1.1 Research begins with stakeholder needs
Projects should be community driven. Rather than research agendas being set by research institutions and ‘experts’, stakeholders are engaged at the earliest stage of the process to identify priorities from the perspective of those most affected by the research.

1.2 Include all stakeholders
Identify and be inclusive of all those affected, or potentially affected, by the research process and outcomes. Successful research partnerships should clearly recognise communities within the problem domain as units of identity (e.g. communities of place, communities of practice). To recognise communities in this way, it will be necessary to understand the social, economic, political and cultural landscape. This will be time consuming, but the goal is to build on the strengths and resources within the broader community. Identifying key community partners will also be needed. The process of stakeholder identification can be assisted by assessing existing relationships within current projects, holding public meetings and forums, and accessing local sources of information through various media. It may be necessary to consider incentives to enhance inclusiveness.