National Center for Social Research

What National Center for Social Research does

The National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) is a Greek Legal Entity of Public Law (Ν.Π.Δ.Δ.) and the only public research center in Greece dedicated exclusively to the social sciences, established in 1959 under the auspices of UNESCO and operating under the supervision of the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (ΓΓΕΚ) of the Ministry of Development and Investments. The institution is structured around two main institutes — the Institute of Social Research and the Institute of Political Research — and serves academic researchers, government ministries, regional authorities, and the European research community through social-science research, policy analysis, and survey methodology. EKKE is headquartered in Athens (Kratinou 9 and Athinas, Kotzia Square) and operates as a non-commercial public entity with 51-100 employees.

EKKE's core product portfolio is built around a research-infrastructure platform: the SoDaNet Migration Data Repository, the Surveys Hub for telephone / online / face-to-face data collection, the SocioScope cartographic visualization platform, the Panorama of Census Data spanning 1991-2011, and the EKKE Web Panel. These are supplemented by a publishing operation (the peer-reviewed Greek Review of Social Research with 55 years of history, books, e-books, and working papers) and education services (an inter-institutional Master's program in Social Innovation and survey-methodology seminars). The institution participates in European infrastructures including the European Social Survey (ESS-ERIC) since 2002 and the European CLARIN Language Resources network, and operates named sub-brands such as IMRU (migration research), LaSTcity (urban social transformations), the DOReMI Observatory, and the Strategic Foresight Unit.

The business model is non-commercial. Revenue is generated through state budget allocations via the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation, competitive European research grants (Horizon, Erasmus+, Greece 2.0 Recovery Fund), publication sales, and contracted research services for government and institutional clients. Customer segments are primarily the Hellenic government and its ministries, regional authorities, European universities and research institutions, and the broader European research community; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set through government contracts and institutional agreements. Marketing and distribution are event-driven — conferences, seminars, newsletters, podcasts, and participation in European research networks — rather than commercial sales.

Name

National Center for Social Research

Legal name

National Centre for Social Research

Website

https://ekke.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) is Greece's only public social-science research center, founded in 1959 under UNESCO auspices, serving government, academic, and European research communities with survey infrastructure, census data, and policy analysis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Social science research
• Survey infrastructure
• Policy research
• Data repository services
• Academic publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a public legal entity under public law (Νομικό Πρόσωπο Δημοσίου Δικαίου), EKKE receives government funding supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (ΓΓΕΚ)
2. European Research Funding: Funding from European programs including Horizon, Erasmus+, and Recovery Fund (Ελλάδα 2.0) for various research projects
3. Publication Sales: Sale of books, e-books, and journals including the Greek Review of Social Research
4. Research Services: Survey services, studies, evaluations, and data analysis provided to government and institutional clients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EKKE is a public research institution conducting social and political research in Greece. It operates survey infrastructure (Surveys Hub), data repositories (SoDaNet, Panorama of Census Data), visualization platforms (SoCiOSCOPE), publishes the Greek Review of Social Research journal and books, and delivers training programs including a Master's in Social Innovation. The center produces policy-oriented research, longitudinal studies, and social atlases for academic, governmental, and European institutional clients.

Product overview

The National Center for Social Research (EKKE/NCSR) operates as a platform of interconnected research infrastructure, publishing, and education services. Its core data products include the SoDaNet Migration Data Repository, the Surveys Hub for conducting telephone, online, and face-to-face surveys, the SoCiOSCOPE visualization and mapping platform, and the Panorama of Census Data. These are complemented by the EKKE Web Panel for online survey recruitment. On the publishing side, EKKE publishes the Greek Review of Social Research (peer-reviewed journal), books/e-books, and working papers with 55 years of publishing history. The center also offers education services through an inter-institutional Master's program in Social Innovation and survey methodology seminars (DO YOUR SURVEY). Additionally, it publishes online atlases (Thessaloniki, Athens, and Global) and produces a podcast series covering social research topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Surveys Hub: Infrastructure for conducting telephone, online, and face-to-face surveys
• SoDaNet
• Socioscope
• DOReMI Observatory
• LaSTcity Laboratory
• Strategic Foresight Unit
• IMRU
• Greek Review of Social Research
• Athens Social Atlas
• Thessaloniki Social Atlas

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducting European Social Survey rounds since 2002 with over 30 countries participating
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and standard.

• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-hosting the World Internet Project (WIP) 2026 Annual Meeting in Athens with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1959EKKE was founded in 1959 under the auspices of UNESCO, establishing its role as a leading institution for social research in Greece and the Mediterranean region
• European Social Survey (ESS-ERIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEKKE serves as the national coordinator for the European Social Survey in Greece, participating in rounds since 2002 and contributing to cross-national social research with over 30 European countries
• EKKEF Demosthenes (NCSR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Cooperation between EKKE and EKFE Demosthenes for collaborative research activities
• General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEKKE is supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (ΓΓΕΚ) of the Ministry of Development and Investments, receiving institutional funding and oversight
• JustReDI ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship action 'Resilience, Inclusion and Development: Towards a Just Green and Digital Transition of Greek Regions' implemented by consortium of Research Centers (EKKE, EIA, ATHENA, ELKETHE) and Universities (PADA, DIPAE)
• European CLARIN InfrastructurestandardTechnology or IntegrationCentral catalog of EKKE for language resources and services integrated into the European CLARIN research infrastructure
• SkillsPULSE ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Europe project with partners from Estonia, Poland, Ireland, Greece, Italy (coordinator), Finland, and UK addressing skills gaps in the digital economy

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pew Research Center: Major US-based nonpartisan public opinion and social research organization producing flagship survey series on social, political, and demographic trends. Operates at a much larger scale than EKKE but pursues the comparable mission of providing high-quality social research to inform public discourse and policy.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution affiliated with a major US university, running large-scale household surveys and policy research for government. A broader incumbent that shares EKKE's national-survey-infrastructure model and contract-research orientation, but at much greater scale and with broader portfolio (also covering health and economics).

Direct peers

• IFOP: France-based opinion and social research firm conducting public opinion polling, social surveys, and policy research for government and institutional clients. Comparable to EKKE's Surveys Hub in methodology (telephone/online/face-to-face) and in producing public-interest polling, but operating commercially rather than as a public legal entity.
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Germany's largest infrastructure provider for the social sciences and a publicly funded Leibniz Institute. GESIS operates comparable national research infrastructure (data archives, survey programs, methods training), is integrated into the same European Social Survey and CLARIN networks as EKKE, and is similarly funded through a mix of federal/state appropriations and competitive EU grants.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: Publicly funded German social science research institute conducting policy-oriented empirical research in areas including migration, democracy, and inequality — directly overlapping with EKKE's research streams. Operates with comparable (mid-sized) headcount and pursues European grant-funded and national mission-driven research in parallel.
• NatCen Social Research: UK's largest independent social research charity, running flagship surveys (British Social Attitudes) and contract research for government. Direct functional peer in mission (rigorous social science informing public policy), methods (large-scale surveys), and client base (government and public sector), though operating under charitable rather than public-law status.
• Netherlands Institute for Social Research | SCP: Dutch national public research institute producing social and policy research on behalf of government. Operates the closest structural analogue to EKKE: a single national public entity with a mandate to advise government using surveys, longitudinal datasets, and policy analysis — for a comparable single-country market.

Others

• European Social Survey ERIC: Pan-European research infrastructure consortium of which EKKE is the Greek national coordinator rather than a peer. Listed because the collaboration shapes EKKE's research portfolio and survey infrastructure standards; characterized as an ecosystem/partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ekke1995
• Xx.com/EKKEgr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/observatory-on-combating-discrimination

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Center for Social Research