Aligning the stars and shrinking the gap between health services decision making and research in Canada

Abstract Canada is internationally known for its universal healthcare system. Like other nations, Canada's publicly funded healthcare system struggles with challenges related to escalating costs, complexity of care and sustainability. The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF), through its flagship programmes — Capacity for Applied and Developmental Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and Executive Training for Research Application (EXTRA) — strives to meet those challenges by improving the capacity of researchers and decision makers to make evidence-informed health service decisions. This paper showcases the significant strides being made by the programmes in adapting the linkage and exchange approach, through national-level data and narrative accounts from key stakeholders. The paper concludes with remarks on potential future directions for CADRE and EXTRA, and their alignment with CHSRF's strategic priorities.