Commission Research

The Center may review requests from public, civil-society, academic, international, commercial, media, research, and professional organizations, consortia, and projects. Organization type does not guarantee acceptance; fit, ethics, safety, capacity, and rights are reviewed.

• Public-opinion polling or trend research.
• Governance, civic participation, or electoral research.
• Social or economic research.
• Humanitarian or development research and needs assessment.
• Monitoring, evaluation, or learning.
• Market or consumer research.
• Data collection and fieldwork management.
• Data analysis, reporting, or dashboards.
• Research design and methodological advisory.
• Training and capacity development.

A short description is sufficient even where methodology has not been defined. Helpful information includes:

• Problem or decision requiring information.
• Questions to be answered.
• Relevant groups and locations.
• Approximate timing and budget where known.
• Deliverables, audience, and language.
• Existing data, instruments, or documents.
• Risk, constraints, or procurement requirements.

A request may begin as “we want to know what people think” or “we need to evaluate the program.” The Center clarifies the concept, measurement, population, comparison, and intended decision before proposing method, sample, instrument, and analysis.

Initial review may address objective, access, identifying-data needs, ethical risk, sample-frame quality, timeline, and publication and data rights. Discussion does not constitute acceptance or capacity reservation.

• Understanding of the assignment and questions.
• Scope, methodology, and sample.
• Fieldwork, quality, and ethics plan.
• Team and responsibilities.
• Deliverables, formats, and languages.
• Timeline and milestones.
• Assumptions and commissioner inputs.
• Budget and payment terms.
• Exclusions and change-management steps.

• Number of areas and groups and access difficulty.
• Sample size, mode, and instrument length.
• Recruitment, lists, or translation.
• Travel, security, and permits.
• Number of waves and deliverables.
• Analysis, dashboards, and languages.
• Commissioner review and approvals.
• Sensitive-data processing or secure environments.

1. Scope and contract or purchase order.
2. Kickoff and implementation plan.
3. Design, instrument, sample, and review.
4. Pilot and training.
5. Data collection and quality assurance.
6. Cleaning and analysis.
7. Draft and review.
8. Delivery or publication and data closeout.

Larger assignments may use an inception document covering questions, concepts, instruments, sample, analysis, quality, ethics, deliverables, responsibilities, and risks. It is a change-management reference, not a substitute for the contract.

• Provide an authorized contact.
• Provide accurate and timely information.
• Identify legitimate legal or institutional constraints.
• Facilitate lawful access without pressuring participants.
• Review drafts within scope and time.
• Avoid interference in findings.
• Meet payment obligations and protect received materials.

• Deliver the agreed scope professionally.
• Inform the commissioner of material risk, delay, or change.
• Protect participants and data.
• Document instruments, versions, and quality.
• Analyze independently.
• Deliver agreed outputs.
• Correct material errors under policy.

Commissioners may comment on institutional facts, clarity, confidentiality, and scope. They may not remove a valid finding, force an unsupported interpretation, or add political or promotional claims. Reasons for accepting or rejecting material changes are documented.

Changes to questions, areas, sample, deliverables, or schedule are assessed for cost, time, quality, and contract effect. Major changes are not assumed to be included in the original price or timeline.

Outputs may include technical reports, executive briefs, tables, charts, data, codebooks, presentations, dashboards, methodology notes, or findings workshops. Arabic, English, accessibility, and format requirements are agreed and language consistency reviewed.

The agreement determines public or confidential status, publication authority, and what may appear in the Center’s portfolio. Restricted findings are not published merely because the Center produced them, and the Center is not required to issue a misleading public description.

• Ownership of report, data, instrument, and code.
• Center rights for methodological or institutional use.
• Funder or partner rights.
• Data sharing or access conditions.
• Name and logo use.
• Duration, territory, language, and adaptations.

The need for names, contact, recording, and location is reviewed; data are minimized, identifiers separated, and access, retention, and transfer defined. The Center may refuse or redesign work where participants cannot be protected or the purpose is targeting, punishment, or discrimination.

Closure, violence, displacement, or communication failure may require suspension, mode change, or reduced coverage. Safety takes priority, effects are documented, and findings are not presented as coverage that was not achieved.

The Center may engage researchers, experts, or partners with defined roles, confidentiality, quality, and data-protection requirements. Inclusion of a specialist in a proposal does not guarantee availability before agreement.

Requests for proposals, terms of reference, prequalification documents, or vendor-registration materials may be submitted. Deadlines, templates, requirements, and disclosed budgets should be included. The Center may decline where conditions conflict with independence, method, or capacity.

Agreements define currency, tax, milestones, invoices, and payments. Work may be suspended because of delayed inputs, approvals, payment, or risk. Cancellation terms address completed work, noncancellable commitments, and material handover.

• Fabrication or predetermined findings.
• Promotional polling presented as independent research.
• Undisclosed political or commercial targeting.
• Reidentification or participant contact from research data.
• Pressure on participants or dependent groups.
• Work that cannot be conducted safely or lawfully.
• Use of the Center’s name or logo before approval.

• Is the question clear?
• Who will use the finding and why?
• Who should be included?
• What areas and period?
• What data exist?
• What deadline and budget?
• Are there sensitive data or risks?
• Is publication public or restricted?
• Who holds decision and review authority?

Use the Research Request Form to provide initial information. Not every field must be final, but clarity supports feasibility review and a better scope.

Submit a Research Request

A complete methodology is not required at first contact. The commissioner should initially explain the problem, decision, audience, questions, timing, and available resources. The Center proposes design options and explains trade-offs, while a final commitment requires an agreed written scope.

• Required approvals or permissions.
• Availability of lists, frames, or program data used in the design.
• Access to relevant areas and populations.
• Commissioner cooperation in factual and document review within schedule.
• Availability of agreed translation, tools, or facilities.
• No contextual change making the design invalid or unsafe.

Each party identifies an authorized contact, meeting and progress-report schedule, decision-approval method, and secure file channel. Fragmented comments from multiple persons do not change scope unless approved through the agreed process.

The agreement states whether delivery includes raw, cleaned, or deidentified data, codebooks, code, recordings, instruments, tables, and design files. Material that consent, rights, or protection prevents from being transferred is excluded, and sensitive files use secure transfer.

The contract may define a review period, number of comment rounds, and acceptance criteria. Errors and scope comments are addressed, but acceptance is not used to impose a finding, remove a limitation, or turn the report into promotional messaging.

Conflict, closure, communications failure, disaster, or legal change may affect projects. The agreement addresses effects on time, cost, scope, and safety, and options for suspension, amendment, termination, and delivery of completed work.

1. Approve final deliverables or document remaining matters.
2. Deliver authorized files and a version list.
3. Settle payments, procurement, or assets where applicable.
4. Confirm retention, deletion, and access.
5. Document later corrections and contact channels.
6. Conduct a learning or close-out session where appropriate.

Post-delivery support may include presentation, interpretation, use support, additional tables, or updates. The agreement identifies what is included and what requires a new assignment, and the Center cannot guarantee how another party uses findings beyond agreed limits.

Start the Research Request Form Send a General Inquiry