Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia

What Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia does

CIRCA (Culturally Inclusive Research Centre Australia) is the specialist research and evaluation arm of Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd, an Australian private company founded in 1994 by Pino Migliorino. Operating from Redfern, NSW, CIRCA delivers culturally sensitive qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation services to Commonwealth and State government departments, NGOs, market research firms (as a subcontractor), and corporate clients. Its portfolio covers program evaluations (process, formative, and outcome), concept testing and campaign research, social and developmental research, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, organisational reviews, online surveys and discussion forums, and training workshops. Notable engagements include the multi-year evaluation of the Australian Government Department of Health's Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program.

The firm's core methodology is its differentiated human capital and culturally grounded approach rather than proprietary software. CIRCA draws on a national network of nearly 60 Indigenous researchers plus bilingual research consultants speaking more than 20 community languages, and employs culturally specific techniques such as Indigenous Yarning evaluation and in-language focus groups segmented by language, gender, and age. It holds ISO 20252:2019 accreditation for Market, Opinion and Social research and is an ADIA member. Effective 16 August 2024, the firm rebranded from Cultural & Indigenous Research Centre Australia to Culturally Inclusive Research Centre Australia, broadening its stated remit beyond CALD and First Nations communities to include people with disability, youth, and other cultural groups.

Commercially, CIRCA operates as a boutique professional services firm generating revenue through project-based, quote-based engagements. Client acquisition is driven by reputation, direct outreach, industry conference participation (Australian Evaluation Society, The Research Society, FECCA), professional association presence, and recurring subcontractor relationships with tier-one Australian research firms such as Ipsos, Kantar Public, Bastion Insights, and Woolcott Research. CIRCA is privately held under Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd, has no disclosed external institutional investors, and does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing.

Name

Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia

Legal name

Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd

Website

https://circaresearch.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIRCA is the research and evaluation arm of Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd, providing culturally sensitive qualitative and quantitative research to Australian government, NGOs, and tier-one market research firms, with a national network of nearly 60 Indigenous researchers and bilingual consultants covering 20+ community languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Research and Evaluation Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Consulting & Market Suitability Review (MPAAANAF)

Keywords

• Culturally sensitive research
• Social research evaluation
• CALD community research
• Indigenous research services
• Market opinion research

Headquarters

HQ city

Redfern

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and Evaluation Services: CIRCA generates revenue through providing professional research and evaluation services to government, business, and NGO sector clients. Projects include program evaluations, concept testing, campaign research, social research, and organizational reviews on a project-by-project basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIRCA provides culturally sensitive research and evaluation services for government, business, and NGO clients. It specializes in qualitative and quantitative research methods with diverse communities including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, and people with disability. The firm conducts in-language focus groups, program evaluations, concept testing, organizational reviews, and community consultations delivered through a national network of nearly 60 Indigenous and bilingual research consultants.

Product overview

CIRCA (Culturally Inclusive Research Centre Australia) operates as a research and evaluation consultancy offering a portfolio of services rather than a unified software product. The core offering consists of qualitative and quantitative research services, evaluation frameworks, and community consultation methodologies. Services include process/formative/outcome evaluations, concept testing, campaign research, organizational reviews, and training workshops. The company specializes in culturally sensitive research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, CALD communities, and people with disabilities, speaking more than 20 community languages. Notable specialized evaluations include the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program evaluation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Evaluation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ projects completed for 150+ clients over 20+ years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bastion InsightsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Bastion Insights contracted CIRCA to conduct concept testing research for SafeWork NSW campaigns targeting CALD communities.
• Woolcott Research and EngagementminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Woolcott Research engaged CIRCA as part of a broader research project for Heritage NSW to consult with CALD and First Nations communities in NSW.
• Parenting Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Parenting Research Centre engaged CIRCA and Deakin Health Economics to collaborate in the evaluation of the Taikurtirna Tirra-apinthi program, a child protection and family support initiative developed by KWY Aboriginal Corporation.
• Deakin Health EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Deakin Health Economics collaborated with CIRCA and Parenting Research Centre on the Taikurtirna Tirra-apinthi evaluation, contributing to design and cost-effectiveness analyses.
• University of Melbourne - Melbourne InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019CIRCA was part of an evaluation consortium with University of Melbourne (lead), Centre for Evidence and Implementation, RMIT and Monash University to evaluate the NSW Future Directions for Social Housing policy reform. CIRCA contributed tenant experience research capturing perspectives from Aboriginal, CALD and mainstream tenants.
• IpsosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIpsos engaged CIRCA to conduct concept testing with CALD communities for NSW government health campaigns on vaccination.
• Grosvenor Public Sector AdvisoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrosvenor contracted CIRCA to provide expert advisory services for Department of Education Victoria evaluation of refugee education programs.
• Sphere CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCIRCA worked with Sphere Company on demographic analyses of cemetery sales data and ABS data for Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries NSW research project.
• McNair yellowsquaresminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCIRCA partnered with McNair yellowsquares for quantitative data collection through population surveys for Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries NSW project.
• KWY Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKWY Aboriginal Corporation developed the Taikurtirna Tirra-apinthi program through intensive co-design with local community. CIRCA conducted evaluation of this program working with Aboriginal community controlled organisation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market and social research firm with significant Australian public sector work. Comparable because it commissions CIRCA for CALD concept testing while also competing independently in the broader social research space.
• Kantar Public: Global public sector research division of Kantar serving government and policy clients worldwide. Comparable because it both competes for and subcontracts to CIRCA on Australian social research and evaluation projects, representing a broader incumbent with overlapping capability.

Direct peers

• Parenting Research Centre: Australian research and evaluation organisation focused on children, families and communities. Comparable because it commissions CIRCA for evaluation of Aboriginal family support programs and operates in the same not-for-profit evaluation segment.
• Bastion Insights: Australian insights and research agency serving government and enterprise clients. Comparable because it delivers concept testing and campaign research and has subcontracted CIRCA for CALD focus groups, operating in the same delivery model.
• Grosvenor Public Sector Advisory: Australian public sector advisory and evaluation firm serving state and federal government. Comparable because it contracts CIRCA for refugee education evaluation work and competes for similar government evaluation mandates.
• McNair yellowsquares: Australian market and social research firm running quantitative and qualitative research for government and not-for-profit clients. Comparable because it partners with CIRCA on population survey work and competes for similar evaluation tenders.
• Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (UTS): University-based research institute conducting research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Comparable because it shares the same First Nations research mission and competes for Indigenous-focused research funding.
• Centre for Evidence and Implementation: Australia/UK-based research and evaluation organisation focused on social policy outcomes. Comparable because it co-delivered the NSW Future Directions for Social Housing evaluation with CIRCA, operating in the same program evaluation space.
• Woolcott Research and Engagement: Australian research and engagement firm delivering social, policy and CALD research for government clients. Comparable because it operates in the same project-based social research space and has engaged CIRCA as a specialist partner on Heritage NSW work.
• The Lowitja Institute: Australia's community-controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research institute. Comparable because it focuses on Indigenous-led research and evaluation, including in areas like tobacco control where CIRCA also operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/circaustralia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultural-and-indigenous-research-centre-australia-circa-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia