Building Scientist Capacity in Knowledge Translation: Development of the Knowledge Translation Planning Template

The last fifteen years have seen a fundamental shift in the importance of knowledge translation in health research and clinical care. Health research funders have incorporated knowledge translation into their missions, strategic directions, and funding opportunities, encouraging knowledge translation and implementation science and requiring knowledge translation practice from researchers working across the health research pillars - basic, clinical, health services, and population health. Healthcare and research organizations have changed their landscape as well, hiring knowledge translation practitioners to bridge research and practice for a range of knowledge users. Universities are shifting criteria for academic promotion to incorporate knowledge translation. Growing attention to knowledge translation in research, practice, and scholarship has created a need for researchers and practitioners to develop knowledge translation skills and competencies related to their research, scholarship, and organizational activities. The Knowledge Translation Planning Template was developed to support knowledge translation planning for scientists in health and other sectors. This article provides an overview of the rationale for its development, introduces the tool components, and describes preliminary indicators of impact.