Disseminating and Transferring Knowledge from the PERSÉIS Network: Opportunities for Experimentation in Quebec’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

In a world where innovation drives competitiveness, the dissemination and transfer of key knowledge—whether derived from public research or practical experience—are more crucial than ever.

The field of innovative and scientific entrepreneurship is evolving rapidly, and transferring this knowledge to the “front lines”—particularly to startup mentors and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem—remains a challenge.

How can we ensure the success of this knowledge dissemination? What obstacles do we see between researchers, support professionals, and entrepreneurs? And above all, how can we address these obstacles to facilitate this transfer of knowledge?

Based on my experience over the past few months as an engagement advisor for the PERSÉIS initiatives, I propose a series of actions to try out as a conclusion and invite you to join the discussion through this blog post.

The PERSÉIS initiative is primarily aimed at stimulating research on innovative and scientific entrepreneurship in Quebec, based on the concerns and needs of support organizations, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs.

To this end, the space will be shaped over the next few years by various research-society initiatives. The first initiatives—whether they are the seven flagship projects announced in December 2023, the three monitoring units announced in November 2024, or those yet to come—share a common goal:

to generate insights that inform and equip the stakeholders within our entrepreneurial support ecosystem, with the aim of guiding decision-making on priority issues.

In practical terms, what does this knowledge refer to? And who is this knowledge intended for? Here are a few examples of situations that would benefit from access to an understandable and credible source of information based on evidence:

• A group of government officials needs to draft a new public policy on entrepreneurship that will address real needs?
• A researcher wants to quickly understand the impact of the trade war on our startups?
• Do business support professionals want to incorporate mental health support into their programs for entrepreneurs?

In some cases, the knowledge already exists but needs to be compiled and made understandable. In other cases, it must be generated. The challenge, therefore, remains to make this knowledge accessible, understandable, and tailored to the realities of the business world.

It is not enough to simply disseminate research findings; these findings must be put into context in order to be truly useful to those working in the field.

1. Accessibility

Research generates valuable knowledge, but its effective dissemination depends on its accessibility. It is therefore essential that research findings be presented in a clear and understandable manner. Digital knowledge-sharing platforms (e.g., En Commun, Savoir Innover), popular science publications, and networking events bringing together researchers and practitioners (e.g., the MAIN Summit) can facilitate this access.

2. Contextualization

Research findings are not always immediately applicable to the business world. To be useful, this knowledge must be adapted to the concrete and current challenges of the market, often within tight deadlines to ensure its relevance. This requires close collaboration between researchers and practitioners to tailor this knowledge to the realities on the ground. This is, in fact, the main challenge facing the PERSÉIS monitoring groups, which operate on a six-month cycle.

3. Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The success of knowledge transfer depends on building bridges between the research community and practitioners in the field. Although these two worlds may sometimes seem far apart, it is crucial to establish an ongoing dialogue to ensure the effective dissemination and transfer of knowledge.

Over the past few months, I have taken a number of steps to better understand the challenges and opportunities related to knowledge transfer within our ecosystem.

Through meetings with PERSÉIS researchers, the facilitation of workshops between practitioners and researchers, and the organization of events and panels aimed at making research findings accessible to a non-academic audience, one thing is clear:

There is no one-size-fits-all, miracle solution that will enable the dissemination, transfer, and adoption of research-based knowledge within our entrepreneurial ecosystem.

It is therefore essential to have a knowledge transfer plan that includes a wide range of flexible measures.

I therefore propose a series of initiatives to test quickly over the coming months—using the “Test Fast, Fail Fast ” approach—in order to gauge their effectiveness and lay the groundwork for a strategy better suited to the realities of our ecosystem.

Among these are:

• Guest blog posts for researchers and practitioners in innovative and scientific entrepreneurship;
• Virtual lunchtime lectures: fostering connections between communities by disseminating research findings and their practical implications;
• Fact sheets, infographics, or practical case studies: making certain writings and tools more accessible;
• Centralization of content on platforms such as LinkedIn and existing websites (e.g., FRQ, MAIN);
• Sharing knowledge through existing networks (e.g., the circle of support professionals)

The engagement data collected will help us adjust our actions and identify the approaches that prove to be most effective.

Would you like to help spread and share knowledge within Quebec’s entrepreneurial ecosystem? Do you have any content ideas or suggestions for improving this process?

Please feel free to contact us, share your thoughts, or follow our LinkedIn page to help enrich this joint project.