Government of Canada Renews Support for Knowledge Mobilization

by ahnationtalk on May 2, 2016485 Views

Networks spread latest research about best ways to help at-risk youth, reduce bullying and improve pediatric emergency care

April 29, 2016 – Kingston, ON — Networks of Centres of Excellence

Three knowledge mobilization networks, including the Kingston-based Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet), will receive renewed support totalling $3.6 million from the Government of Canada to continue their work in putting scientifically validated best practices into the hands of the people who put it to use on the front lines.

Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, on behalf of Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, today announced at Queen’s University that PREVNet will receive $1.2 million over three years to continue to connect the best research with those who can put it into practice.

These investments are the result of the most recent competition for the Networks of Centres of Excellence Knowledge Mobilization initiative. Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts (CYCC) and Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) were the other two networks to receive renewed funding. Funded networks support knowledge transfer activities and collaborations among academia, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations in a variety of sectors.

Quotes

“These networks demonstrate how the results of basic research can be used to inform evidence-based policies and practices. By putting the latest knowledge into the hands of people at the front lines, they help ensure that children and youth across Canada will receive better care and live in a safer environment.”

– The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

“The Government of Canada is proud of its support for innovative initiatives through the NCE Knowledge Mobilization networks. One of the key characteristics of these networks is their ability to make an impact at the grassroots level – in emergency rooms, schoolyards and local communities. These are tangible benefits that Canadians experience in their day-to-day lives.”

– Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands

“CYCC, PREVNet and TREKK have demonstrated extraordinary value and made a very tangible difference in reducing bullying, improving emergency care for kids and helping youth who are at risk since they were created in 2011. We are proud to be able to continue supporting their work for another three years.”

– Dominique Bérubé, Vice-President, Research Programs, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

“We thank the NCE for providing PREVNet with the opportunity to create a ‘made in Canada’ solution and to develop a partnership model that is unique in the world. The added value of PREVNet has been to have a cohesive, orchestrated approach across different systems, such as mental health, education, and public health, so we can address bullying prevention in a systematic and evidence-based way. In Canada and beyond, PREVNet is recognized as the authoritative voice for the prevention of bullying and the promotion of healthy relationships.”

– Debra Pepler, Scientific Co-Director of PREVNet and Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology, York University

“Our goal for the next three years is to enhance Canadians’ capacity to prevent bullying and promote healthy relationships by partnering with governments, corporations, and youth-serving organizations to leverage our most successful evidence-based resources, adapt them for many different groups, and put them into the hands of those involved with children and youth in all the places where they live, learn, and play. The prevention of violence through the promotion of healthy relationships in children and youths’ development are the cornerstones for a competitive, healthy and productive society.”

– Wendy Craig, Scientific Co-Director of PREVNet and Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology, Queen’s University

“Our renewal will enable the CYCC Network to continue our work with partners across Canada to find the very best ways community-based children’s services can build children’s resilience. Focused on how to prevent violence towards children, and end young people’s violence, we are identifying hundreds of great programs from across this country that show promise. Our community partners are setting the network’s priorities, from preventing violent extremism among youth to finding ways to prevent suicide and helping victims of child sexual abuse heal.”

– Michael Ungar, Scientific Director, CYCC Network

“Together with our partners, this network is committed to breaking the cycle of violence in children’s lives. The next three years will see us partnering with organizations in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, innovating new ways to document the best programs for children, evaluating their outcomes, and ensuring that more organizations implement promising practices. Our success will be our continuing positive impact on the lives of children living in very challenging contexts.”

– Marc Renaud, Chair, Governing Board, CYCC Network

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its continuing support of Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) and our vision that every child receives the highest standard of care, whether they are treated in a pediatric or general emergency department. This additional funding will allow TREKK to share the latest evidence in pediatric emergency care through innovative and engaging resources for both health providers and families and continue with efforts to expand TREKK’s reach to all emergency departments across the country.”

– Terry Klassen, Director, TREKK
Quick facts

Each renewed network will received $1.2 million from 2016-19.

CYCC (headquartered in Halifax, NS) translates research into tangible policies and programs through national and local events; a web-based database of best practices; and knowledge synthesis reports on critical topics relating to mental health programming for vulnerable and at-risk young people.

PREVNet (headquartered in Kingston, ON) brings together a network of researchers and national organizations. Its initiatives, based on education, assessment, intervention and policy, are designed to stop bullying and victimization and create environments where children feel safe.

TREKK (headquartered in Winnipeg, MB) shares knowledge and experience among general emergency departments, children’s hospitals, and academic institutions to ensure that the latest knowledge about pediatric emergency care is put into common practice.

The NCE-KM program was created in 2011, and currently funds five networks. Other networks’ mandates focus on cybersecurity and regenerative medicine.

Associated links

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Martin Leroux
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
613-943-7618
media@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Backgrounder

The Networks of Centres of Excellence Knowledge Mobilization (NCE-KM) initiative supports networking and collaborations between academia, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations across many sectors. Networks focus on transferring knowledge to end users who can put it into practice in ways that bring social, health and economic benefits to Canadians.

Networks composed of well-established research teams and receptor communities develop tools that facilitate the uptake and application of world-class research results. They focus on addressing key problems, challenges and opportunities of high strategic importance to Canada.

As a result of the 2015 NCE-KM renewal competition, three new networks were awarded additional funding. Each network will receive $1.2 million over three years. In the competition, networks had to demonstrate that they are strongly driven to address key problems, challenges or opportunities of high strategic importance to the end user community and Canadians in general. Their activities must be multi-disciplinary and include areas that fall under the domains of two or more of the three federal granting agencies.

The NCE-KM initiative was launched as a pilot project in 2005 and was made permanent in 2010. The initial competition for the NCE-KM initiative was held in 2011 and resulted in the funding of three NCE-KM networks.

The following networks will receive a total of $3.6 million from 2016-19:

Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts – CYCC

Headquarters: Halifax, NS

Launched in 2011, CYCC connects researchers with policymakers, NGOs, practitioners, advocates and youth across Canada to promote the use of research, best practices and local knowledge in mental health programming for vulnerable and at-risk young people. It translates research into tangible policies and programs through national and local events; a web-based database of best practices; and knowledge synthesis reports on critical topics. The CYCC Network was built on the success of three Halifax-based organizations: the Resilience Research Centre, the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies (Child Soldiers Initiative) and the Centre for Research on Family Health.

Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network – PREVNet

Headquarters: Kingston, ON

PREVNet developed and honed its highly successful model of bringing researchers and national organizations to work together when it was funded through the NCE New Initiative pilot program (2006-11). As an NCE-KM, it has built a national network of 122 leading Canadian researchers and their students at 28 universities, joined by 62 national youth-serving organizations, including industry, federal and provincial agencies, and NGOs. Through these partners, the network has the potential to reach all Canadian children where they live, work and play. PREVNet’s model of knowledge mobilization – based on education, assessment, intervention and policy – is designed to stop bullying and victimization and create environments where children feel safe.

Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids – TREKK

Headquarters: Winnipeg, MB

TREKK is a growing network of researchers, clinicians, health consumers and national organizations who are finding better ways to share knowledge and experience between general emergency departments (ED), children’s hospitals and academic institutions. TREKK is implementing a three-phase plan to increase health professionals’ knowledge, skills and confidence in caring for very ill and injured children in general EDs. This approach includes a needs assessment, mapping current evidence and sharing knowledge and practical tools with health professionals, parents and other stakeholders.

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