Social Policy Research Institute

What Social Policy Research Institute does

SPRI Global is a Belgium-based not-for-profit research institute and think tank that specializes in social protection, poverty research, and child well-being analysis. The organization operates as a consultancy for governments, multilateral agencies including UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, the World Bank, and the ILO, and development partners across more than 40 countries. Its core service offerings span multidimensional poverty and inequality research using the proprietary MODA (Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis) methodology, policy advisory and technical support, capacity-building programs including Training of Trainers delivered in 70+ instances, and applied data analytics for evidence generation in social policy.

The organization's revenue model is project-based consulting and grant-funded research, with revenue derived from contracts with UN agencies and government clients. Its technology stack includes applied AI/ML for predictive analytics, Proxy Means Testing (notably in Malawi), geospatial analysis, natural language processing for text analysis, and digital social registry design. SPRI Global has built a Training of Trainers ecosystem with the ITC-ILO, and recent product extensions include AI literacy training and digital innovation training. Pricing is per-engagement with project deliverables tied to country offices, and customer relationships are anchored in long-running UN-system partnerships.

Name

Social Policy Research Institute

Legal name

Social Policy Research Institute

Website

https://spriglobal.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SPRI Global is a Belgium-based not-for-profit research institute providing social protection, multidimensional poverty analysis, and capacity building services to governments, UNICEF, UN agencies, and development partners across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy Research and Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Social protection research
• Poverty analysis services
• Policy advisory consulting
• Capacity building training
• Multidimensional poverty measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Ranst

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Consultancy Services: SPRI Global generates revenue through commissioned research studies and consultancy engagements with governments, UN agencies, and development partners. Services include policy analysis, poverty assessments, and program evaluations delivered on a project basis.
2. Capacity Building and Training: The organization provides specialized training workshops, tailored capacity-building programmes, and courses in social protection policy design and research techniques. Training is delivered independently and in partnership with international organizations and academic institutions.
3. Research Grants and Partnerships: As a not-for-profit research institute, SPRI Global receives funding through partnerships with international organizations including UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, World Bank, and bilateral development agencies for research initiatives and policy advisory work.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SPRI Global is a not-for-profit research institute and think tank that delivers research-based consultancy services in poverty and social protection. Its core offerings include multidimensional poverty analysis, policy analysis and advisory support, capacity building and training, and policy simulations, costings, and impact evaluations. Services are commissioned by governments, UN agencies, and development partners and are delivered through project-based engagements by a team of academic experts and practitioners with experience at UNICEF, World Bank, ILO, and universities.

Product overview

SPRI Global operates as a not-for-profit research institute providing research-based consultancy services rather than a unified software product. Its core offering encompasses four integrated service lines: Technical Support & Evidence Generation (poverty analysis, policy simulations, data platforms), Capacity Building & Training (workshops, courses, e-learning), Policy Analysis & Advisory, and Advocacy. Supporting these services are digital tools including interactive data platforms/dashboards and digital social registries/MIS. The company also offers specialized training courses in AI literacy, digital innovation, gender-responsive policy, child-sensitive social protection, and poverty measurement. The portfolio spans both services and capacity-building products delivered globally to governments and international organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Support & Evidence Generation Services
• Capacity Building & Training Services
• Policy Analysis & Advisory Services
• AI Literacy, Ethics, and Governance Training
• Digital Innovation in Social Protection Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 55 percent of Kenyan children found multidimensionally poor in Brighter Futures study using MODA methodology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPRI Global works extensively with UNICEF across multiple country offices including Tanzania, Malaysia, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Jordan, Libya, Nigeria, Malawi, Indonesia, Yemen, Eswatini, and regional offices. Partnerships involve commissioned research, child poverty analyses, social protection system assessments, and capacity building programs.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on gender-responsive policy analysis and women's empowerment research, including joint publications on women's empowerment measures and gender equality studies in Kenya and other countries.
• UNDPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for social protection policy support and poverty analysis across developing countries, contributing to SDG-aligned development goals.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on poverty research and social protection analysis, with World Bank represented in SPRI's client and partner network for development research initiatives.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on child poverty research and analysis, including contributions to reports such as the Economic Case for Investing in Children.
• ITC-ILO (International Labour Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Training of Trainers programs for social protection systems, including masterclasses on social protection design, financing, and delivery from a systems approach.
• GIZmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership on social protection and health initiatives, including support for Cambodia's IDPoor Programme and Gambia's social protection system expansion.
• Tilburg UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for research collaboration and knowledge exchange in social policy and development economics.
• Thammasat UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for course delivery and academic collaboration on social protection training in Southeast Asia region.
• University of Gadjah MadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for social protection training and research activities in Indonesia.
• Maastricht University / UNU-MERITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership including associated expert Dr. Zina Nimeh who runs UNU-MERIT's School of Governance MA specialization in Social Protection Policy Financing and Budgeting.
• National Statistical OfficescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with national statistical offices across multiple countries including Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Rwanda National Institute of Statistics, Yemen Central Statistics Organization, and others for poverty analysis and capacity building.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Center for Global Development (CGD): CGD is a larger, well-established think tank producing research on global development, poverty, and aid effectiveness. It operates at a broader scale than SPRI Global and competes for the attention of the same donor and policy audiences.
• World Bank Group on Poverty and Inequality: The World Bank's poverty and inequality platform is a much larger incumbent that funds, produces, and often procures the same kinds of poverty diagnostics and social protection assessments that SPRI Global delivers. It is both a partner and a competitor for many of SPRI's country-level engagements.

Direct peers

• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): ODI is a leading global development think tank producing research and policy advice on poverty, social protection, and inequality. It is highly comparable in its combination of commissioned research, advisory services, and capacity building for governments and multilaterals.
• Institute of Development Studies (IDS): IDS is a UK-based global research and teaching organisation on international development. It serves overlapping clients (DFID/FCDO, UN agencies, governments) with comparable research, advisory, and postgraduate capacity building offerings, and is a benchmark for academic-affiliated development think tanks.
• Development Pathways: Development Pathways is a specialist consultancy providing advice on social protection, social policy, and gender equality to governments and donor agencies. It is a close niche competitor, particularly on social protection system design and shock-responsive programming.
• Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI): OPHI is a research centre at the University of Oxford focused on multidimensional poverty measurement and the Alkire-Foster method. It is the most direct peer to SPRI Global, working on overlapping methodologies (MODA vs MPI), serving the same UN/government clients, and producing comparable policy analyses.
• International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG/UNDP): IPC-IG is a UNDP-hosted research centre focused on social protection and poverty reduction in developing countries. It produces similar research outputs, training programmes, and policy advice for governments, and is a direct competitor for UNDP and government social protection engagements.
• German Development Institute (DIE/GDI): IDOS (formerly DIE) is a German policy-oriented research institute on global development and sustainable development goals. It provides comparable research-based consultancy and policy advice to BMZ, GIZ, and multilateral organisations, often on overlapping themes of social protection and inclusive growth.
• UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti: UNICEF Innocenti is the agency's dedicated research arm on child well-being, producing similar flagship reports on multidimensional child poverty and social protection. It both partners with and competes against SPRI Global for UNICEF country office commissions.

Emerging players

• Maastricht University / UNU-MERIT (School of Governance): UNU-MERIT's School of Governance runs an MA specialisation in Social Protection Policy Financing and Budgeting, with associated expert Zina Nimeh affiliated to SPRI Global. It is a partner in academic capacity building and a partially overlapping player in social protection research and training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spriglobal
• Xx.com/spriglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/spriglobal

Compliance1 record

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 Social Policy Research Institute