As part of a broader study on Indigenous illegal drug use, the authors undertook skills training to increase cross-cultural mutual understanding of the often different approaches and methodologies between research and practice, as well as Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal understandings of these approaches. The study and the skills transfer training were part of a longer-term partnership between Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. The authors describe the skills transfer process involving specific training in the ethical issues relating to research generally and this particular study, research funding processes, basic epidemiological and biostatistical concepts, and aspects of interviewing and questionnaire design. They use five vignettes to illustrate how the skills transfer process fulfilled their broader aim related to the ethical conduct of research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. (Contains 2 footnotes and 2 tables.)