NHS policies on research and development are aimed at creating a knowledge base for clinical, managerial and policy decisions. This is largely generated through fixed-term projects and through voluntary collaboration between projects and service providers. In this paper, two such projects are compared. They have some basic similarities but also some conspicuous differences. In the analysis, first the planning and launching of the projects are considered, and then their management. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the scheduling of the projects (and especially their fixed-term funding) and the process of collaboration with primary care practices.