What types of partnership documentation should funders require?

Funders seeking to support partnerships should seek documentation of strong working relationships or, for newer partnerships, early indicators that the partners will be able to establish those relationships. The aim is to ensure that the research is more than a one-time effort and that it reflects goals of both or all sides of the research-practice partnership. For experienced partnerships, providing evidence of such a working relationship may be relatively easy. Newer partnerships, though, may require additional verification of a working relationship guided by mutual aims. Different funders will require different levels of documentation to establish evidence of the partnership. Such evidence may include: a joint application and collaborative statement; a detailed description of the nature of the partnership; an MOU or signed partnership agreement outlining each partners’ roles and detailing project plans, work activities, communications and engagement strategies, and data archiving plans. Funders may factor in additional considerations, including the commitment of key players to the partnership or giving preference to partners located in close geographic proximity to each other to facilitate collaboration.