Through its 13-year history, KBHN has established a track record as an internationally recognized evidence-based multidisciplinary network that generates and mobilizes critical knowledge and innovation most relevant to communities and families. Working with partner organizations, KBHN research teams have created numerous innovation outputs, including policy documents, commercial products, copyrights, license agreements, new clinical practice guidelines, and training packages.

Cycle III Implementation Projects

The initial Cycle III research projects were identified based on evidence of efficacy and the presence of appropriate implementation partners. Each project was provided with support from KBHN central administration in the principles of implementation science, an emerging and rapidly evolving field which focuses on how effective interventions are disseminated and implemented across the spectrum of contexts and settings in order to become embedded into routine practice to improve individual and population health.

Stream II: New Implementation Projects

Funded through a competitive application process based on the probability of achieving impact through research excellence, five New Implementation Projects (IPs) were selected from KBHN’s pipeline of research that originated in Cycle II.

Stream III: Strategic Investment Fund

KBHN conducted an open competition for new research initiatives under the umbrella of the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) which resulted in 21 submissions, from which the five strongest applications were funded through a highly competitive process. Importantly, the SIF projects were required to bring external partner financial support that matched the NCE contribution at least 1:1, and also include family/patient stakeholders as members of the research team.

Previously funded projects overview

Cycle I – Building the Network

The Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) was established in 2010 as an interdisciplinary network of researchers and clinicians to address fundamental questions of early brain development with the specific goal of mobilizing this knowledge to improve the lives of children living with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. The initial research projects funded by KBHN focussed on the interaction between genes and the environment. This knowledge has led to a better understanding of the origins of three highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disabilities, namely Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy (CP), and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

In mid-Cycle I, a Strategic Advisory Committee of stakeholders knowledgeable about research, training, and knowledge translation supported a board-led strategic planning process. This process’s key outcome was to shift the focus of KBHN’s research programs toward application-based research.

Read more about projects funded under this cycle.

Cycle II – Strengthening Connections

Cycle II was characterized by incorporating new cross-cutting themes that expanded the scope of the Network’s activities. More specifically, to promote change for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, attention was focused on the child’s critical role and family’s social environment as a predictor of outcomes. Also, new initiatives were introduced to address issues that are common across virtually all neurodevelopmental disabilities. These include comorbidities such as sleep disruption and the fragmented systems of support that families struggle to navigate.

Read more about these projects.