Blending addiction research and practice: Strategies for technology transfer.

Consistent with traditional conceptions of technology transfer, efforts to translate substance abuse and addiction research into treatment practice have typically relied on the passive dissemination of research findings. The large gap between addiction research and practice, however, indicates that there are many barriers to successful technology transfer and that dissemination alone is not sufficient to produce lasting changes in addiction treatment. To accelerate the translation of research into practice, the National Institute on Drug Abuse launched the Blending Initiative in 2001. In part a collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s Addiction Technology Transfer Center program, this initiative aims to improve the development, effectiveness, and usability of evidence-based practices and reduce the obstacles to their timely adoption and implementation. As results of National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network trials and other NIDA-sponsored investigations become available, particularly promising findings that fill a gap in the field are identified and then forwarded to a specially created group composed of researchers and practitioners who participated in the studies. These “blending teams” design a strategic dissemination plan and identify and develop the activities and materials necessary to access and adopt the specific treatment practice. To date, six “Blending Team Products” have been developed out of the Blending Initiative.