To boldly go: a partnership enterprise to produce applied health and nursing services researchers in Canada.

This paper describes the origins of the Regional Training Centres (RTCs) from the perspective of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF), a national funder of applied health and nursing services research in Canada. The author details the contributions of CHSRF, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Capacity for Applied and Developmental Research and Evaluation (CADRE) program, as well as an essential feature of the RTCs: their application of the linkage and exchange model (Lomas 2000). The discussion encompasses the RTC program requirements and selection process, as well as the fourth-year review, the aim of which was to assess the early results of the RTCs. The role that CHSRF plays in facilitating the national network of RTCs is highlighted. The author concludes with reflections on what has worked well, what might be done differently and advice to others interested in developing graduate education based on the linkage and exchange model.