What CIET does

CIET (Community Initiative for Empowerment and Training / Community Involvement in Evidence Translation) is a non-profit research organization founded around 1986 with primary operations in Canada and the United States. The organization conducts community-based participatory research and delivers training programs to support evidence-based public health planning. CIET works primarily with national and sub-national government health ministries, multilateral development agencies including WHO, World Bank, UNICEF, and WFP, and indigenous community organizations across more than 40 countries spanning North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, the Baltics, Asia, and the Middle East. Its portfolio includes social audits of public services, HIV prevention and AIDS trials capacity building, dengue control, maternal and child health interventions, indigenous health programs, and gender violence prevention research.

CIET's core offerings are research methodologies rather than commercial products. The proprietary toolkit includes the Social Audit methodology for community-led audits of public services, Sentinel Community Surveillance for affordable epidemiological monitoring using community-based data collection sites, Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping for integrating indigenous and Western knowledge systems, and CIETmap, a free GIS and epidemiology software for building population-weighted raster maps. The technology backbone is a mixed-methods research framework that combines participatory data collection with quantitative epidemiology and GIS visualization; CIETmap is the only software deliverable, distributed freely rather than as a licensed product. Academic publishing is a major output channel, with a peer-reviewed publication record spanning 1984-2024 in journals including BMJ and Lancet.

CIET operates as a grant-funded research organization with no commercial pricing model. Revenue is secured through research grants and contracts from government agencies, multilateral organizations, and academic funding bodies for specific projects. The only quantified historical inflow in the input is a US$1.3 million grant from the Swiss Government (2003) for a Pakistan national social audit program. Operating arms include CIETcanada, CIETmexico, CIETeurope, CIETnigeria, CIETpakistan, and CIETtrust; strategic academic partnerships include McGill University's Department of Family Medicine (joined 2013) and Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero (long-standing dissertation program). The organization does not charge for its services and does not disclose financial statements.

Name

CIET

Legal name

CIET

Website

https://ciet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIET is a non-profit research organization conducting community-based participatory research and training to support evidence-based public health planning for governments, multilateral agencies, and indigenous communities across more than 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

Keywords

• Community-based participatory research
• Evidence-based planning
• Public health research
• Social audit methodology
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Contracts: CIET operates as a research organization funded through grants and contracts from government agencies, international organizations (WHO, World Bank, UNICEF), and research funding bodies for specific public health research projects and evaluations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIET is a non-profit research and training organization that conducts community-based participatory research and delivers evidence-based planning services to governments, international agencies, and indigenous communities across 40+ countries. Its core deliverables include social audits of public services, sentinel community surveillance for epidemiological monitoring, and capacity-building training programs in epidemiology and participatory research methods for health workers, parliamentarians, and policymakers.

Product overview

CIET (Community Involvement in Evidence Translation) is a research organization rather than a product company. It does not offer a unified software platform or modular product architecture. Its offerings consist of research methodologies (social audits, sentinel community surveillance), evidence-based planning frameworks, and training/teaching programs delivered through partnerships with academic institutions and governments across 40+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Audits Methodology

Quantifiable outcome

• Camino Verde dengue prevention trial demonstrated reduced dengue transmission through community mobilization in Nicaragua and Mexico
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SADC (Southern African Development Community)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Intensive courses for HIV planners and researchers from SADC countries conducted in Gaborone, Botswana. Training programs building capacity for AIDS prevention trials and evidence-based planning across 15 SADC member states.
• McGill University Department of Family MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2013CIET joined Family Medicine at McGill University in October 2013. CIET researchers contribute to academic research, supervise graduate students, and integrate CIET methodologies into family medicine education and research programs. Meet and greet sessions held to introduce CIET to the department.
• Camino Verde Consortium (Mexico and Nicaragua)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2009Multi-country dengue prevention initiative combining evidence-based community mobilization approaches. Trial demonstrated effectiveness of community-led prevention strategies reducing dengue transmission.
• CIHR Centre for Intercultural Research on Prevention of Gender ViolencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2009CIHR-funded centre established in Canada focusing on intercultural approaches to preventing gender violence. CIET contributes participatory research methodologies and community engagement expertise.
• NEAHR (Network Environments for Aboriginal Health Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2007CIET and partners won NEAHR grant for Aboriginal health research in Canada. Collaboration through ACADRE (Aboriginal Capacity and Development Research Environments) network supporting indigenous health research capacity building.
• Government of PakistancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2005Prime Minister of Pakistan launched national social audit report. Government partnership for implementing social audits across multiple districts and integrating findings into public service planning.
• Universidad Autónoma de GuerrerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero in Mexico. Hosts dissertation program for CIET researchers; collaborative research on indigenous health, dengue prevention, and community medicine.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborative programs including Nicaragua 2013-2017 country programme, child rights monitoring initiatives, and immunisation decision research in Pakistan.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BRAC: Large international development non-profit operating community-based health, education, and livelihood programs across multiple continents. Comparable to CIET in multi-country operating model, grant-funded structure, and focus on community voice in planning.
• PATH: Global health innovation non-profit working on vaccines, diagnostics, and health system strengthening. Comparable to CIET in multi-country presence, donor-funded research model, and emphasis on evidence-based public health interventions.
• Avenir Health: Specialized public health research firm providing modeling, surveillance, and evaluation for governments and donors. Directly comparable to CIET in epidemiological methods, donor-funded research, and focus on evidence-based health planning.
• JHPIEGO (Johns Hopkins affiliate): Global health non-profit affiliated with Johns Hopkins focused on training, capacity building, and health systems research. Comparable to CIET in training-program delivery, family health focus, and donor-funded international research.
• FHI 360: Global non-profit providing public health research, training, and program implementation across developing countries. Directly comparable to CIET in donor-funded research, capacity-building training, and HIV/maternal health focus areas.
• Population Council: International non-profit conducting research on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and gender equity in low-resource settings. Highly comparable to CIET in targeted global health research, donor-funded model, and community-based intervention studies.
• Partners in Health: Non-profit global health organization delivering community-based health services and research in low-resource settings. Highly comparable to CIET in mission, community-engagement model, and multi-country footprint focused on health equity.

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: Large non-profit research institute delivering social and health research worldwide. Comparable to CIET in participatory research methods, donor-funded model, and international development focus; operates at much larger scale.
• RAND Corporation: Non-profit policy research institute producing influential research across health, education, and social policy. Comparable to CIET in research-driven model, peer-reviewed output, and policy engagement, though focused on US/global policy rather than field implementation.
• The Carter Center: Established non-profit running large-scale disease prevention and health programs in dozens of countries. Comparable to CIET in grant-funded public health research and global geographic footprint, though broader in scope (elections, conflict resolution).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 CIET