This text is part of the special Higher Education notebook
Through its mobilization and knowledge transfer programsessions, the National Institute of Scientific Research continues the training of specialists in collaborative research.
At the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS), whose fundamental originality since its creation in 1969 has been the transfer of knowledge, the opposition between practical research and theoretical research has never existed. The INRS Urbanization Culture Society Center has decided to push the envelope a little further by creating a knowledge mobilization and transfer program which aims to train specialists in collaborative research.
“Popularize and transmit [les résultats d’une recherche scientifique]it remains difficult and there is a risk that the study will remain on the shelves. But it becomes easier when the questions that are the subject of the research are developed with the partners. This is the spirit of the program,” explains its director, Hélène Belleau, holder of the Chair of money, inequalities and society at the Chamber of Financial Security. “To my knowledge, this is unique in Canada. »
Marie-Christine Pitre, planning, programming and research officer at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, went through the program in 2019-2021. “Everyone transfers knowledge at INRS, but for us, it’s the very purpose of what we study. How do you communicate research? »
An original program
Created in 2007 under the name PRAP for Research Practice and Public Action, the program has since been renamed Knowledge Mobilization and Transfer (or MOB) to better support its collaborative dimension. “Our partners also have knowledge,” emphasizes M.me Belleau, and we must build the research project with them if we want to ensure that there is a follow-up. »
“What attracted me to it was the fact that the program requires us to work in such a way as to involve together not only researchers and practitioners in the field, but also users or beneficiaries,” says Martin. Boire, who began his master’s degree in 2010 before becoming general director of the Community Development Corporation of the Agglomeration of Longueuil. “The theory of knowledge transfer is that the researcher does his research and it goes downhill. Except that it doesn’t always go down well. »
While INRS generally trains future researchers, the MOB is a professional program aimed at integrating people into the practice environment who know how to use research results and communicate them to ensure that they are useful to society.
The program, which is available in three variants – master’s degree of 45 credits, DESS of 27 credits and short program of 9 credits – is structured around formal training and an internship leading to the production of a report. internship in the form of an essay rather than a thesis, explains Hélène Belleau.
Students will touch on the methodology (directed interview technique, data analysis, etc.) as well as the modes of communication and the analysis of the functioning of partner organizations.
One of the important aspects of the training concerns learning transfer tools: summary sheets, popular science articles, video games. “We study the medium a lot, so how we transfer the message, which requires knowing the target audience,” explains Marie-Christine Pitre.
“It’s about exploring the field of possibilities beyond the simple two-page summary report,” explains Mr. Boire, who says he was greatly impressed by a play with two actors which had been scripted to convey the results of a study on the treatment of polydrug addiction. “It showed how the doctor acts according to the recommendations of the report. A big success. »
An anchor on the ground
Master’s students must complete an internship, which gives great value to their training, according to Hélène Belleau. Martin Boire carried out this step in an education center for young dropouts in Longueuil in order to see how to use digital arts to encourage their civic contribution — in practice, it was a question of saving a large park threatened by real estate development. “They were marginalized young people who had difficulty picking up the phone to get information, but we managed to get them to make an animated video and have them speak in front of elected officials. »
Mme Pitre carried out her internship around the participation of children in decision-making in City of Montreal projects. “My great satisfaction as a student was knowing that the sheets I produced traveled to several departments and influenced the teams. »
Both now work in very different environments, but the knowledge acquired remains useful if not necessary. Martin Boire, who says he maintains a sensitivity to the evaluation of documents and reports, continues to collaborate with the scientific community through several partnerships.
As for Martie-Christine Pitre, whose job it is to monitor research and manage knowledge at the CIUSSS, she is immersed in this all day long. “The transfer of knowledge is one of the major challenges of the health system. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Dutyrelating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.