This is a blog post discussing the challenges faced by the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa project , a four year multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary (or cross-boundary, this refers to the involvement of practitioners and other stakeholders) project on zoonoses, ecosystems and wellbeing in Africa. The argument is essentially that the complex interactions needed to ensure that such a project fulfills its potential are possible but time consuming and far from easy. One conclusion was that optimal conditions for the intended collaboration were really only achieved at the end of the four year project. The post is not specifically about engagement but the issues it discusses are entirely relevant to any engagement intended to genuinely 'co-create' knowledge.