A case study of lessons learned by Land & Water Australia about knowledge brokering to improve research management and uptake, presented at a workshop in Quebec run by Environment Canada and attended by science communication experts from Canada, the UK, US and The Netherlands.

1. Brokering for knowing
— a spectrum of options
an Australian case
Auberge du Lac a la Loutre 18.9.07
Andrew Campbell
www.triplehelix.com.au
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Outline
• Inform
• Consult
• Matchmake
• Engage
• Collaborate
• Build adaptive capacity
Retrofitted to an Australian case
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2. Land & Water Australia
♦ One of 14 Rural R&D Corporations and related
companies - Statutory Authority (PIERD Act 1989)
♦ research to support sustainable resource management
♦ we buy, broker and manage research, we don’t do it
don’
♦ managed corporately, independent Board (CAC Act)
♦ $12.8m appropriation; ~$33m R&D spend (2005-6)
♦ >45 co-investing partners
♦ We’re in the knowledge business
We’
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Possible cases of policy-driven
LWA-funded research
• Conservation of native vegetation on private land
• Irrigation water use efficiency
• Climate risk management in agriculture
• Water property rights
• Environmental water allocation
• Managing riparian lands
• Market-based instruments for environmental services
• Servicing the knowledge needs of the Regional
Investment Model for NRM
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3. The regional model:
an integrated approach
• The regional model (56 catchment bodies) is an ambitious
attempt to implement sustainable NRM at a landscape scale:
– Devolve decision making & resource allocation to appropriate scale
– Tap into and build on deep local knowledge and connection to place
– Work across issues and industries in an integrated way
• integration means making whole
– across scales, issues, land tenures and land uses
– in the users’ context
• that requires excellent relationships
• And comprehensive knowledge
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Inform
• submission to both political parties during 2004
election campaign
– seeking $40 million (of which $8m for regional knowledge
brokering)
• liaison with key NGOs
• follow up with key officials post-election
• submission to Ministerial review
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4. Consult
• in-depth research with six regions (serendipity)
• face to face contact with many more
• systematic phone, email and postal survey
• creation of an informal working group
• An e-newsletter:
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Information & Knowledge Flows
South-West Victorian dairy farmers
UDV Consumer • Note no direct connect between
CMA and dairy farmers
Factories
Financial
• Nor from DSE or EPA to dairy
institutions
Dairy farmers
farmers
TAFE
Dairy
Australia • Distance from dairy farmers to
Private
consultants Ag. service
providers
LWA is even greater
• Dairy Australia connect is
West Vic.
Other govt. Dairy SWWA stronger
SRW DPI University
• Milk factory, DPI and consultant
connect is strongest
EPA
Landcare /
env’t
• CCMA needs to work more
services
through Milk factory, DPI and
DSE
CMA’s ag service providers to get to
Local
govt. dairy farmers
LWA
Indigenous
groups
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5. What regional NRM bodies
are telling us:
INFOGLUT and FRAGMENTATION
Concerns expressed by regional bodies:
‘Where is it and how do we get to it?’
“I’m aware of websites, but sometimes telling staff to look at a website is
like being asked to go look at the National Library”
• Fragmentation of information sources
• Volume, Relevance and Accessibility of information
• Information sharing between regions and between national
organisations
• Two-way flow between regions
and national organisations
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Matchmake & engage
Collaborate and build adaptive capacity
• $2.8m pilot project announced 2005
• technical working group (key blockers)
• Enthusiasts working group - key facilitators
• Dedicated team recruited (5 staff)
• Many workshops & meetings in nice places
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6. Many workshops & meetings in nice places
Many workshops & meetings in nice places
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7. Knowledge assets of interest
Magazines
Spatial datasets
Publications
Reference books
•Reference books Funding
Journal•Journal articles and
(Guidelines opportunities
manuals etc)
articles•Research reports
•Pamphlets Anecdotal
•Magazines Conference evidence
Research proceedings
•Conference proceedings
report Knowledge needs
Current
Specialist Decision
Decision support tools
research
Research directory frameworks
•Programsadvice
projects •Models
•Projects •Decision frameworks
•Specialist contacts
Current research Models •Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets
for advice
programs
3 strategies to expose assets
Strategy 3: individuals Spider of specified
ASDD National
AANRO NRM sites
search the www and Library
add assets to their
personal library,
Manual
then exposed for
collation FSKS Database &
of other users
assets Gathering search index
by team tool
Strategy 1: A search G
Strategy 2: the team O
of major NRM asset
will manually O Personal
repositories +
WWW library
collate some G
a spider of L
significant assets
significant sites E
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8. NRM Toolbar interface
[Click name to [Click name to My profile
NRM search open My library] see librarian Customise my
Google Australia R&D Directory services] toolbar
Organisation This Worked Here! Click dropdown Update toolbar
assets to view list of Includes form Uninstall toolbar
Knowledge needs
Advanced folders for requesting Help
Events and funding (Playlists) that information from Contact us
[Searches on Decision tools stays open to the librarian
selection] allow drag and
Knowledge market
drop from
Square icon report search results
indicates Add/Delete
which databases
search
engine is
selected
[Click to see current [Click to logout or
alerts plus access login as someone
alert settings] else]
Targeting mechanisms at
knowledge flow
Regional
National
NRM
NRM R&D
Organisations
Knowledge
Brokers /
Facilitators
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9. We’re working on
Funding the arrows:
• Regional to National mechanisms
• Regional to Regional mechanisms
• National to Regional mechanisms
• Knowledge Broker mechanisms
– Building skills within and between regional bodies
– Helping regions to plug into appropriate expertise and advice
• National R&D mechanisms
– Getting our own act together
– Publishing analyses
that make systemic issues more visible
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Example of an adoptability filter - farm scale
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10. Knowledge Management
take home messages
the job is relatively straightforward, it’s about:
• knowledge targeted to user needs
• which informs the research process
• making knowledge more accessible & interactive
• and ensuring that ‘old’ stuff remains accessible
• BUT incorporating different knowledge domains
mandates good soft systems,
not just fancier databases
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for more info:
www.triplehelix.com.au
www.lwa.gov.au
www.lwa.gov.au
www.aanro.net
www.aanro.net
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