The NIHR has awarded £7.8m to its Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) to build knowledge mobilisation capacity and capability within the health and social care system. As part of this national initiative, ARC Yorkshire and Humber has received a portion of this funding to support local knowledge mobilisation efforts.
This initiative aims to reduce the time it takes to roll out effective interventions, policies and models of care to address high-priority national and regional challenges, and maximise the impact of research.
Key priorities for the initiative include:
- Supporting proven strategies, interventions and models of care to be implemented into practice, responding to high-priority areas from national policymakers, the health and care systems and patients and the public
- Proactively engaging key stakeholders
- Building a knowledge mobilisation community to share learning
- Evaluating knowledge mobilisation activities to evidence what works, for whom and why
In Yorkshire and Humber, the ARC will be working closely with our local Integrated Care Systems (ICS) to embed knowledge mobilisation roles and build knowledge mobilisation capacity in the region. This local effort will contribute to the national goal of creating a dynamic loop in which knowledge needs are met with evidence in real time, fostering an improvement-focused, evidence-based culture.
ARC Yorkshire and Humber, along with other ARCs across the country, will appoint knowledge mobilisation “fellows” in local systems. These fellows will form a bridge between the ARCs and the health and care organisations they work with. They will be supported to enhance their skills so they can capture and communicate the needs of local decision makers. They will work with the ARCs to identify existing evidence-based treatments and models of care, and support them into practice, working with practitioners and service users.
To deliver on this initiative, ARC Yorkshire and Humber will work closely with their established partners across the health and care system, including:
- Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)
- Health Innovation Networks (HINs)
- Local authorities
- Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations
- Health and care providers
- Community groups, patients, service users and the public
Esther Ashman, Deputy Director of Strategy and Partnerships, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “We are excited to continue our strong partnership with the Yorkshire and Humber Applied Research Collaborative by hosting the mobilisation fellow in our organsiation. This post will help make sure that our strategy and transformation work is built from strong evidence and has a clear focus on reducing health inequalities and improving outcomes for our people and communities across West Yorkshire.”
Dr Becky Bibby, Programme Director for Innovation, Research and Improvement at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (HNY ICB) said: ‘We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our partnership way of working with the ARC Yorkshire and Humber by appointing a knowledge mobilisation fellow within our Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. The NIHR ARC investment into knowledge mobilisation will create much needed capability and capacity to support the ICB with its statutory duty to promote the use in the health service of evidence obtained from research, and the benefits of this partnership working between the ICB and ARC YH will be realised across our system partners and the 1.7 million people we serve in Humber and North Yorkshire.’
Why is knowledge mobilisation important?
Promoting impact is core to the NIHR’s mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation. It is one of the five operating principles set out in Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter.
Knowledge mobilisation is an iterative, long-term, and two-way process to create the conditions to enable the right people to use the right information at the right time. It involves a two-way dialogue between researchers and research users. By sharing information with and learning from each other, a deeper understanding capable of catalysing change can be achieved. It is one of the processes that facilitates and amplifies the contribution of research to real-world settings.
The NIHR is committed to maximising impact by enabling and supporting the translation of research findings into evidence-based action that transforms the lives of the public, patients, service users and carers.
Strategic leadership
As part of the funding, £599,966 has been awarded to NIHR ARC Greater Manchester (ARC-GM) to provide leadership for this initiative. ARC-GM will coordinate a strategic approach to knowledge mobilisation across the ARCs, including ARC Yorkshire and Humber, uniting them behind an agreed vision and strategy, and measuring impact.
ARC-GM will also establish a knowledge mobilisation community among the cohort of award holders, enabling networking and sharing best practice around prioritised areas of interest. ARC Yorkshire and Humber will actively participate in this community, contributing to and benefiting from shared learning and best practices.
Professor Dame Nicky Cullum, Director of NIHR ARC-GM, said: “Whilst maximising research impact is everybody’s business, this crucial initiative brings a coordinated, consistent approach to ensuring that our publicly funded research is visible, is used to support health and social care decision-making and can improve the health and care of the public. We are delighted to be leading on this work from Greater Manchester.”
Head of NIHR Research Infrastructure, Dr Natalie Owen, said: “Ensuring that effective, evidence-based interventions and models of care reach people living with the greatest burden of disease is vital. This capacity and capability building initiative will enable the ARCs to support work at the interface of research and practice for population benefit.”
The ARC Yorkshire and Humber welcomes being part of this national initiative and looks forward to working with local partners to improve health and care outcomes in the region through effective knowledge mobilisation.
