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Knowledge Brokering: The
Early Stages
Zahra Bhanji, PhD
Director, Research Knowledge Mobilization and
Strategic Partnerships
Faculty of Education, York University
April 12, 2013

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Overview
1. The Context
2. What I Do
3. Importance to Organization
4. Lessons Learned

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Setting the Context
• York University’s long history in knowledge mobilization
and founding member of Research Impact
• “Collaborative research at York is special. York has
seized on the opportunities provided within a
comprehensive institution to make long-term
investments in supporting participatory and collaborative
research”
York University Strategic Research Plan: 2013-2018

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Community and Practitioner
Oriented Faculty

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York Centre for Education & Community
• YCEC is an organized
research unit within the
Faculty of Education that
develops, implements
and disseminates
community-related
research, evaluation, and
educational projects

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My Role as a Knowledge Broker
1. Knowledge Mobilization
1. Nurturing Relationships and Partnerships
1. Proposals & Grant Administration

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1. Knowledge Mobilization
1. Develop strategies to enhance the impact of research
produced in the faculty on policy, practice and public
understanding
2. Nurture relationships including researchers and
potential users of research (networking and
collaboration) to develop research agendas, carry out
research, and implement various strategies to make
knowledge produced relevant, accessible and practical

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Knowledge Mobilization Planning
• Faculty of Education Strategic Research Plan and
Implementation Plan
Content Creation
Dissemination
Measure Impact

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2. Nurturing Relationships and
Partnerships
• Focus on strategic priorities e.g. York University and
York Region Mental Health Collaborative/MOU
• Early stages of co-creation and implementation of a
research agenda

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3. Proposals & Grant Administration
• Knowledge mobilization plans – “specific activities and tools
that facilitate the multidirectional flow and exchange of
research knowledge” (SSHRC 2012).
• Components include:
• an overall plan to increase the accessibility flow and
exchange of social sciences and humanities knowledge
among academic and non-academic audiences
• a plan for engaging appropriate audiences or participants
• a schedule for achieving the intended knowledge
mobilization activities
• Elaboration on the purpose of the knowledge mobilization
activities and/or goals

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Importance to York

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Lessons Learned
• Planning is essential and takes time
• Implementation within the norms of an organization
• Phased rolled – start small and then build

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Knowledge Brokers in the Future
• Role integrated within the work of communications
personnel and researchers
• Knowledge brokers will be designers and architects
• Beyond research to practice
• Playing an intermediary role between different sectors
• Knowledge brokers will be problem solvers

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