Despite a burgeoning literature on, and widespread interest in, knowledge translation and exchange in public health, few articles provide an account of the actual experiences of knowledge brokerage organisations. The Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP) was formed in 2008 to: identify public health interventions that equitably address major health priorities; foster collaboration between public health stakeholders; and build capacity for collaborative intervention research. We describe the model used by SCPHRP and lessons learnt over three years. Intermediate evaluation of the SCPHRP model provides early indications of success in terms of achieving the organisation's aims.