“For the last five years, the Partnerships Resource Centre has been actively involved in developing and sharing knowledge on cross-sector partnerships around the world. One activity that we have systematically tried is to survey practitioners on their experience with partnerships for a large variety of projects and goals.

Some of this on-going research is presented in this booklet in which priority critical success factors — as perceived by practitioners — are described. There is remarkable consensus about these factors, surpassing topics, cultures and governance structures. Applying these lessons as a ‘one size fits all’ approach, however, is not to be advised. The critical success factors listed in this study present a shortlist of points for consideration when designing new partnerships, during the execution of partnership projects, and for understanding the conditions under which partnerships can have an impact. So rather than presenting a final stage in the creation of knowledge on partnerships, we consider these findings the start of a more in-depth research agenda. These continuous efforts will hopefully contribute to increased knowledge and awareness among partnership stakeholders. This is the prime aim of this booklet.”