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.

Project Narrative 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 provides a unique opportunity to bring researchers from the Evidence-Based Practice Centers and Cochrane together. It 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.