Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice: Do Applied Academic Centres Contribute to a Solution? A Plea for International Comparative Research

Abstract

Abstract This article refers to the worldwide gap between research and practice. The use of so-called applied academic centres as a possible way to bridge this gap is proposed. Within academic centres, the university, on the one hand, and treatment and (public) health and social welfare services, on the other, together invest in a long-term partnership. A long-term research program and a knowledge-exchange structure are developed. The authors have established these kinds of centres in different fields such as, among others, the field of public health, the field of mental health and the field of social welfare. These centres may differ in important characteristics including the number of organisations involved and the form in which the collaboration is organised. These differences make valuable comparisons possible. A plea is made for further research towards the usefulness of applied academic health centres in promoting evidence-based work within treatment and public health and social work services. Keywords: knowledge utilizationresearch utilizationevidence-based practiceknowing-doing gap Additional informationNotes on contributorsHenk F. L. Garretsen The authors are from Tilburg University, Department Tranzo. I. M. B. Bongers is also with the Institution of Mental Health Care, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.