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Putting Research into Practice

There are five parts to Open AIR’s strategy for mobilising research insights into practical outcomes:

1. Leveraging our social capital and connections to key decision-makers. For example, through our now well-established reputation and networks, we have been able to connect with key decision-makers from international organisations, national governments, and leading scholarly and activist associations.
2. Engaging stakeholders early and often in the research process to ensure relevance. In addition to use of participatory observation research techniques in many of our case studies (and occasional use of participatory action research), we continue to engage, after data collection, with beneficiaries of our research at high technology hubs, at makerspaces, and in Indigenous communities.
3. Publishing open access, bilingual scholarship and practical policy-revelant materials. We have created a working paper series to set out our latest research findings, translated key outputs from previous research into French, and are “versioning” our materials into briefing notes, handbooks, toolkits, book chapters and scholarly articles.
4. Amplifying our influence through social media and mainstream press communications. Our website has become an increasingly key vehicle for disseminating Open AIR research results, and our expanded social media presence continues to create interest in our work, and our thought leaders contribute items to traditional media outlets.
5. Empowering new scholars to understand and share insights and build capacity for their future endeavours. Our New and Emerging Researchers Group is thriving, with more than 90 current members and alumni, and all of our hubs have teams of research assistants training to become future leaders.