The Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium recently held a competition for ACT Network members to support innovative knowledge mobilization practices.
Knowledge mobilization is a key research activity to enhance the likelihood that research findings, including from randomized trials, can inform policy and practice.
Eligible applications were required to be for the knowledge mobilization of a randomized controlled trial scheduled to be completed before August 31, 2025, and the nominated principal investigator of the trial must be a member of an ACT network.
Applications were reviewed for eligibility, then eligible applications were scored by 3 independent reviewers with one trialist, one individual with expertise specifically in KM, and one patient/community representative. The applications were scored on the gaps in knowledge mobilization that the project aimed to address (mark: 30 out of 100), the knowledge mobilization and engagement plan (mark: 40 out of 100), the description of the team and partnerships involved in the project (mark: 15 out of 100), and the timeline of the KM project (mark: 15 out of 100). The top 5 ranked applications were each awarded up to $10,000 CAD to support their novel knowledge mobilization projects.
We are pleased to announce the top 5 applications that will be receiving ACT funding:
Awardees comments:
“1 in 5 Canadians suffer from chronic pain and it is a major burden on our healthcare system and economy. Among the many causes of chronic pain, high-quality data suggest that surgery is the second leading cause of all chronic pain cases in society. While this fact is sobering, it also provides reason for optimism — we know the date and time of surgery, so it provides the potential to intervene and prevent chronic pain before it begins. The PLAN Trial aims to definitively establish whether an intravenous lidocaine infusion can prevent chronic pain after breast cancer surgery, a surgical procedure known to be associated with a 1 in 3 chance of chronic pain. If shown to be effective, this low-cost intervention could be used widely to improve the quality of lives of breast cancer survivors and provide critical insights into preventing chronic pain in other high-risk populations, ultimately reducing the burden of pain in Canada.”
– PLAN Study Team- “Our team is pleased to announce that our study “Safety and effectiveness of the Walk ‘n Watch structured, progressive exercise protocol for inpatient stroke rehabilitation: a phase 3, multi-site, pragmatic, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial” was just accepted by the journal Lancet Neurology. Walk ‘n Watch improved the outcomes of stroke patients with clinically meaningful improvements in walking, balance function and quality of life within a real-world setting where 85 therapists delivered the intervention across 12 sites. Publishing the paper is just the start of our dissemination efforts. With funding from ACT Canada, we will be able to develop critical resources for health professionals to implement the protocol into their daily practice. The funding will also enable our team to train clinicians across Canada to deliver this evidence-based protocol to improve the health outcomes of their patients.”
– Walk ‘n Watch Study Team - “Our study is the first Canadian randomized controlled trial focused on rehabilitation for long COVID, and the first globally to screen for post-exertional malaise and tailor exercise interventions accordingly. By including a population often excluded from previous trials—such as non-hospitalized individuals—we are generating critical data on how to safely and effectively support people with long COVID in their rehabilitation journey. Our knowledge mobilization project will help us reach patients, families, and policymakers—audiences that were under-engaged in our initial efforts. Engaging with these groups is essential to ensure our findings lead to meaningful improvements in care and greater access to rehabilitation across Canada”
– Virtual Rehabilitation for Long COVID Study Team - “Older adults in Atlantic Canada have the highest rates of sedative use in the country. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple, direct-to-patient intervention that reduced sedative use while improving sleep outcomes with the use of first-line behavioural and psychological techniques for insomnia. ACT’s support enables us to engage communities where existing relationships, local knowledge, and expertise can be engaged to support knowledge mobilization and explore practical, evidence-informed solutions based on our study’s findings.”
– YAWNS Study Team
