KT for TT – Ensuring Use and Impact from Technology R&D

Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer

University at Buffalo

NIDRR Grantees improve QoL for PWD by solving problems with knowledge.

• Current state of QoL for PWD is sub-optimal in some aspects amenable to improvement.

• Situation reduced to Problem Statement within a NIDRR Domain – e.g. technology-based opportunity.

• Solution Statement involves knowledge creation via research, or knowledge application via development and production.

• Technology Transfer plan explains how Solution Statement will be accomplished, and how results will impact QoL for PWD.

Role of Knowledge Translation

• KT is a method for moving academic knowledge into stakeholder action - CIHR.

• Knowledge may pre-exist in Global Knowledge Base and/or may be generated via research.

• Origins – Evidence-based Medicine to justify Federal & Public investment.

• Focus on interactions with stakeholders at end of grant or integrated during grant activity.

KTA Model – CIHR

Stakeholders & Uses

• Six Stakeholder Groups –

– Researchers; Clinicians; Consumers; Policy Makers; Manufacturers; Brokers.

• Three Types of Use –

– Instrumental; Conceptual; Strategic.

• Integrated model of KT – opp’t to involve users. All

CIHR Research Model shows 2 paths for Research-based Knowledge to reach Stakeholders

Two Paths

• Path 1 – Communicate Conceptual Knowledge through Publication.

• Path 2 – Transform Conceptual to Practical through further effort.

– Development effort to create and test Prototype.

– Production effort to create and test Device/Service.

“Demonstrating Evidence” burden for NIDRR and Grantees

• Research, Development or Production activities involve long timeframes from initial conception through completion.

• Achieving beneficial impacts for target populations involves even longer timeframes.

EvidenceMilestones

Research-based Discovery

Development –based Invention

Product-based Innovation

Identify Opportunity

Knowledge gap in literature

Verify need via Supply Push or Demand Pull

Feature/function gap in device or service

Establish Scope

Volume of topic in literature

Inventor described or Analysis defined

Statement of need by Users or VAR’s

Propose Solution

Experimental Hypothesis

Champion’s vision or Stakeholder defined

Value Proposition articulated

Validate Originality

Literature Review Prior Art search State of Market survey

Conduct Process

Scientific Method – Control variables

Experimental Method – manipulate variables

Design method – optimize function within constraints

Conclude Results

Discovery noted Invention documented Innovation Specified

Internal Project Output

Scholarly manuscript Proof of Concept Prototype

Pre-Production Model

EvidenceMilestones

Research-based Discovery

Development-based Invention

Product-based Innovation

Claim Intellectual

Property

Copyright (automatic)

Invention Disclosure/ Patent

Application

Patent / Trademark

Applications

External Quality Examination

Peer Review of method rigor and

contribution

USPTO examines claimed novelty and feasibility

Government certification or

Industry standard

External Quality Verification

Manuscript accepted

Patent issued Device/Service approved

Output Disclosure &

Dissemination

Discovery disclosed in Journal paper

by external publisher

Invention disclosed in Patent issues by U.S. Government

Innovation disclosed in press

release by Manufacturer

EvidenceMilestones

Research-based Discovery

Development-based Invention

Production-based Innovation

Stakeholder Awareness - STO1

Subscriber base, web hits, queries

IP Office inquiries, hits on disclosure

Press releases, web hits, industry chatter

Stakeholder Interest – STO2

Letters to editor, email queries

Request for package confidentiality

forms

Vender, customer, distributor queries

Stakeholder Adoption - STO3

Author citation, quotations, plagiary

Negotiations for sale or lease, emulation

Advanced orders, Corporate espionage

Intermediate Outcome – Use of

Output by Stakeholders

Discovery attributions and

citations in literature

Invention IP transferred legally or via infringement

Innovation purchased, reviewed and promoted in marketplace

Establish MeritAcclaim, Promotion,

Invitations, Rebuttals

Related Collaborations and

new funding

Ramp-up, Spin-off products, Competition

Establish WorthTextbook references International honors

License royalties, sponsors, partners

Sales revenues, ROI, market share, efficacy

Establish ImpactAdvance state of

knowledge for field and for society

Advance state of art for field of

application

Advance state of industry practice &

Quality of Life

The 2 Paths are not equi-distant!

Milestones Research Development ProductionIdentify Opportunity Knowledge Gap in

Literature

Project Output

Stakeholder Outcome Journal Publication

Claim Impact Advance Quality of Life for People /Disabilities

Surrogates of Impact

• Grantee Output – Evidence of Research Discovery; Development Invention or Production Innovation.

• Short-term Outcome – Evidence of Awareness, Interest & Adoption.

• Intermediate Outcome – Evidence of use by Stakeholders.

Research is part of Solution Continuum that may involve combinations of R, D & P.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT

R↓

R → Discovery

R↓

? ?

D↓

? D → Invention

D↓

?

P↓

? ? P → Innovation

P → Innovation

BENEFICIAL IMPACT

BENEFICIAL IMPACT

BENEFICIAL IMPACT

BENEFICIAL IMPACT

BENEFICIAL IMPACT

KT4TT Program

• Sponsored by NIDRR to increase evidence of Grantee R&D output use by Stakeholders.

• Generate evidence from research to address academic values; and evidence from development to address industry values.

• Link both forms of evidence to changes in articulation, review, funding and evaluation of government grant programs designed to impact QoL for PWD’s.

Why is KT for TT valuable?

Together, KT and TT combine multiple NIDRR initiatives from

the past twenty years:

Logic modeling; Participatory Action Research; Knowledge

Dissemination and Utilization; &Technology Transfer.

Grantees can help NIDRR demonstrate results!

• KT and TT combine to establish a single framework to optimize evidence of Grantee contributions to stakeholders.

• Technology-oriented Research projects can consider downstream Development and Production (TT) as well as Stakeholder use (KT).

• Provides a method for effectively communicating the value of new knowledge to Stakeholders.

Three Critical Questions

• How will the project accomplish its proposed technology-related outputs (TT)?

• How will adoption and use be maximized across the full range of stakeholders (KT)?

• How will stakeholder use generate beneficial QoL impacts for PWD's (KT4TT)?

Analogies between KT and TT

• “End of Grant” KT = Supply Push TT – Applying discovery from basic inquiry (Mode 1 science).

• “Integrated KT” = Collaborative TT – Creating discovery from validated need (Mode 2 science).

• “Prior to Grant” KT = Demand Pull TT – Identify Problem for which Knowledge offers Solution.

• Science Rigor + Industry Relevance = Impact!

KT4TT Program • Increase awareness and use of KT and TT methods

by Grantees.

• Increase awareness and use of Grantee R&D outputs by Stakeholders.

• Linking KT to TT, to demonstrate and test an operational KT4TT model.

• Validating model via prior research and current Grantee practices.

• Establishing “best practices” to increase outcomes and impacts from Grantee activities.

KT4TT Model is Relevant to:

Investigators conducting research, development and/or production activities related to technology-based devices or services, and who intend for project outputs to be transformed by intermediary stakeholders into outcomes that beneficially impact the quality of life for persons with disabilities.

Model is not Relevant to:

• Basic research or inquiry driven projects.

• Applied research and development projects in non-technology areas.

• Projects with no intention to result in direct application by stakeholders, nor direct impact for target populations.

Model links three Activities

• Research

• Development

• Production

Research Activity

• Research = Knowledge Creation;

• Process - New knowledge discovery results from experimentation;

• Output - Conceptual state embodied as publication.

• Value – Novelty in first articulation and contribution to knowledge base.

Development Activity

• Development = Knowledge Application.

• Process - Knowledge-based invention results from exploration.

• Output – Tangible state embodied as prototype.

• Value – Feasibility in proof of concept.

Production Activity

• Production = Knowledge Replication.

• Process – Knowledge-based innovation results from systematic specification.

• Output – Final form embodied as device or service.

• Value – Utility to producers and consumers .

KT4TT Model

In Progress

Focus on QOL Goal• Grantee research contributes to knowledge

base, optimized through KT techniques.

• Grantee development contributes to product inventory, optimized through TT techniques.

• NIDRR mastery of R&D synergy – parity in rigor and relevance – is itself innovative and novel.

• NIDRR/Grantee example for all R&D programs.

• People with Disabilities benefit from all above.

For more information:

kt4tt.buffalo.edu

Acknowledgement

This is a presentation of the Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer, which is

funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department

of Education under grant number H133A080050. The opinions contained in this presentation are

those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of

Education.