Research capacity building is a process by which individuals and organizations develop skills and infrastructure resulting in greater ability to conduct useful research. Frequently, research quality and productivity measures focus on outcomes, such as peer-reviewed publications or grants awarded. Such distal measures are not informative when measuring initial stages of research, a common situation in low- and middle-income countries. This study used Cooke's six-principle framework to assess the progress of an autism research collaborative in northern Mexico. We established 64 criteria across the six principles and rated them as Not Started, In Progress, or Achieved, based on narratives and process documentation collected for this purpose. Ratings were established for the years 2018, 2020, and 2022, which correspond to Years 5, 7, and 9 since the beginning of the collaborative, respectively. As of 2022, Principles 2 and 3 ("Close to practice" and "Linkages, collaborations, and partnerships," respectively) had all begun; no criteria were rated as Not started. The principles with the highest Achieved rates were "Linkages, collaborations, and partnerships" (90%), and "Infrastructure" (Principle 6, 70%). Cooke's research capacity building framework is a useful way to monitor progress of research capacity building and contribute to harmonious development of relevant principles at different levels.