Relationships and reciprocity are essential for building the trust in community‐based projects necessary for successful engagement. The importance of developing long‐term relationships is essential for CBA, along with the need for regular interaction with communities and emphasis on the sharing and discussion of results. For students engaged in relatively short‐term projects, the ability to contribute to existing or ongoing projects through larger team‐based and collaborative projects is important for maintaining long‐term commitments, and to avoid short‐term ‘parachuting in’ of researchers. Relationship building does not necessarily require researchers to spend extended time in communities, although depending on the situation it can be helpful, and needs to be assessed on a case‐by‐case basis. Because a key component of CBA involves communities leading and partaking in the research process, continuous research presence could undermine this. The ability of researchers to ‘let go’ of successful projects and give space for communities to establish ownership over them is also important.