What Overseas Development Institute (ODI) does

Overseas Development Institute (ODI), operating as ODI Global since its 2024 rebrand, is a London-headquartered independent, non-partisan think tank founded in 1960 and registered as a charity in England and Wales (charity number 228248). It produces policy research, advisory services, and convening activity on international development and humanitarian issues, employing 220+ staff across eight thematic programmes: Climate and Sustainability, Development and Public Finance, Digital Societies, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Global Risks and Resilience, Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), International Economic Development Group (IEDG), and Politics and Governance. Its primary clients are governments, multilateral institutions, NGOs, foundations, and academic partners; named counterparties include the UK Government (FCDO), the G20 South Africa Presidency, the AfCFTA Secretariat, Multilateral Development Banks, and the Syria Finance Ministry.

ODI does not sell a unified software product. Its "technology" base is its intellectual property and content library, including the Think Change podcast (100+ episodes), the Dynamic Drylands and Small Islands Big Picture podcast series, the ALIGN gender norms platform, the GAGE longitudinal study following 20,000 adolescents, the This Week in Macroeconomics briefing, the SITA programme, the RESI initiative, the Centre for Geopolitics of Global Change, the Centre for Private Finance in Development, the Digital Public Finance Hub, the Donors in a Post-Aid World (dPAW) project, and the ODI Fellowship Scheme, which has placed 1,300+ economists in developing-country governments over 60 years. Publications are distributed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

ODI is funded through a multi-donor grant model drawing on foundation grants, bilateral government contributions (notably UK International Development), multilateral agency partnerships, private-sector support, and academic collaboration. Commercial revenue is generated by ODI Global Advisory, a wholly-owned subsidiary that provides paid consultancy to governments and multilaterals and donates all profits back to the charity. The 2026–2031 strategy signals continued expansion into digital public finance, geopolitics of global change, and small-island developing states.

Name

Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

Legal name

ODI Global

Website

https://odi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ODI Global is a London-based independent think tank founded in 1960 that produces policy research, advisory services, and convening on international development for governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and foundations, employing 220+ staff across eight thematic programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Policy Research

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG), Inclusive Trade (Gender, Youth, Marginalized Groups) (BPADAMAM), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• International development research
• Policy advisory services
• Humanitarian policy analysis
• Development finance research
• Global governance think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation and NGO Grants: ODI receives grants and donations from foundations and non-governmental organisations to fund research programmes and policy work across climate, development, and humanitarian areas.
2. Government Funding: Support from governments including bilateral development agencies for specific research projects and advisory services.
3. Multilateral Agency Support: Funding and partnerships with multilateral agencies including UN bodies, World Bank, and regional development banks for research and technical assistance.
4. Private Sector Partnerships: Support and partnerships from the private sector for specific research initiatives and advisory work.
5. Advisory Services Revenue: ODI Global Advisory, a wholly owned subsidiary, engages in activities to earn income for the mission. It donates all profits to ODI Global.
6. Academic Partnerships: Support and collaboration with academic institutions for joint research and knowledge exchange.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ODI Global is an independent think tank that produces evidence-based policy research, advisory services, publications, podcasts, and convenes stakeholders on international development, humanitarian policy, climate, gender equality, and global economic governance. It operates programmes including the Climate and Sustainability programme, Humanitarian Policy Group, International Economic Development Group, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion programme, and runs the ODI Fellowship Scheme placing economists in developing country governments. Advisory services are delivered through its wholly-owned subsidiary ODI Global Advisory to governments and multilateral institutions.

Product overview

ODI Global is a leading think tank that offers a portfolio of research services, publications, podcasts, and advisory programmes rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include expert analysis and policy research across multiple thematic areas (climate, development finance, digital societies, gender equality, global risks, humanitarian policy, and international economic development). Key products include the Think Change Podcast series, the ALIGN and GAGE knowledge platforms, research centres like the Centre for Private Finance in Development and Centre for Geopolitics of Global Change, the Digital Public Finance Hub, and initiatives such as RESI (Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative) and dPAW (Donors in a Post-Aid World). ODI also produces publications including This Week in Macroeconomics and runs the 60-year-old ODI Fellowship Scheme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALIGN Platform: Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms - platform bringing together global research on gender norms
• Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG)
• Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• International Economic Development Group (IEDG)
• GAGE

Products and services

• ODI Global Advisory A wholly-owned advisory subsidiary providing consultancy services to governments, multilateral agencies, and development partners on a consultancy basis, with profits donated back to ODI Global.
• ODI Fellowship Scheme

Quantifiable outcome

• ODI helped activate complex reform of Multilateral Development Banks to reshape mandates, expand lending, and streamline operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• TradeMark AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TradeMark Africa for convening closed-door discussions on building mineral value chains for African, G7 and European industrial futures.
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODI works in partnership with the AfCFTA Secretariat, with support from UK International Development, to support the negotiations and implementation of the AfCFTA through the SITA programme.
• NETWORK FOR RURAL AFFAIRS (NEAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODI Global and NEAR's Advisory Panel on the Future of Humanitarian Action focuses on proposals for transforming humanitarian action through an ecosystem approach.
• G20 South AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerODI provides analysis and strategic insights to G20 processes, including South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency dialogue on trade, economics, and development cooperation.
• Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) Advisory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPG's Integrated Programme is designed in consultation with its Advisory Group, bringing together humanitarian policy expertise to guide research priorities.
• SPARC ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) programme producing the Dynamic Drylands podcast on resilience in drylands of Africa and Middle East.
• GAGE Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGender and Adolescence: Global Evidence programme involves consortium partners conducting the largest global study on adolescents following 20,000 girls and boys.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based independent international affairs think tank covering global policy, geopolitics, and development. Directly comparable to ODI as a UK-rooted, independent policy research organisation serving governments and multilaterals, though Chatham House is broader in scope and security-focused.
• Institute of Development Studies (IDS): UK-based research and learning organisation focused on international development. Closely comparable to ODI in mission, funding model (grant + commissioned research), and policy advisory offering, with overlapping thematic areas in climate, gender, and governance.
• Center for Global Development (CGD): Washington DC-based think tank producing research on global development, aid effectiveness, and development finance. Directly comparable to ODI's Development and Public Finance programme, with similar donor and government advisory orientation.
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): London-based policy research organisation working on climate, sustainable development and inclusive urbanisation. Closely comparable to ODI as a UK-rooted international development think tank with similar donor base and policy advisory approach.
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): Washington DC-based research institute within the CGIAR system focused on food policy, agriculture, and development economics. Comparable to ODI in its development economics research mandate, donor base, and policy advisory to governments and multilaterals.
• International Growth Centre (IGC): London-based research organisation funded by FCDO providing evidence on growth and development in developing countries. Directly comparable to ODI on development economics, advisory to developing-country governments, and FCDO funding base.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: Larger US-based policy think tank with international economics and development programmes. Comparable in policy research depth and convening power, but broader in scope across domestic and international policy and significantly larger.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): US-based bipartisan policy research organisation with programmes spanning geopolitics, development and economic policy. Comparable in scale and convening power to ODI's Centre for Geopolitics of Global Change, with broader portfolio.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: US-based global network think tank on international peace, governance and economic policy. Comparable to ODI in independent, non-partisan policy research positioning and convening authority, though larger and more geopolitically broad.

Regional players

• German Development Institute (DIE/GDI): Bonn-based German government-affiliated think tank on global development and international cooperation. Comparable to ODI in policy advisory mandate, but primarily German-funded with stronger European policy framing rather than UK-anchored.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/odidev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAl18VyldcUawB6kyx9HKsw
• Facebookfacebook.com/odi.development
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odi
• Instagraminstagram.com/odi.global

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Overseas Development Institute (ODI)