Knowledge Translation Program

Posted: September 19, 2007

Dr. Bruce Sells, CFBS Executive Director Emeritus met recently with the Program Director of the Parliamentary Library (PL) and two of her colleague to discuss CFBS Knowledge Translation Proposal. This proposal has been shared with several of the Federal Research Agencies (NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC) in addition to CFI and Genome Canada. Helpful comments have been received. Dr. Sells spent over an hour with PL discussing the Knowledge Translation Program. He again emphasized that this program was not to be perceived as advocacy/lobbying but more an effort to provide independent advice regarding scientific issues of interest to parliamentarians and their constituents.

At the moment the library is undergoing reorganization and they felt it difficult to consider the program in the very near future. Dr. Sells suggested that we would like to move forward in some way to get the ball rolling. They then mentioned a program on their website called "Occasional Papers Program". This program which is currently dormant could possibly be used to publish items that we have been considering for the Knowledge Translation Program.

Dr. Sells is currently attempting to see if arrangements can be made to resuscitate this program. Following the meeting he spoke again with Nigel Lloyd at NSERC who has been helpful in providing advice. As part of the PL scene Gary Levy, responsible for the PL Seminar Program, has asked for suggestions for the seminar program that CFBS in partnership with PL initiated in 2005 in the areas of "Obesity", Nuclear as an Alternate Fuel", "Monitoring of Drugs". If you have suggestions in these areas please contact Dr. Sells Bsells@cfbs.org.

If we are able to develop a conduit for information flow to parliamentarians through the PL we have an opportunity to access funds from the agencies with less pressure to get financial support from the Societies and yet involve the Societies in making suggestions.