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 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 initiatives PERSÉIS, I propose a series of actions to try out as a conclusion and invite you to join the discussion through this blog post.
Disseminating and Transferring Knowledge: Why?
The PERSÉIS initiative is primarily intended to stimulate research on innovative and scientific entrepreneurship at Québec, based on the concerns and needs of support organizations, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs.
To this end, the space will host a series of research-society initiatives over the next few years. The first initiatives, whether they are 7 key projects announced in December 2023, some 3 monitoring stations Whether announced in November 2024 or in the future, these initiatives share a common goal:
to draw out knowledge in order to to inform and to equip the stakeholders who make up our entrepreneurial support ecosystem, in order to inform 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 a clear, credible, and evidence-based source of information:
- 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 coaching professionals want to incorporate mental health support into their coaching 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 available, understandable and appropriate 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.
A Few Key Principles for Successful Distribution
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 platforms for knowledge sharing (e.g.. In Common, The Art of Innovation), popular science publications, or networking events bringing together researchers and practitioners (e.g.. Sommet MAIN) 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 adapt this knowledge to real-world conditions. 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.
Areas for experimentation: a testing phase to improve outreach
Over the past few months, I have taken a number of steps to better understand the challenges and opportunities involved in knowledge transfer within our ecosystem.
Through meetings with PERSÉIS researchers, facilitating workshops between practitioners and researchers, or organizing events or 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.
So I’m proposing a series of actions to try out quickly over the next few months—using the method Test Fast, Fail Fast – in order to assess their effectiveness and lay the groundwork for a strategy better suited to the realities of our ecosystem.
Among these are:
- Guest Blog Posts to researchers and practitioners in the field of innovative and scientific entrepreneurship;
- Virtual Lunch-and-Learn Sessions: to foster connections between communities by disseminating research findings and their practical implications;
- Fact sheets, infographics, or practical case studies: make certain writings and tools more accessible;
- Centralization of Content on platforms such as LinkedIn and existing websites (e.g., FRQ, MAIN);
- Knowledge Transfer via existing networks (e.g., Cercle for support professionals)
The engagement data collected will help us adjust our strategies and identify the approaches that prove to be most effective.
Would you like to contribute to the dissemination and transfer of knowledge within the Québec 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 us our LinkedIn page to enrich this joint project.