Barriers and facilitators to knowledge translation in Brazilian health: insights from the Grand Challenges Brazil case study

BACKGROUND: Translating scientific evidence into improved health practices remains a challenge. Knowledge translation (KT) aims to bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation in public health. This article examines barriers and facilitators to KT on the basis of a case study from Grand Challenges Brazil, a KT-oriented strategy that adapts international models to Brazil's public health context. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted after approval by a research ethics committee (protocol no. 6.540.207), with 22 key informants, including researchers, health system managers and members of the initiative's governance team, from October 2024 to November 2025. Data were analysed using Bardin's content analysis through a manual, iterative coding process validated by peer review and categorized according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). RESULTS: The results reveal individual, institutional and contextual barriers, including distrust and scientific denialism, administrative discontinuity, political influences and funding constraints. Facilitators included collaborative strategies, sufficient resources and technical support, processes that support institutionalization, and targeted funding mechanisms. Findings indicate that KT is not merely a technical exchange but a political process in which evidence competes with institutional power and interests. CONCLUSIONS: KT efforts in Brazil continue to encounter complex and interconnected challenges across multiple levels. Strengthening KT requires institutionalizing memory to withstand political turnover and building researcher and manager capacity through structured collaboration and sustainable mechanisms that connect science and practice.