What Recovery Research Institute does

Recovery Research Institute (RRI) is a non-profit addiction research and education organization founded in 2012 and based at 151 Merrimac Street in Boston, Massachusetts. It operates as an initiative of Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Psychiatry under the direction of founder Dr. John Kelly, a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. RRI produces and disseminates evidence-based information on substance use disorder treatment and recovery through a portfolio of interconnected resources: the Addictionary® (a registered trademark glossary of destigmatizing addiction terminology), Addiction 101 and Recovery 101 educational modules, the Recovery Bulletin (a monthly research-summaries newsletter), the Recovery Research Bibliography (over 5,000 curated citations updated quarterly across five major academic databases), a multimedia library of videos/podcasts/webcasts, and the CoARS research consortium coordinating 8 R24- and 3 R34-funded teams across multiple U.S. universities.

The underlying technology is an academic research stack built on systematic literature review methodology, bibliometric analysis, and Zotero-based citation management. RRI does not sell products or services; all resources are provided free of charge. The organization is funded through two principal revenue streams: individual donations processed via Massachusetts General Hospital's giving portal, and NIH/NIDA research grants underwriting the CoARS consortium and affiliated projects such as the Opioid Response Network and HEAL Connections collaborations. RRI's audience spans five distinct personas — individuals in recovery, family members, healthcare providers, addiction researchers and academics, and policy/public health professionals — reached through the recoveryanswers.org website, a monthly newsletter, six social media platforms, and conferences including the National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science.

Name

Recovery Research Institute

Legal name

Recovery Research Institute

Website

https://recoveryanswers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recovery Research Institute is a Boston-based non-profit that synthesizes and disseminates evidence-based addiction treatment and recovery science to individuals in recovery, families, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers, operating as an initiative of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The Recovery Research Institute is a donor-funded initiative. Donations are accepted through Massachusetts General Hospital's giving portal. The organization states that 'Your generosity makes our life-saving work possible' and that donations support life-saving research in addiction treatment and recovery, as well as community outreach and education.
2. Government Research Grants: The institute coordinates and participates in NIH/NIDA-funded research networks. The Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Multiple research teams receive R24 and R34 funding for recovery support services research.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recovery Research Institute is a non-profit research organization that synthesizes and disseminates evidence-based information about addiction treatment and recovery. It provides free digital educational resources through recoveryanswers.org, including a comprehensive addiction terminology glossary (Addictionary®), educational modules on addiction and recovery, a monthly Recovery Bulletin with research summaries, and a systematic living review database (Recovery Research Bibliography) containing over 5,000 scientific citations. The institute also coordinates the NIDA-funded Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) research network.

Product overview

Recovery Research Institute operates RecoveryAnswers.org as an educational and research website that aggregates and disseminates evidence-based information on addiction treatment and recovery. The platform offers multiple interconnected resources including Addictionary® (a terminology glossary), Addiction 101 and Recovery 101 educational modules, the Recovery Bulletin (research summaries), the Recovery Research Bibliography (academic citation database), multimedia content, and coordinates the CoARS research consortium. These resources are freely accessible educational materials rather than a commercial software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Addictionary: A resource providing unified language for addiction terminology to help destigmatize substance use disorders
• CoARS (Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science)
• Recovery Research Bibliography
• Recovery Bulletin

Products and services

• Addictionary® A comprehensive glossary and dictionary defining addiction-related terminology using evidence-based, destigmatizing language, including stigma alerts for terms that may be considered judgmental or harmful. Used by healthcare providers, researchers, and individuals seeking to communicate about substance use disorders accurately.
• Addiction 101
• Recovery 101
• Recovery Bulletin
• Recovery Research Bibliography
• Multimedia Library
• CoARS (Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science) A NIDA-funded research network coordinated by Dr. Aaron Hogue that advances the science on recovery support services through research networking, training, and community partnerships across 8 R24 and 3 R34 funded research teams.
• Research Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovery Research Bibliography contains over 5,000 scientific citations on recovery theory and research
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• HEAL ConnectionssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CoARS teams collaborate with HEAL Connections, including a Lived Experience Panel that brings together individuals with personal experience with substance use disorders to inform research priorities.
• Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) - Multiple Research InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018CoARS coordinates research across 8 R24 and 3 R34 funded research teams including: JEAP Initiative (Ashli Sheidow, Michael McCart), FIRST Research Network (Aaron Hogue), STARS (Robert Pack, Kimberly Horn), IRIS (Jay Unick, Michelle Tuten), Advancing Science on Recovery Community Centers (Bettina Hoeppner), CHEARR (Kristyn Zajac), PRIN (Jennifer Potter, Robert Ashford), and I-STARR (Amy Mericle, Carmen Masson).
• Opioid Response Network (ORN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018RRI is a partner in the Opioid Response Network, which provides education and resources on evidence-based opioid addiction treatment and recovery support services.
• Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Recovery Research Institute is an initiative of Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Psychiatry. The institute operates within the MGH research ecosystem, with Dr. John Kelly serving as Director and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. John Kelly serves as Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The institute benefits from academic affiliation with Harvard, contributing to research credibility and academic rigor.
• MGH Treadwell LibrarysupportingTechnology or IntegrationMelis Lydston, Knowledge Specialist for Research & Instruction at the Treadwell Library, developed and implemented the electronic search strategy for the Recovery Research Bibliography, conducting searches across Ovid MEDLINE, Embase.com, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and PsycInfo.
• The PhoenixsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA sober-active community organization. RRI conducted research examining the role of psychological safety in The Phoenix community, studying how recovery community organizations support members' wellbeing.
• Health through Flourishing Program, MGH PsychiatrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA research program at Massachusetts General Hospital's Psychiatry Department that partners with community organizations including Detroit Recovery Project, Northern Ohio Recovery Association, and PILLARS on research examining Recovery Community Centers serving Black communities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/recoveryanswers
• Facebookfacebook.com/RecoveryAnswers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recovery-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Recovery Research Institute