# Methods Symposium: Advanced Methods and Innovative Technologies for Evidence Synthesis

> **NIH AHRQ R13** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2020 · $50,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
We are requesting a single-year, dissemination and implementation conference grant (R13) for a 2-day
Methods Symposium on “Advanced Methods and Innovative Technologies for Evidence Synthesis” to
be held at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado in Fall 2020. The Methods
Symposium is timely and needed for two main reasons. First, in 2015, the Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality (AHRQ) issued a Special Emphasis Notice on "Innovative Methods Research to Increase the
Utility of Systematic Reviews”. To date, 11 projects have been funded through this mechanism covering topics
that can be categorized into technologies to streamline and expedite review production, statistical methods,
and methodology to handle complexity in reviews. Unfortunately, due to the short duration of the grant, these
projects have not been widely disseminated. To ensure a meaningful and lasting impact of these projects, it is
critical that we are proactive in dissemination of their findings and encourage implementation.
Secondly, there are two major “books” outlining appropriate methods for systematic reviews. The updated
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was launched on October 1, 2019, more than a
decade after the last major revision in 2008. The Cochrane Handbook highlights old and emerging challenges
that continue to spark debate, research, and innovation. It has been extensively rewritten by over 100 authors,
many of whom are AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) methodologists. AHRQ's Methods Guide for
Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews has been updated continuously with emerging
advancement in review methodology, and thus the conference is an excellent opportunity for AHRQ-funded
work to be disseminated and for discussion to take place within a broader methods community.
The Planning Committee (Drs. Tianjing Li, Karen Robinson, and Julian Higgins) assessed the overlap between
the areas of research funded by the Special Emphasis Notice, the Methods Guide, and the new materials in
the Cochrane Handbook, and designed an exciting program that aims to maximize dissemination, encourage
implementation, increase knowledge, and strengthen the field of evidence synthesis overall. The confirmed
speakers are leading experts in their areas of research including seasoned EPC methodologists, Special
Emphasis Notice awardees, four of the Cochrane Handbook editors, and many growing stars. The proposed
Methods Symposium will encourage innovation and facilitate the use of best methods by providing
opportunities to share, discuss, and receive feedback on theoretical and practical methodological advances;
inspire empirical exploration of methods, including assessment of feasibility and comparison of alternatives;
and expedite implementation of novel approaches in practice.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10048241
- **Project number:** 1R13HS027701-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Tianjing Li
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10048241

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10048241, Methods Symposium: Advanced Methods and Innovative Technologies for Evidence Synthesis (1R13HS027701-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10048241. Licensed CC0.

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