Disseminating and transferring knowledge from the PERSÉIS space: ideas for experimentation in the Quebec entrepreneurial ecosystem

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

The world of innovative and scientific entrepreneurship is moving fast, and transferring this knowledge to the "field", in particular to startup coaches and other players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, remains a challenge.

How can this dissemination be achieved? What are the obstacles between researchers, support professionals and entrepreneurs? And above all, what can be done to facilitate this transfer of knowledge?

In light of my experience over the past few months as a PERSÉIS mobilization consultant, I propose a series of actions to try out in conclusion, and invite you to take part in the reflection with this blog post.

The main aim of PERSÉIS is to stimulate 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 punctuated over the next few years by various research-society initiatives. The first initiatives, whether they be the 7 structuring projects announced in December 2023, the 3 watch cells announced in November 2024 or those to come, all share one objective:

generate knowledge to inform and equip the players who make up our entrepreneurial support ecosystem, in order to inform decision-making on priority issues.

In concrete terms, what does this knowledge refer to? And for whom is this knowledge intended? Here are a few examples that would benefit from access to a comprehensible, credible source of evidence-based information:

• A group of civil servants must draft a new public policy on entrepreneurship that will meet real needs?
• A researcher wants to quickly understand the impact of the tariff war on our start-ups?
• Are coaching professionals interested in integrating mental health support into their entrepreneurial coaching programs?

In some cases, the knowledge already exists, but needs to be brought together and made intelligible. In other cases, it needs to be produced. The challenge is to make it accessible, understandable and adapted to the realities of the entrepreneurial world.

It's not enough simply to disseminate research results; they need to be contextualized in order to be truly useful to those working in the field.

1. Accessibility

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

2. Contextualization

Research findings are not always immediately applicable to the entrepreneurial world. To be useful, this knowledge needs to be adapted to concrete, current market challenges, often under tight deadlines to ensure its relevance. This requires close collaboration between researchers and practitioners in order to adapt this knowledge to the realities on the ground. This is the main challenge of the PERSÉIS watch units, which run over a six-month cycle.

3. Interdisciplinary collaboration

The success of knowledge transfer depends on building bridges between the research community and field players. Even if these two worlds 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've taken a number of steps to better understand the obstacles and opportunities to knowledge transfer in our ecosystem.

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

there's no one-size-fits-all solution for disseminating, transferring and adopting research knowledge in our entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The importance of a knowledge transfer plan containing an arsenal of varied, scalable measures is therefore paramount.

I therefore propose a series of actions to be rapidly tested over the coming months - using the Test Fast, Fail Fast method - in order to measure their effectiveness and lay the foundations for a strategy better adapted to the realities of our ecosystem.

These include..:

• Guest blog posts for researchers and practitioners in innovative and scientific entrepreneurship;
• Virtual lunchtime conferences: stimulating networking between communities by popularizing research results and their practical implications;
• Fact sheets, infographics or practical case studies: popularize certain documents and tools;
• Centralization of content on platforms such as LinkedIn and existing websites (e.g. FRQ, MAIN);
• Knowledge relay via existing networks (e.g. the circle of support professionals)

The engagement data collected will enable us to adjust our actions and identify the most effective avenues.

Would you like to contribute to the dissemination and transfer of knowledge in Quebec's entrepreneurial ecosystem? Do you have content ideas or suggestions for improving this process?

Don't hesitate to contact us, share your thoughts or follow our LinkedIn page to enrich this joint project.