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School of Healthcare Sciences

Evaluating CLAHRCs in action: process, impact and theory development

Do partnerships between researchers and practitioners increase the likelihood of knowledge translation?

Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone from the School of Healthcare Sciences (with Dr Chris Burton in the School of Healthcare Sciences, and, Prof Brendan McCormack at University of Ulster, Dr Gill Harvey at University of Manchester, Prof Sue Dopson at University of Oxford, Dr Sophie Staniszweska at University of Warwick, Prof Richard Baker at University of Leicester, Prof Carl Thompson at University of York, and Prof Ian Graham from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) have been awarded £599,000 by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Service Delivery & Organisation (SDO) Programme to evaluate the NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs).

9 CLAHRCs in NHS England have been established with a clear mandate on the production and implementation of research evidence in the context of academic and clinical partnerships through sustained interactivity. The CLAHRCs have an explicit remit for closing the gap between what we know works and its routine use in practice. However the evidence base about what makes knowledge flow and what makes it stick is underdeveloped. Therefore this study provides a timely opportunity and natural laboratory to find out what works, and what does not work in the translation of evidence into practice.

The overarching research question is: Implementation research through CLAHRCs: What works, for whom, why and in what circumstances? We are conducting a longitudinal (54 month) 3 phase, multi-method study using a realistic evaluation methodology, which deliberately aims to explore the boundaries between research and knowledge use in practice. We will be exploring implementation processes and impacts, communities of practice, contextual influences, and the theory of boundary objects. In addition, embedded within the project are specific questions to enable us to increase our understanding about the role and impact of service user involvement in the implementation of research.

The anticipated contribution to knowledge of this project includes the advancement of:

  • knowledge about effectiveness of collaborative research approaches in increasing use of research in practice and policy
  • theory about the processes of knowledge translation
  • methodology and methods for evaluating complex KT processes.


For more information contact Jo – j.rycroft-malone@bangor.ac.uk, 01286 383119