBF) 15 Commercialization of a product (resistant concrete), improving
medication safety, corporate social responsibility
2008
(Environment)
18 Environmental health atlas, oceans management, global citizen
consultation on climate change
2008 (North) 13 Pipeline development, arctic policy
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Strategic Knowledge Clusters – Summary Table
Year Awarded#
GrantsSelected Topics
2004 – 2005
(Development)
31 Child welfare / development / school reform(x3), sustainability,
philosophy of time, media governance, immigration, Aboriginal
communities and communication technologies
2005-2006
(Development)
23 Immigration, bullying, healthy communities, environmental
vulnerability
2005-2006
(Completion)
23 Canadian labour market, early child development, Time and
universe, Disability policy, Science and technology studies
2006-2013 7 Justice system, business ethics, science and technology studies,
Aboriginal economic development, Canadian history and
environment, population change
2007-2014 11 Refugees, early childhood development, Canada- Europe dialogue,
homelessness, childhood and violence prevention, Canadian
literature, heritage, international entrepreneurship, sustainable
prosperity, history and education, business sustainability, refugee
research network
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Knowledge Impact in Society – Summary table
Year
Awarded# Grants Topics
2005-
2008
10
(5 extended)
Child development and care (x2), Community
care / community capacity, Montreal heritage and
public history, public policy, rural economy /
agriculture, violence against women, sustainable
regions, rural community development / tourism
2007-
2010
9 Business sustainability, rural economy,
Immigration and labour markets, Urban
Aboriginal economic development, regional
business networks, energy industry and change,
responsible investing, public policy and
governance, business sustainability, rural
economy
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SSHRC‟s new program architecture
• 3 basic programs:
– Talent (fellowships etc.)
– Insight (research grants)
– Connection (supplementary KMb grants)
• Partnership Fund applies to all three
• Talent, Insight & Connection overlap:
– e.g., KMb elements in each award/grant
• KMb evaluation criteria across all programming:
– as appropriate
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KMb: application of results (external impact)
University Society
Impact
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11/30/2010 18
KMb: reciprocal benefits
Social
Impacts
University Society
Academic
impacts
(quality)
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Value of KMb to scholarship
1. provides an opportunity to test theory against
practice
2. invites new or supplementary data and knowledge
resources
3. draws in financial, human and material resources
in support of research
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A focus on internal knowledge
International Institute for Sustainable Development –definition of KMb:
“Knowledge mobilization addresses how external knowledge (outside of the organization) is sought out and combined with internal knowledge to create new knowledge that meets the needs of target users/clients….
… It recognizes that organizing one's own intellectual capital does not necessarily lead to innovation or change; implicit in the concept is the need for working relationships with others.”
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KMb: importance of a strong scholarly foundation
Impacts
University
researchers
University
researchers
Quality
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Peer review and KMb
• Peer review in the university means that researchers
must communicate their findings. Why? So they can
be criticised and thereby improve their findings.
• It is the same in the wider pattern developed by KMb.
It provides a supplementary or complementary form
of peer review that includes the experts involved in
whatever areas of knowledge are being studied.
Who, in addition to scholars, are the peers for
research on immigration? Immigration lawyers.
Government policy analysts. Social service officers.
Religious officials. Immigration advocates.
Immigrants themselves.
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Peer review writ large
The academic value of KMb has to do with keeping
scholarship „on its toes‟ – challenging received
truths, questioning dominant theory, experimenting
with new methods, bringing in fresh ideas and
perspectives.
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KMb model (all elements)
Impact
University
researchers
University
researchers
Research
partners,
non-
academic
researchers
Quality
Governments
NGOs
Businesses
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Evaluation of 2004 RDI grant “Studying virtual
team effectiveness in organizations”
• the analysis highlights and traces the advancement of key
scholarly ideas:– Virtual Teams
– Multi-Communicating
– Knowledge Hiding
• it shows how scholarship and scholars connect and
combine their efforts (who works with whom, in which
ways)
• it documents the dissemination work within the academy
(journals articles, academic meetings)….
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• … and it shows how scholarship and scholars move out
naturally into the community to generate intellectual, social,
economic and cultural benefits:
– graduate student work with NGO on efficiency of its
virtual team work + pass along MS Project
– company executives trained in best practices from the
research
– team has given reports on the research results to
participating organizations (100 participants got research
summaries)
– research on virtual work folded forward into research on
use of info technologies to reduce carbon output in
organizations11/30/2010 26
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• employment and training benefits to 17 undergraduate students,
Master‟s student & 5 doctoral students: library + on-line
literature searches, qualitative research, administration of
surveys, conducting experiments, meta-analyses, and statistical
analyses
• flow of research into teaching (e.g., courses in virtual and cross-
cultural team training in the Executive Education and Masters of
Global Management programs at Queen‟s; instruction of MBA
students at HEC Montréal)
• profiles media coverage of research: interview with Globe & Mail
(circulated among 14,000 Queen‟s alumni etc. via Web) +
coverage in La Presse, Washington Post, London Times
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Guiding principles for Knowledge Mobilization
• KMb is an ambitious & demanding effort to
expand scholarly inquiry beyond the traditional
boundaries of university-based research
• KMb creates a virtuous circle of reciprocal
engagement that integrates intellectual & social
impact
• KMb relies on, and invigorates, central academic
functions of peer review & teaching
• KMb uses democratic methods to generate ideas
& insights that yield wealth & well-being11/30/2010 28
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Social Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches ensciences humaines du Canada
Thank You!
Questions / Suggestions