A new knowledge mobilization and impact hub, the Network for Integrated Care Excellence (NICE), will support implementation science teams across Canada as part of a major research initiative advancing integrated care. 

Health research is vital for improving people's health, advancing health equity, and strengthening Canada's health care systems. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's federal funding agency for health research, is funding this initiative to bridge the gap between research evidence and healthcare practice. 

On October 20, 2023, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced a $26.6 million investment from CIHR to support Implementation Science Teams, to bring researchers, policymakers, healthcare providers, and people with lived experience together to enhance healthcare delivery (clarify it’s for the ISTs). The funding comes from CIHR's Transforming Health with Integrated Care (THINC) initiative, which aims to improve understanding of how to implement, evaluate, adapt, and scale evidence-informed integrated care policies and practices 

The 13 implementation science teams funded through this initiative will harness digital solutions for rural care, improve sexual health services through pharmacies, support mental health for equity-deserving communities, and enhance transitions from hospital to home for older adults, among other priorities. 

Working within The North American Centre for Integrated Care, NICE will foster coordination across these teams through a pan-Canadian learning community and help translate research into action across the country. The hub will also support an Indigenous-led parallel and intersecting community as part of its commitment to inclusive knowledge mobilization.

This initiative is funded through CIHR in partnership with Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, Research New Brunswick, Ontario Ministry of Health, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.