TORONTO, ON – [October 02, 2025] — At a time when public trust in institutions is fragmented and misinformation spreads faster than evidence, researchers and experts face a critical challenge: how to ensure their work is not only accurate but also accessible, relevant, and impactful.
Helping You Share What You Know, Where It Matters Most
To meet this challenge head-on, the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present KM Compass, a free, web-based, open-source knowledge mobilization (KM) app designed to help researchers, institutions, and knowledge mobilizers across various disciplines choose the best strategies for turning their knowledge into action and impact. Whether you’re just beginning your KM journey or refining an existing plan, KM Compass provides a clear and user-friendly roadmap to guide your efforts.
“In today’s complex communication landscape, expertise alone is no longer enough,” said Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Co-Director of the Social Media Lab. “To make a real difference, researchers must communicate in ways that build trust, foster engagement, and resonate with a wide range of stakeholders. KM Compass was created to support this process.”
Turning Ideas Into Impact
Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program and developed through a comprehensive review of over 40 knowledge mobilization frameworks across disciplines, KM Compass distills knowledge mobilization into three core, actionable steps:
- Identify key stakeholders, such as policymakers, community organizations, the media, students and many others.
- Select an appropriate KM strategy, choosing from a variety of time-tested dissemination and engagement strategies, from passive formats that focus on one-way communication that shares research evidence with general or targeted audiences using accessible and engaging formats to more interactive approaches that emphasize two-way communication that actively involves stakeholders in the interpretation, adaptation, or co-creation of knowledge.
- Select an implementation, choosing from a library of standard options, such as infographics and policy briefs, as well as workshops, co-creation sessions, hackathons, and working groups.
Each step is designed to help researchers think strategically about who they wish to reach with their work, especially in an environment where the traditional top-down model of expert communication has broken down. The app not only provides a practical framework for making research more accessible and useful, but it also connects users with curated resources and real-world examples for engaging diverse audiences.
The launch of KM Compass comes at a time when there is a broader shift in how researchers must think about influence and impact. In a world where emotional resonance often drives engagement more than factual accuracy, researchers are being called on to build new kinds of credibility through authenticity, presence, and collaboration.
“KM Compass is more than a tool,” said Philip Mai, Co-Director of the Social Media Lab. “It’s a recognition that we need new approaches to mobilizing knowledge and building trust with the public, and ensuring that research continues to play a meaningful role in shaping society.”
Learn more and access the tool at: https://km.socialmedialab.ca/
Media Contact:
Social Media Lab
Toronto Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.socialmedialab.ca