Category Archives: Knowledge Synthesis

How will Canada continue to thrive in an interconnected world and evolving global landscape? SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant: November 2016 Competition

SSHRC November 2016 Knowledge Synthesis Competition:
How will Canada continue to thrive in an interconnected world and evolving global landscape?

Value: $25,000
Duration: 1 year
Application Deadline: January 12, 2017
Results Announced: March 2017

What will the course of a globalized future look like? How will societies address the promise and the peril of global forces shaping our future? These topics will be explored in this, the fifth Knowledge Synthesis Grants competition launched as part of SSHRC’s Imagining Canada’s Future initiative.

Description
This funding opportunity will support researchers, teams of researchers and knowledge users in producing knowledge syntheses and scoping reviews that:

  • support the evidence’s use in decision-making, and the application of best practices; and
  • assist in developing future research agendas.

Applicants must address the following three objectives of the funding opportunity in their proposals:

  • State of knowledge, strengths and gaps
  • Research data
  • Knowledge mobilization

Expected Outcomes
Knowledge Synthesis Grants are not intended to support original research. Rather, they are intended to support the synthesis of existing research knowledge and the identification of knowledge gaps. This call is particularly focused on the state of research knowledge emerging over the past 10 years.

A full description of this opportunity and how to apply can be found on SSHRC’s funding page.

SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant–June 2016 competition

How are the knowledge systems, experiences and aspirations of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples essential to building a successful shared future for all Canadians?

June 2016 Competition

Value $25,000
Duration One year
Application deadline September 13, 2016
Results announced November 2016

Aboriginal research is a key element identified though SSHRC’s Imagining Canada’s Future initiative—in particular, “How are the knowledge systems, experiences and aspirations of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples essential to building a successful and shared future for all Canadians?” This future challenge area includes issues in areas such as:

  • self-determination;
  • historical and modern treaties;
  • Aboriginal values, oral histories, knowledge systems and connections to the land;
  • endangered languages and cultures; and
  • Aboriginal youth and employment.

The release of the final report of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 on the impacts of Indian Residential Schools identified more areas for urgent action to support reconciliation. These include, for example, child welfare, education, health, justice and corrections, Aboriginal rights, museums and archives, media, sports, business, and nearly every other aspect of Canadian life.

The report’s calls to action further highlight the critical role Canadian social science and humanities scholars can play in enabling access to knowledge in these and other areas; knowledge that is properly grounded in respect, diversity and reciprocity in the relationships between First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and academic communities.

These grants will foster a deeper understanding of the current and historical, cultural, social and economic experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. They will also  support pathways to a vibrant and shared future for all Canadians. The resulting syntheses will help to identify roles that the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors may play in seizing future opportunities. This understanding and knowledge will help to develop robust policies, strategies, best practices and tools for a sustainable, equitable and prosperous future.

SSHRC invites all eligible applicants, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to consider addressing one or more of the questions listed within the themes of this call.

This funding opportunity has three objectives that applicants must address in their proposals:

State of Knowledge and Research Gaps:

  • critically assess the state of knowledge of the future challenge area theme under consideration from a variety of sources as appropriate;
  • identify knowledge gaps within the theme; and
  • identify the most promising policies and practices related to the theme.

Research Data:

  • assess the quality, accuracy and rigour of current work in the field; and
  • identify gaps in the quantitative and qualitative data available.

Knowledge Mobilization:

  • mobilize knowledge related to promising policies and practices within the academic, private, not-for-profit and public policy sectors, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal; and
  • facilitate dialogue between academic researchers, cross-sectoral stakeholders (including Aboriginal communities) and policy-makers in government.
  • facilitate the use of resulting findings by Aboriginal Peoples and other stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on reciprocity and benefits for communities.

Value and Duration

Knowledge Synthesis Grants are one–year grants worth up to $25,000. However, all synthesis reports must be completed by May 2017. A minimum of 15 grants will be awarded.

By applying for this funding opportunity, applicants consent, should they be awarded a Knowledge Synthesis Grant, to SSHRC sharing the resulting synthesis report with other interested organizations and individuals.

For more information on this opportunity, including how to apply, please visit the SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis June 2016 opportunity page.

 

Get a Handle on New Scholarly Communication Tools

Since 2013, many scholarly communication tools have come flooding in like an open source tidal wave. In the following blog post from LSE Impact Blog: 101 Innovations in Scholarly Communication: How researchers are getting to grip with the myriad of new tools,  the authors discuss the sheer number of scholarly communication tools that have surfaced over the past few years and provide flowcharts and analysis (based on their own survey-based research) to attempt to deduce how researchers are taking advantage of these resources. The authors suggest, “the push for new tools comes from funders (e.g. demanding data archiving of Open Access) but also from researchers themselves that want to capitalize on the possibilities of the internet in collaborating.” The blog post also includes a database of the authors’ findings, which outlines in detail the functions and features of these communication tools.

 

SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant – November 2015 Competition

SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant November 2015 Competition

How can emerging technologies be leveraged to benefit Canadians?

The Knowledge Synthesis grant will foster a deeper understanding of the state of knowledge regarding the human dimensions involved in emerging technologies. The resulting syntheses will also help identify roles that the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors may play in seizing future opportunities and mitigating risks related to these technologies. This knowledge will pave the way for developing robust policies, strategies, practices and tools for a sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for Canada and the world.

For full details on this competition, see: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/ksg_emerging_technologies-ssc_technologies_emergentes-eng.aspx 

Application Deadline: January 12, 2016 (8:00pm EST)
Results announced: March 2016
Award amount: $25,000
Duration: 1 year

Objectives of this funding opportunity:

  • State of Knowledge and Research Gaps:
    • critically assess the state of knowledge of the Future Challenge Area theme under consideration;
    • identify knowledge gaps within the theme; and
    • identify the most promising policies and practices related to the theme.
  • Research Data:
    • assess the quality, accuracy and rigour of current work in the field; and
    • identify gaps in the quantitative and qualitative data available.
  • Knowledge Mobilization:
    • mobilize knowledge related to promising policies and practices within the academic, private and public policy sectors; and
    • facilitate dialogue between academic researchers, cross-sectoral stakeholders and policy-makers in government.

Expected Outcomes

Knowledge Synthesis Grants are not intended to support original research. Rather, they are intended to support the synthesis of existing research knowledge and the identification of knowledge gaps. This call is particularly focused on the state of research knowledge emerging over the past 10 years.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support researchers, 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.

Brescia Research Grant Workshop–Focus on Knowledge Mobilization & Translation

You’re invited to attend a Brescia research grant workshop with a special focus on knowledge mobilization (KMb) and knowledge translation (KT). KMb and/or KT strategies (ideas, activities, partners, plans, etc.) are often required to be developed during the research grant proposal stage (for example, SSHRC and CIHR applications), as well as through the lifecycle of a research project (integrated, and end-of-grant). Kmb/KT strategies are key components of engaged research.

When: Tuesday, November 17th, 2015
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Where: Brescia UC, Mother St. James Bldg, Room 136

Areas of focus in this workshop include:

  • Gaining a better understanding of KMb and KT concepts and strategies;
  • Incorporating KMb / KT into the research grant process (integrated and end-of-grant);
  • KMb / KT related funding opportunities; and
  • Success stories: KMb/KT research grant case studies/examples.

Questions about this session can be directed to Elizabeth Russell-Minda, Research Officer: elizabeth.minda[at]uwo.ca

SSHRC: Important Updates to Website

SSHRC has recently updated policies, guidelines and other related information on their website. Please click the following links for more information on these topics:

The following funding opportunities have been updated (descriptions and application materials):

  1. Insight Grants Funding Opportunity and Resource Centre for Grants (with new resources regarding Research Creation), and
  2. Knowledge Synthesis Grants : What effects will the quest for energy and natural resources have on our society and our position on the world stage?

 

SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant (June 2015 competition)

What effect will the quest for energy and natural resources have on our society and our position on the world stage?

The Government of Canada has identified natural resources and energy, as well as environment and agriculture, as research priorities for the country. The strategy stresses that the complexity of global challenges such as climate change and energy requires “international research collaborations across many disciplines.”

Natural resources and energy is one of six future challenge areas identified through SSHRC’s Imagining Canada’s Future initiative. These complex issues were identified following an extensive foresight exercise, and reflect key challenges that Canada is likely to face in an evolving global context over the coming decades, and to which the social sciences and humanities research community can contribute its knowledge, talent and expertise.

SSHRC is, therefore, launching a Knowledge Synthesis Grants funding opportunity to which social sciences and humanities researchers can contribute insights focusing on the future challenge area “What effects will the quest for energy and natural resources have on our society and our position on the world stage?”

In support of the objectives noted below, these grants will foster a deeper understanding of the state of knowledge in the social sciences and humanities regarding the human aspects of the search for and the extraction, production and use of energy and natural resources. The resulting syntheses will also help identify roles that the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors may play in seizing future opportunities and mitigating risks related to new global geographies and economies of energy and natural resources. This knowledge will pave the way for developing robust policies, practices and tools for a sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for Canada and the world.

The objectives of this funding opportunity are three-fold:

State of Knowledge and Research Gaps:

  • describe the state of knowledge of the Future Challenge Area theme under consideration;
  • identify knowledge gaps within the theme; and
  • identify the most promising policies and practices related to the theme.

Research Data:

  • assess the quality, accuracy and rigour of current work in the field; and
  • identify gaps in the quantitative and qualitative data available.

Knowledge Mobilization:

  • mobilize knowledge related to promising policies and practices within the academic, private and public policy sectors; and
  • facilitate dialogue between academic researchers, cross-sectoral stakeholders and policy-makers in government.

Knowledge synthesis grants are not intended to support original research. They are intended to support the synthesis of existing research knowledge and the identification of knowledge gaps.

Value: up to $25,000
Duration: One year
Deadline for submission: September 10, 2015 (8 pm EST)
All synthesis reports must be completed  by May 13, 2016

Reports must be submitted in PDF and SSHRC Web CVs are required for each applicant and co-applicant.

Additional details about this opportunity can be found on the SSHRC website: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/ksg_energy-ssc_energie-eng.aspx 

CIHR Knowledge Synthesis Grant 2015

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. There is no maximum number of Project Leaders & Project Experts researchers or knowledge users) who can be included on a Knowledge Synthesis grant.
  4. 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:

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.

 

SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant

SSHRC’s Knowledge Synthesis Grants competition supports the objectives of the Imagining Canada’s Future initiative, with a focus on one of the six future challenge areas. Proposals are sought that address the challenge area of: What new ways of learning, particularly in higher education, will Canadians need to thrive in an evolving society and labour market?

Value: up to $25,000

Deadlines:
Brescia Research Officer: At least 1 week before agency deadline for feedback/edits.
SSHRC: February 19, 2015 (Results announced March 2015).

These grants are not intended to support original research; rather they are intended to support the synthesis of existing research knowledge on the topic and the identification of knowledge gaps. The synthesis reports will be due no later than end September 2015 and award holders will be requested to participate in two workshop meetings in Ottawa. These will be scheduled in early Spring and late Fall.

See the SSHRC funding page for more information on Knowedge Synthesis Grants