The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation recently hosted a webinar as part of the New Researcher Forum series titled “Mobilizing Knowledge for Stronger Rural Futures”. Prof. Ryan Gibson explored what he called the “knowledge paradox” – while more research exists than ever before, it often fails to reach the people who can use it most. Too often valuable rural research is locked behind technical language, paywalls, limited internet access, or simply doesn’t align with local needs.
The webinar highlighted new efforts to bridge this gap through knowledge mobilization. Two key approaches were discussed: plain language research summaries from the North Atlantic Forum and short research videos from the Connecting the Dots initiative. These tools translate research findings into clear, practical insights that rural practitioners, community leaders, and policymakers can quickly understand and apply. Key insights gathered from these initiative included that language matters, relationships matter, and short, accessible formats get more attention than long reports. While collaboration takes time, these approaches show real promise in connecting research to action and supporting stronger, more informed rural communities.
Resources from the recent webinar can be found online:
- Recording of the webinar (forthcoming)
- Presentation Slide Deck
- Resources from the webinar