Learning from our Neighbors to the North

Soon, we will be sharing more materials from the Funders Forum last week.

In the meantime, we thought it would be interesting to share information about the strategy employed by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to translate research into practice.

"In June 2000, the Government of Canada created the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) with a bold, transformative mandate that included both health research and knowledge translation. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Act (2000) states that the CIHR's aim is to excel in the creation of new knowledge and to translate that knowledge from the research setting to real-world applications in order to improve the health of Canadians, provide more effective health services and products and strengthen the health care system.

Knowledge Translation (KT), a prominent and innovative feature of the CIHR mandate, has the potential to:

• Significantly increase and accelerate the benefits flowing to Canadians from their investments in health research; and
• Establish Canada as an innovative and authoritative contributor to health-related knowledge translation.

In its first four years, CIHR, through its 13 Institutes, launched innovative programs that signalled its commitment to KT and began to build capacity for knowledge translation of health research in Canada. Building on its first four years, as well as what we have learned from the many experiences and consultations with the research producer and user communities, the time is right to further define CIHR's unique role in knowledge translation. How can CIHR best respond to what we have heard from stakeholders and what we have learned about the gap between what we know and what we do? What should our niche be relative to other players? How should CIHR set future priorities, allocate resources and measure its progress?

This Strategic Plan outlines the rationale, strategic directions and operational dimensions for responding to CIHR's KT mandate for 2004-2009. It builds on the objectives of Investing in Canada's Future: CIHR's Blueprint For Health Research and Innovation (CIHR Blueprint 2007). Its development has been informed by knowledge translation research; CIHR's original Draft Framework for Knowledge Translation at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (June 2002); discussions of the CIHR Governing Council and recommendations based on the Draft Strategic Framework for Knowledge Translation - 2004-2008 (March, 2003); the work of the CIHR Governing Council Knowledge Translation Working Group in early 2004 (Annex A); and consultations with CIHR Institutes, Advisory Boards, and stakeholders."

Learn more about the Knowledge Translation Strategy 2004-2009.

Later this week, we will be sharing the slides from Lucas Held's presentation last week. Also still ahead: video from the Forum.