Building research capacity: the role of partnerships

What "connections"--a broader term than "partnerships"--need to be made to build research capacity? Connections build capacity to the degree that they augment the skills, knowledge and resources of the focal investigator or investigating entity. We suggest that the goal of capacity building through partnerships/connections is to maximize research utility, i.e., its potential to effect desired changes in targeted systems. Specifically, an investigator or research organization must create connections that will enable: the selection and framing of research questions to address matters of importance to relevant stakeholders, especially and necessarily responding to the needs of people with disabilities; the development of a research design adhering to the highest standards of science; and the translation of new knowledge into messages about the results useful to those who are potential beneficiaries, tailoring the message so that it will be clearly "heard" by each respective target audience (including clinicians, other researchers, administrators and/or people with disabilities and their family members). Utility of research traditionally has not comprised the standard for judging research. However, the current focus in Federal funding appears to be shifting, with a demand to assess outcomes (i.e., utility) of research, thus, bolstering the argument to strengthen research utility through creating appropriate partnerships.