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The Metropolis Project: 12 Years On What Have We Learned About Knowledge Transfer/Mobilization?Annual Conference and Technology Awards Ceremony of the Federal Partners in TechnologyJune 17-18, 2009OttawaPresented by:John BilesDirector, Partnerships and Knowledge Transferjohn.biles@cic.gc.ca
Purpose of Presentation • Provide a quick overview of Metropolis • Describe its knowledge transfer/mobilization mandate and approaches
History • Conceived in 1992/93 by Meyer Burstein and Demetrios Papademetriou at OECD SOPEMI Meetings • Funding secured for Canadian portion of the project in 1995 • Initial call for centre proposals in 1996 • Three centres, became four, and then five • Three five-year funding phases (1996/7-2002; 2002-2007; 2007-2012)
Knowledge Transfer/Mobilization • Knowledge Transfer has always been a component of the project, but in Phase III it has been given a more central role. • Rather than an end of process activity, it has now become the frame through which we view the entire range of activities within Metropolis • Responsibilities for the Centres, the Secretariat AND the Federal Consortium are articulated for each element in the knowledge transfer spectrum • In addition to strategies that combine face-to-face interactions, publications and web-based electronic knowledge transfer, more sophisticated typologies of target audiences (especially among the federal partners) have been developed
Building Social Capital is KT/KM Network • The networks that the Metropolis Project have created over time are, “the strongest contribution flowing from Metropolis funding” adding that the key value-added element of the Metropolis Secretariat is the support for networks. The SSHRC Mid-Term Review Committee states that these networks have helped establish a culture of collaboration among the diverse actors interested or involved in immigration issues • CIC Internal Review found that Metropolis improves relationships between various immigration stakeholders (such as local NGOs, local government partners and academics), thus promoting greater co-operation, information-sharing and more strategically targeted problem-solving • 63% of CIC web survey respondents said that one of the three most important functions of Metropolis is to provide links between the Government of Canada, academics (and others) • Almost half of interviewees at CIC and Metropolis indicated that the Project improves partnerships with other departments, other countries and also municipalities and NGOs
Conclusions • Knowledge transfer/mobilization can’t be simply an end result, it must be integral to the logic model from end to end. • Reinforcing strategies of face-to-face, hard copy and virtual KT/KM strategies are vital. • Social capital is a, perhaps the most, important means to pursue KT/KM objectives.