It is important to know your funder and collaborating partners and understand their motivations, track record and reputation. Personal contacts to develop this picture can be very helpful. It is important for key stakeholders and partners to have agreement on the key research questions, goals and outputs, although the individuals in the project may undertake their research in different ways to achieve these aims.

Issues may arise about exactly who the research is for, how they benefit from the research, what research is valid, which types of research are most important and how to allocate resources.

Be prepared to address the issue of bias in the research if there is undue influence exerted by the funder and/or commissioning body. As pressure may be brought to bear to bury results, it is important to maintain an openness and dialogue on such issues.