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This paper describes a partnership between researchers and policy actors that was developed within a short timeframe to produce a rapid appraisal case study of a government policy initiative – South Australia’s Social Inclusion Initiative – for the Social Exclusion Knowledge Network of the international Commission on Social Determinants of Health. The paper does not focus on the case study findings or content, but rather on the researcher–policy actor partnership that developed in the process of producing the case study and its report. The paper is set against the broader literature on researcher–policy collaboration and is written to share lessons that may help others quickly establish or improve researcher–policy partnerships. It sets out six key elements for success in a framework for partnership that can meet policy rather than academic timeframes and which can effectively co-produce knowledge that meets both research and policy objectives.