Center for Economic Research in Pakistan

What Center for Economic Research in Pakistan does

The Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) is a Lahore-headquartered, non-profit research institution founded in 2010 that delivers evidence-based research, advanced analytics, data collection (survey), and policy advisory services to public and private sector clients in Pakistan. Its service portfolio is organized around five functional offerings — Analytics, Survey, Policy Advisory, Learning Hub, and Research — supported by specialized Labs and applied across eleven thematic areas including Climate, Gender, Health, Labour Markets, Education, Institutions, Poverty Alleviation, Technology, Agriculture, Finance, and Taxation. The organization does not sell commercial products; instead it operates through grants, donor funding, and project-based advisory engagements, with its customer base spanning government ministries, private sector firms, and ecosystem-building initiatives.

The organization's technology stack is research- and analytics-centric rather than product-software centric, with no disclosed proprietary software, API, or SDK offerings. CERP's underlying capability rests on field experimentation, behavioral and experimental economics, primary survey data collection, and policy evaluation — exemplified by ongoing projects such as in-home growth monitoring field experiments in Pakistan and immigrant integration studies in Sweden. In 2025, CERP expanded into program-driven ecosystem building with two notable product launches: the Femtech Innovation Hub for Pakistan (FIHP), funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented with the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the Pakistan Energy Transition Roadmap (PETR) project developed with Princeton University.

CERP is led by co-founders Asim Ijaz Khwaja, Tahir Raza Shah Andrabi, and Atif Rehman Mian, with Imran Zia as Executive Vice President. Research leadership includes a Principal Investigator (Akib Khan, Uppsala PhD candidate), a Research Fellow (Eric Verhoogen, Columbia Associate Professor), and program management across Analytics and the Femtech Hub. The organization employs 101-250 people and distributes its work through direct research advisory, social media channels, a quarterly newsletter, and a podcast, targeting top-of-funnel engagement with policy stakeholders and the broader public.

Name

Center for Economic Research in Pakistan

Legal name

Center for Economic Research in Pakistan

Website

https://cerp.org.pk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Center for Economic Research in Pakistan is a Lahore-based non-profit research institution providing evidence-based analytics, surveys, and policy advisory services to government and private sector clients across eleven thematic areas including climate, health, gender, and education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lahore

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CERP is an impact-driven, non-profit research organization that conducts rigorous economic research, advanced analytics, survey-based data collection, capacity building, and policy advisory services for public and private sector clients in Pakistan. Its offerings are structured around thematic Labs (Climate, Gender, Labour Markets, Education, Health, Institutions, Poverty Alleviation, Technology, Agriculture, Finance, Taxation) and flagship initiatives including the Femtech Innovation Hub for Pakistan and the Pakistan Energy Transition Roadmap.

Product overview

CERP operates as a multi-faceted research organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include Analytics Services, Survey Services, Policy Advisory, and a Learning Hub, all supported by specialized research divisions (Labs) and thematic focus areas. Notable specialized initiatives include the Femtech Innovation Hub for Pakistan (FIHP) - Pakistan's first dedicated platform for women's health innovations launched in 2025, and the Pakistan Energy Transition Roadmap (PETR) project developed with Princeton University. The organization serves both public and private sectors with evidence-based research and advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Femtech Innovation Hub for Pakistan (FIHP): Pakistan's first dedicated platform for advancing women's health innovations, launched in 2025 in partnership with LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship and funded by the Gates Foundation.

Products and services

• Analytics Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Princeton University (Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance and Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025CERP collaborates with Princeton University on energy transition workshops and policy dialogues. The partnership focuses on addressing Pakistan's energy demands while paving the way for a low-carbon future through technical lectures, interactive group work, and high-level policy discussions.
• LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 27 February 2025LCE serves as the implementation partner for the Femtech Innovation Hub, delivering incubation, training, and business development support to startups in the women's health sector.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): Global development research NGO running randomized evaluations and policy advisory in low-income countries. Akib Khan of CERP previously worked at IPA, and both organizations operate rigorous evidence-generation models for development outcomes in similar geographies.
• J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab): MIT-based global research lab delivering randomized evaluations and policy engagement in developing countries. Eric Verhoogen is a J-PAL affiliated professor, and CERP shares J-PAL's evidence-based policy model across overlapping South Asia and gender themes.
• International Growth Centre (IGC): DFID- and FCDO-funded policy research organization driving inclusive growth in developing countries. CERP team members have prior IGC affiliation, and both organizations deliver economic research and policy advisory for government clients in similar sectors.
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): Global agricultural development and policy research institute delivering rigorous evidence on food, agriculture, and nutrition. CERP's Agriculture and Poverty themes overlap directly with IFPRI's mandate, and both convert research into policy advisory for developing-country governments.
• International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie): Evidence-gap-map and impact-evaluation organization funding and synthesizing development research globally. Comparable to CERP's survey and analytics services for development outcomes, with overlapping donor and government client base.

Regional players

• Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI): Pakistan-based think tank conducting policy research and advisory on sustainable development, climate, and governance. Competes directly with CERP for Pakistani government and multilateral policy mandates in overlapping thematic areas.
• Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE): Government-affiliated Pakistani economics research institution focused on development economics and policy. Shares CERP's domestic research mandate and competes for government analytical contracts in Pakistan.
• BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD): South Asian development research and governance institute under BRAC University focused on poverty, health, and gender research. Shares CERP's evidence-based model and PoP-level policy engagement, with a Bangladeshi rather than Pakistani footprint.

Broad incumbents

• World Bank Development Research Group: Global multilateral research arm producing flagship development economics research and country diagnostics. CERP staff have prior World Bank affiliations, and the Bank sets the methodological bar CERP benchmarks against for evidence-based policy work.

Emerging players

• Centre for Policy Research (CPR India): India-based public policy think tank delivering research and advisory across governance, climate, and economic reform. Closest South Asian analogue to CERP's integrated research-plus-policy-advisory model, though serving a different national market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEqWYdrUpd396E7sHrpnEzA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CERPakistan
• LinkedInpk.linkedin.com/company/cerpakistan
• Instagraminstagram.com/cerpakistan
• Xx.com/CERPakistan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Economic Research in Pakistan