National Centre for Research

What National Centre for Research does

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) is a UK national research methods training and capacity-building centre established in 2004 at the University of Southampton with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation. NCRM operates as a Hub-Node network — the Coordinating Hub is hosted by the University of Southampton's School of Social Sciences, with partner nodes at the University of Manchester (methods@manchester) and the University of Edinburgh, plus a broader network of UK university collaborators. Its mission is to deliver training and resources at core and advanced levels across quantitative, qualitative, digital, creative, visual, mixed, and multimodal research methods for the social science research community.

NCRM's core products are organised across three layers: (1) a Training Courses and Events programme delivered as short courses, workshops, spring/summer/autumn schools, the biennial Research Methods Festival (now e-Festival), MethodsCon, and Research Methods Rendezvous; (2) the NCRM Resource Repository, hosting 100+ free online tutorials, video content, podcasts, and a publications catalogue (eprints.ncrm.ac.uk) dating back to 2004; and (3) Methods News, providing ongoing community content via the website, monthly newsletter, and social channels (X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, YouTube). The technology stack is a content-and-events platform rather than a software product: the website is built on WordPress (evidenced by GDPR Cookie Compliance plugin references), with training delivered both online (Zoom-based) and in-person at partner universities.

NCRM's business model is principally grant-funded through recurring multi-year ESRC block grants (currently Phase 5, 2020-2025), with the University of Southampton administering the portfolio. Commercial revenue is a secondary stream generated via training course fees, priced at £300 for students, £600 for academic/research institution staff, and £900 for other participants. Customer segments are academic researchers and PhD students (primary), plus research methods trainers and professional researchers in government, policy, consultancy, charities, and market research organisations (secondary). The organisation is not publicly traded, has no disclosed parent company, and operates within a UK geographic scope.

Name

National Centre for Research

Legal name

National Centre for Research Methods

Website

https://ncrm.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) is a UK-based, ESRC-funded research methods training centre established in 2004 at the University of Southampton, delivering courses, free online resources, and events on quantitative, qualitative, digital, and AI-augmented methods to social science researchers and PhD students across UK universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: NCRM charges fees for some training courses. Fees vary by participant category: students pay £300, academic/research institution staff pay £600, and other participants pay £900.
2. ESRC Funding: NCRM is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a National Centre. The University of Southampton administers the portfolio of projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCRM provides research methods training and resources for the social sciences research community, covering quantitative, qualitative, digital, creative, visual, mixed and multimodal methods. It delivers short courses, seasonal schools, festivals and conferences alongside a free online Resource Repository containing 100+ tutorials, podcasts and a publications catalogue dating from 2004.

Product overview

NCRM operates as a Hub-Node network of research groups delivering cutting-edge research methods training and capacity building across the UK. The organization offers a unified platform of educational products: (1) Training Courses and Events — a comprehensive programme of short courses, workshops, and schools covering quantitative, qualitative, digital, creative, visual, mixed and multimodal methods; (2) NCRM Resource Repository — free online learning resources including video tutorials, podcasts, and a publications catalogue dating to 2004; and (3) Methods News — news and blog content for the research community. These are complemented by large-scale events including Research Methods Festivals (e-Festivals), MethodsCon conferences, Research Methods Rendezvous sessions, and seasonal schools. The current Phase 5 (2020-2025) is funded by ESRC with the coordinating hub at the University of Southampton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCRM Training Courses and Events A comprehensive programme of research methods training at core and advanced levels, covering quantitative, qualitative, digital, creative, visual, mixed and multimodal methods. Delivered as short courses, workshops, spring/summer/autumn schools, and large events for UK social science researchers.
• NCRM Resource Repository Extensive online repository hosting free research methods tutorials, video content, podcasts, and publications catalogue spanning from 2004 to present, enabling self-paced learning in research methods.
• Research Methods Festival Large biennial research methods events, previously held in-person at UK universities (2010-2018) and now delivered as e-Festivals (2021, 2023) featuring 80-100 sessions over multiple days.
• MethodsCon Cross-sector conference on research methods futures, with the first held in September 2022 featuring 30+ sessions on health and social science methods, and a 2024 edition focused on futures themes.
• Research Methods Rendezvous Free innovative online initiative serving as inspiration, research incubator and networking opportunity for researchers, taking place multiple times per year.
• NCRM Spring, Summer and Autumn Schools Intensive multi-day training schools covering topics such as experimental methods, computational communication methods, visualization, and digital research methods, hosted at various UK universities.
• Online Tutorials Free research methods tutorials accessible through the NCRM Resource Repository, providing over 100 self-paced learning modules on various research methodologies.
• Training Materials for Trainers Curated materials and resources designed for teachers of research methods to use in their own educational programmes and course development.
• Publications Catalogue Extensive academic publications database dating back to 2004, containing research outputs from NCRM nodes and collaborative projects in research methods.
• In Conversation Videos Video discussion series featuring two or more experts exploring particular research methods or related topics, often coinciding with new book publications, available on NCRM's YouTube channel.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Co-ordinating Hub for NCRM is located at the University of Southampton, School of Social Sciences. The university administers the portfolio of projects and oversees data management, data protection and privacy rules.
• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in the NCRM Hub-Node network, collaborating on research methods training through methods@manchester. Hosts MethodsCon and other events.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution collaborating on research methods training. Hosted the 2024 NCRM Summer School on Large and Complex Social Surveys.
• University of BathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Research Methods Festival 2018 as part of the NCRM event series.
• University of ExeterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with NCRM to deliver the Computational Communication Methods Spring School in 2022 and 2023.
• NCRM Nodes (Historical)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of research groups across UK universities funded by ESRC as part of NCRM. Over different phases (2005-2014), nodes included LEMMA, MODE, NOVELLA, PATHWAYS, PEPA, TALISMAN, ADMIN, BIAS II, Lancaster-Warwick-Stirling, QUIC, Realities, and SIMIAN.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Coursera is a global online learning platform offering university-led courses including research methods specialisations. It is a broad incumbent competing with NCRM for paid participation in social science methods training, though NCRM's UK academic credibility and ESRC backing differentiates its offer.
• edX: edX is a global online university course platform hosting research methods courses from major universities. It competes with NCRM for international and self-paced learner audiences, though it lacks NCRM's UK ESRC-backed academic positioning and social science specialism.
• SAGE Research Methods: SAGE Research Methods is a major publisher-led platform hosting thousands of methods books, datasets, and case studies. It is the closest commercial direct competitor to NCRM's Resource Repository and training catalogue for social science researchers globally.

Regional players

• Nuffield Foundation: The Nuffield Foundation is a UK charitable foundation funding social science research, including methodological and data-focused programmes. It is comparable to NCRM as a UK-based institution shaping social science research capacity, though operating as a funder rather than a training provider.

Direct peers

• ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research): ICPSR is a US-based membership organisation at the University of Michigan providing social science data, methods training, and summer programmes. It is a direct international peer to NCRM's model of advanced research methods training and data infrastructure for social scientists.
• UK Data Service: The UK Data Service is an ESRC-funded national data infrastructure providing access to social science datasets and training for researchers. It directly overlaps with NCRM in serving UK social scientists with methodological training, data access guidance, and capacity building.
• ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK): ADR UK is an ESRC-funded national partnership making UK government administrative data available for research, with embedded training programmes. It is a direct peer to NCRM as another ESRC-funded national infrastructure organisation focused on enabling social science research in the UK.
• NatCen Social Research: National Centre for Social Research is the UK's largest independent social research organisation. It is a direct peer to NCRM in delivering social science research capability, methodological training, and research services to academic, government, and charity audiences in the UK.
• CLOSER (Cohort & Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources): CLOSER is a UK ESRC-funded national resource supporting longitudinal and cohort studies through training, data discovery, and methodological guidance. It is a direct UK peer to NCRM in delivering research methods training and capacity building within the UK social science ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Methodspace (SAGE): Methodspace is SAGE's online community and blog for researchers discussing research methods. It overlaps with NCRM's Methods News and free online tutorials as a free, online resource for the global social science research methods community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncrmuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NCRMUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esrc-national-centre-for-research-methods
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncrmuk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about National Centre for Research