Since 2004, the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (INPES) has supported the establishment of "centers of expertise" in health education across the regions through a call for proposals. These platforms offer local stakeholders leading community-based health education initiatives the following shared resources: methodological guidance, project design, training, resource support, and evaluation. This initiative, which is nearing completion across France, follows the development of regional health education plans (SREPs). In 2006, the Ddeset of the INPES conducted a pre-evaluation study to subsequently develop an evaluation protocol for the competence hubs. The study aimed to identify the perceptions of decision-makers and project leaders regarding the hubs; it was conducted in two regions: Burgundy and Midi-Pyrénées. The goal was to subsequently focus the future evaluation on themes corresponding to the stakeholders’ concerns. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews led by three sociologists with approximately forty stakeholders from central and decentralized government agencies (Regional and Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Affairs—DRASS/DDASS, National Education, Youth and Sports), local authorities, thematic or general-interest associations (regional and departmental health education committees—Cres/Codes) in the field of health education, mutual insurance companies, and the Health Insurance Fund. Stakeholders were asked about: - the conditions for implementing the hubs; - the factors facilitating their establishment; - the constraints and difficulties encountered; - their expectations and suggestions for improvement; - the impact of establishing the hubs (for example, have they facilitated the development of new partnerships?). What lessons can be drawn from this pre-evaluation study for the development of an evaluation protocol for the hubs? Among other things, the study revealed a variety of expected outcomes from the cluster. These included: improving practices or the quality of health education initiatives; enhancing the competencies of health education stakeholders; fostering a shared culture; and developing partnerships, etc. Identifying these objectives is indeed crucial for future evaluation. The conditions for establishing the hub were also analyzed, revealing a number of enablers and obstacles to the implementation of the initiative. The strengths and challenges likely to affect the hub’s effectiveness were also identified. Stakeholders from both regions also shared their expectations regarding the national level. In terms of the overall evaluation of the initiative, this pre-evaluation phase provided insights regarding methodology, particularly concerning the composition of the sample of stakeholders to be interviewed. [author’s abstract]