Knowledge translationand transfer:

The next generation of agricultural extension and communications in

Ontario?Elin Gwyn, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Owen Roberts, University of Guelph

ACEJune 8, 2009

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In the next 45 minutes…

• The OMAFRA/UofG Partnership -- the closest thing in Canada to a land grant partnership

• What’s knowledge translation and transfer?

• Why (some) Canadians call part of KTT extension nouveau

• So, what’s nouveau?

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The big question for today:

• Is knowledge translation and transfer different from traditional agricultural extension?

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The partnership

• Unique in Canada

• CDN$76 million/year

• Supports 70 FTE positions

• Handles provincial safety, quality testing

• Highly relevant to the public -- it deals with food

• Its outcomes are well known…but IT is not

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Ontario AgriCentreOntario Soybean Growers

Agricultural Adaptation CouncilAGCare

Ontario BioAuto CouncilOntario Corn Producers Assoc.

Ontario Wheat BoardOntario Canola Growers Assoc.

Institute of Agri-Food Policy Innovation

Ontario Institute of Agrologists

BioEnterpriseMaRS Landing

Guelph Partnership for Innovation

AdFarm Monsanto Canada

UofG BDONutrasource

Diagnostics Inc.

Syngenta

George Morris Centre

Elanco Animal HealthMaple Leaf Foods Agresearch

Advanced Food & Materials Network

Bayer Crop Science CanadaCanadian Animal Health Institute

Ontario Agri Business Association

Public Health Agency of Canada

Agriculture and Agri-Food CanadaCanadian Food Inspection Agency

Semex

UofG Lab Services

Food Research Program (AAFC)

Ontario Agri-Food Technologies

Soy 20/20 Project

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and

Rural Affairs

Controlled Environment

Systems Research Facility (CESRF)Guelph Food

Technology Centre

Canadian Research Institute for Food

Safety (CRIFS)

Ontario Veterinary College (OVC)

UofG Chemistry, Molecular &

Cellular Biology

UofG Biocomputing - CIS UofG Physics& Centre for Food and Soft Materials (FSM)

Food System Biotechnology Centre (FSBC)

UofG Environmental Biology

UofG Plant Agriculture &

Land Resource Science

UofG Engineering

Farm Credit Canada

Engage Agro

Land O’Lakes Inc.

UofG Animal and Poultry

Science

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Digging deeper:

1. What does KTT include?

2. Who is involved?

3. How do you know you’re “doing” KTT?

4. Success looks like …return on knowledge investment (ROKnI)

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What’s KTT?

“…The synthesis, exchange and application of knowledge …dissemination of the results of research…accelerating the transformation of knowledge into use.”

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Elements• Knowledge: Translation, exchange,

transfer, utilization, dissemination, brokering, extension

• Research: Utilization, update, implementation

• Innovation diffusion

• Technology transfer

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Recent KTT Models – From Health Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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Push – Pull – Knowledge Exchange

Producers

Push User PullKnowledge Exchange

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Knowledge Translation and Transfer

KnowledgeMovement

Monitor & Evaluate

Research Group

Linkages and Exchange

Data Management

Get to know

each other

User GroupExchange and

co-produce

Dissemination strategies -awareness, communication,

intervention

Tools & Products

Exchange/Dialogue/Debate -timely, accessible

Sense-making of results

- select, tailor

- local context

Change/synthesis (product, practice,

etc.)

Public benefit

Commercialization

KnowledgeTranslation

KnowledgeUse

Knowledge Creation/

Acquisition /Generation

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Role of knowledge brokering

• Connecting people to share and exchange knowledge

• Connect research users with researchers and vice versa to accelerate knowledge into use

• Work on overcoming impediments• Understand both ‘worlds’ • Communicating to stakeholders• Researchers, technology transfer staff, and

research users also have responsibility for connecting and exchanging knowledge

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Digging deeper –

To us, the BIG difference between KTT and traditional rural extension can be summarized in five points:

1. What does KTT include?

2. Who is involved?

3. How do you know you are doing KTT?

4. Success looks like …return on knowledge investment (ROKnI)

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You know you’re “doing” KTT when…

• Research user groups identified, defined and involved in the research process

• Linkages, associations, partnerships and networks defined and active to allow access to knowledge and knowledge flow.

• Researchers and knowledge brokers work in close proximity and/or together on collaborative teams.

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You know you’re “doing” KTT when …

• Research institutions, knowledge broker agencies, knowledge translations and transfer institutions have the internal capacity and infrastructure to support and engage KTT.

• KTT isn’t just “let to happen” it is “made to happen” through planning (KTT Plan)

• The plan is implemented through timely transfer efforts.

• There are incentives, recognition and rewards for KTT in research institutions

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KTT starts with start of the project

Request for proposal for research project

Target Audiences

Involvement of Research Users in Project

KTT Methods (forms and types of communications venues), including general Timelines

The research is important to:___________________

.

The users of this research are involved in the implementation of the project________________

.

.

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KTT – transfer/movement plan

A successful KTT plan is based on five key questions and is needed to enable a clear KTT intention, i.e. make KTT happen versus let KTT happen

– What messages need to be transferred to users/decision-makers?

– To whom should research knowledge be transferred? (Who?)

– Who should transfer the research knowledge? (By whom?)

– By what processes (how) should research knowledge be transferred?

– With what effect should it be transferred (why)?

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Return on Knowledge Investment

• Demand driven research

• Faster application of research into use

• Measuring success– Context dependent– And for now - focused on best practices

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Knowledge transfer in “nouveau” ways

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Here’s a “nouveau” part

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The “nouveau” part

• Involving students as “transferists”

• Transferring knowledge through both traditional channels and new electronic channels (e.g. social communications)

• Media immersion and integration – students as part of the media

• Position information as news

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The cultureand foundation exists for nouveau extension

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The culture and foundation exists for nouveau extension

• Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge – 20th anniversary this fall.

• Among stakeholders, more and more farmers in Ontario are online (35% either once a day or multiple times a day)

• Does anyone know how to communicate electronically better than students?

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So…

We see knowledge translation and transfer as…

• a developing, emerging arena full of potential and opportunities and

• the next generation of rural extension

We hope you see some opportunities within the work that you do, too!

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Merci!

Enchanté.

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Questions?

Our contact information

• Elin Gwyn - elin.gwyn@ontario.ca

• Owen Roberts – owen@uoguelph.ca