The Dr. Barrie Strafford Centre for Learning, Innovation, and Quality (CLIQ), in partnership with the Institute for Continuing Care Education and Research (ICCER), officially launched the Innovation Readiness Framework & Toolkit project with a collaborative kickoff event that brought together leaders, researchers, innovators, and continuing care partners from across the sector. 

The initiative will develop a practical, evidence-informed Innovation Readiness Framework and Toolkit to help organizations assess their readiness for innovation, strengthen implementation capacity, and support the successful adoption and sustainability of new technologies, programs, and models of care. 

The kickoff event marked the beginning of a collaborative co-design process, bringing together diverse perspectives from across the continuing care sector to validate an emerging innovation readiness framework and identify the tools, resources, and supports organizations need most. Through facilitated discussions and interactive activities, participants explored the key domains of innovation readiness, shared implementation experiences, and helped prioritize the content that will shape the toolkit's development. 

The resulting framework and toolkit will support organizations in evaluating their capacity for innovation across multiple domains, identifying strengths and opportunities for growth, and accessing practical resources that strengthen the implementation and sustainability of evidence-informed practices. 

This collaborative initiative is funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Voluntary Sector Knowledge Mobilization Grant, which supports projects that accelerate the movement of research evidence into practice through collaboration, partnership, and knowledge mobilization. 

Over the coming months, CLIQ and ICCER will continue engaging stakeholders through co-design sessions, consultation activities, and pilot testing to ensure the Innovation Readiness Framework & Toolkit reflects the real-world needs of organizations across the continuing care sector. 

The project represents a shared commitment to building implementation capacity, fostering organizational learning, and equipping organizations with the tools they need to confidently adopt innovations that improve care experiences and outcomes. 

CLIQ and ICCER extend their sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the kickoff event. Their expertise, perspectives, and enthusiasm will play an important role in shaping the Innovation Readiness Framework & Toolkit and strengthening innovation implementation across the continuing care sector.