The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support teams of researchers and knowledge users to produce knowledge syntheses and scoping reviews that will contribute to the use of synthesized evidence in decision-making and practice.
Objectives:
- To increase the uptake/application of synthesized knowledge in decision-making by supporting partnerships between researchers and knowledge users to produce scoping reviews and syntheses that respond to the information needs of knowledge users in all areas of health;
- To extend the benefits of knowledge synthesis to new kinds of questions relevant to knowledge users and areas of research that have not traditionally been synthesized.
Eligibility to Apply
- Team must include at least two Project Leaders: an independent researcher and a knowledge user. Although both individuals are considered Project Leaders, these individuals will need to identify if they are an independent researcher or a knowledge user in ResearchNet.
- The Project Leader(s), who are independent researchers, must be registered at an eligible institution (see Institutional Eligibility Requirements for eligibility process and associated timelines).
- There is no maximum number of Project Leaders & Project Experts researchers or knowledge users) who can be included on a Knowledge Synthesis grant.
- Applications to undertake Cochrane reviews are eligible only if the requested funds will not overlap with funding from the Canadian Cochrane Centre (CCC).
CIHR strongly recommends that each team include:
- an expert in the content area covered by the synthesis;
- an expert in synthesis methods; and
- an information scientist/librarian.
Amount:
Knowledge synthesis: $100,000 (max) for up to one year.
Scoping review: $50,000 (max) for up to one year.
Deadlines:
Brescia Research Officer: 2 weeks before agency deadline
CIHR:
Application Deadline: May 15 2015
Notice of Decision: January 2016
How to Apply:
- The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of one step: Application.
- To complete your Application, follow the instructions in the Knowledge Synthesis Grant-Application Instructions.
- The application must be submitted using ResearchNet.
More information:
Knowledge syntheses are the cornerstone of knowledge translation. They transform vast libraries of scientific literature into knowledge that is reliable, relevant and readable for knowledge users. Syntheses are comprehensive and apply scientific methods to literature analysis which minimizes the risk of bias and error that may accompany single studies, so decisions are less likely to be based on insufficient or premature evidence. Syntheses are also a means to integrate the established literature with other forms of knowledge or map the state of current knowledge on a topic, revealing to knowledge users where there is or is not strong evidence to inform their decisions, and guiding researchers to new avenues for primary research.
Knowledge syntheses
All forms of knowledge synthesis are eligible, including systematic reviews, realist syntheses, narrative syntheses, meta-analyses, meta-syntheses and meta-ethnography. Syntheses that are intended to lead to the development of practice guidelines are also eligible. Syntheses in this funding opportunity may synthesize results from qualitative, quantitative or multi-method research. The types of knowledge than can be synthesized are broad and can include empirical as well as theoretical knowledge. All syntheses in this funding opportunity must assemble, analyze and summarize knowledge.
Scoping reviews
Scoping reviews are exploratory projects that systematically map the literature available on a topic, identifying the key concepts, theories, sources of evidence, and gaps in the research. They are often preliminary to full syntheses, undertaken when feasibility is a concern — either because the potentially relevant literature is thought to be especially vast and diverse (varying by method, theoretical orientation or discipline) or there is suspicion that not enough literature exists. These entail the systematic selection, collection and summarization of existing knowledge in a broad thematic area for the purpose of identifying where there is sufficient evidence to conduct a full synthesis or where insufficient evidence exists and further primary research is necessary.