Arab World for Research & Development - AWRAD

What Arab World for Research & Development - AWRAD does

AWRAD is a Palestinian research, consulting, and development firm established in 2007 and headquartered in Ramallah, with active operations extending across 17 Arab countries including Gaza. It delivers five core service lines: public opinion polling, social research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), capacity development, and consulting. The firm operates regional survey infrastructure, including a Gaza enumerator field team (22 enumerators), specialized enumerator pools (32), and a regional researcher network of approximately 130 specialized researchers, supported by a core analytical staff of research associates, researchers, and data assistants. AWRAD's business model is project-based grant and contract delivery to Western bilateral and multilateral donors and international NGOs, executed through fixed-price and cost-reimbursable research and consulting awards. Its commercial proposition rests on three assets that are difficult to replicate: (1) a multi-year longitudinal polling and social research archive spanning conflict and post-conflict periods across the Arab world; (2) on-the-ground field operations in geographies that are inaccessible or politically restricted for most Western research firms; and (3) recognized neutrality and local legitimacy that make it a preferred sub-recipient or prime contractor for donors such as USAID, UNDP, the EU, DFID, UN Women, JICA, IRI, and CARE International. Pricing is per-project (polling waves, M&E engagements, training programs), with no recurring SaaS or subscription revenue line.

Name

Arab World for Research & Development - AWRAD

Legal name

Arab World for Research & Development

Website

https://awrad.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AWRAD is a Palestinian research, consulting, and development firm operating across 17 Arab countries, providing public opinion polling, social research, M&E, and capacity development services to bilateral and multilateral donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ramallah, West Bank

HQ country

Palestinian Territories

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 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 and Consulting Services: AWRAD provides a full range of consulting and technical services for sustainable development and state building. They offer services across diverse technical areas including social and economic development, governance, public sector reform, monitoring and evaluation, survey research, and policy analysis. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with various clients.
2. Public Opinion Polling Services: Conducting public opinion research across Palestine and the Arab region. Projects range from spot surveys to national public opinion polls. Methods and samples have been certified as exemplary.
3. Capacity Development and Training: Providing hundreds of trainings to key sectors across Palestine and the Arab World, working with government officials, academic institutions, representatives of the media and the private sector. All capacity development work is participatory and informed by best practices.
4. Project Management and Implementation: Technical, logistical and financial components of project management and implementation. Services include developing budgets, managing grants, composing reports and performing project responsibilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AWRAD is an independent research, consulting and development firm that conducts public opinion polling, social and economic research, monitoring and evaluation, capacity development, policy analysis, and project management services for governments, international organizations, NGOs, and civil society across the Arab region. It specializes in working in fragile, transitional and post-conflict countries, delivering project-based services from design through implementation.

Product overview

Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) is a pioneering research, consulting and development firm providing a comprehensive suite of social science research services. Their offering is organized as a unified service portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include Public Opinion Polling (national polls, exit polls, wartime polling), Social/Economic/Political Research, Performance Management Monitoring & Evaluation, Capacity Development and Training, Policy Research and Development, Data Collection and Management, Consulting, and Project/Program Design. Supporting sub-brands include Compass (survey data tracking and analysis initiative) and the Community Development Fund (CDF) for social responsibility. AWRAD also offers Advanced Statistical Analysis and Analytics services using sophisticated statistical methods and software. The company conducts research across the Arab region with a focus on fragile, transitional and post-conflict countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Compass: An initiative launched by AWRAD to provide tracking and analysis of survey data, trends and current events in Palestine. Focuses on deeper analysis of polling results including peace process, empowerment of women and youth, prospects for Palestinian development and foreign relations.
• Community Development Fund (CDF)
• SAWT (صوت)

Products and services

• Public Opinion Polling National, spot, exit, and wartime public opinion polls conducted across Palestine and the Arab region using rigorous sampling methodologies, face-to-face, telephone, and online survey instruments. Delivered for governments, international organizations, NGOs, and civil society clients.
• Social, Economic and Political Research Applied research addressing social, economic, and political issues facing Palestinian and Arab communities, including youth development, labor market analysis, political reform, and gender studies. Targeted at governments, donors, NGOs, and civil society.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Performance management, monitoring, and evaluation services including operationalization of project documents, methodology development, beneficiary feedback linkages, and feasibility recommendations guiding projects from inception to completion.
• Capacity Development and Training Participatory training and capacity development for government officials, academic institutions, media representatives, and private sector stakeholders, informed by best practices and field experience.
• Policy Research and Development Research-based policy development covering youth entrepreneurship, legal reform, social uplift, and human development reports grounded in primary data for institutional clients.
• Data Collection and Management Large-scale primary data collection including survey questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and case studies, with expert data entry and management using modern statistical software.
• Consulting Services Expert advisory services on contemporary Palestinian and Arab issues including human development, disability rights, prison reform, governance, and institutional development for institutional clients.
• Project and Program Design Support for formulating strategic goals, drafting program documents, developing schedules, identifying stakeholders, and implementing M&E plans for client projects and programs.
• Public Sector Reform Public sector consulting on financial management, administration, transparency, model team building in ministries, and inter-governmental strategy development.
• Advanced Statistical Analysis and Analytics Development of sophisticated regressions and quantitative models, with broad competencies in analytics, advanced statistical methods, and software-based trend identification across topics such as government performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ public opinion polls conducted in Gaza since October 2023 during ongoing conflict
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, strategic and minor.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD partnered with UNDP on the Palestinian Civil Police performance assessment project, providing research and evaluation services.
• European Union (EUPOL COPPS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD conducted the Palestinian Civil Police performance survey in partnership with EUPOL COPPS, supporting rule of law and police reform initiatives.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWith support from JICA, AWRAD conducted comprehensive surveys in the Jordan Valley, implementing research on sustainable development and agricultural practices.
• CARE InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD cooperated with CARE International on skills gaps research in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, supported by DFID. Held joint conferences in West Bank and Gaza presenting research results.
• International Republican Institute (IRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRI has partnered with AWRAD on multiple projects including Morocco decentralization research, Tunisia women in politics polling, and youth surveys. IRI is a major funder and implementing partner.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD conducted regional research on 'Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Institutional Actors on Paternity Leave and the Role of Men in Childcare in the MENA Region' as part of UN Women's regional program 'Men and Women for Gender Equality' Phase 2.
• West Asia North Africa (WANA) Regional Chapter of WAPORmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD partnered with WANA/WAPOR to conduct a cross-national public opinion survey on the Gaza War across nine Middle Eastern countries including Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, and Pakistan.
• Arab Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWLI partnered with AWRAD to conduct polling on women's political participation in Tunisia and gender issues research in Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and Saudi Arabia.
• Ground Truth SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Truth Solutions partnered with AWRAD to conduct research on community priorities and perceptions of aid and support in Gaza, focusing on humanitarian efforts, coping mechanisms, and community resilience.
• Arab Association for Public Opinion Research (ARAPOR)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD is working with leading regional polling centers to establish ARAPOR, aiming to improve public opinion research in the Arab region and promote exchange of experiences. Core team met in Amman, Jordan in April 2015.
• Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD uses PCBS population data as sampling framework for public opinion polls in the West Bank, ensuring representative samples aligned with official statistics.
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD used OCHA publications on population movement as data sources for sample design in Gaza during the conflict.
• Palestinian Central Elections Committee (CEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWRAD conducted exit polls for Palestinian Local Council elections in close coordination with the Central Elections Committee.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abt Associates: Major international development consulting firm implementing monitoring & evaluation, survey research, and policy programs for USAID, DFID, and multilateral clients. Competes with AWRAD for many of the same MENA and international development RFPs at larger scale.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Large US-based independent research organization conducting survey research, evaluation, and policy analysis globally, including in fragile and conflict-affected states. Comparable to AWRAD on methodology and donor-funded survey work, though with vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• RAND Corporation: Large US policy research institution conducting survey research, policy analysis, and evaluation for governments and multilaterals, including MENA-focused work. Overlaps with AWRAD on policy research, polling, and donor-funded engagements, though at much larger scale.
• Palladium: International development consulting and impact advisory firm active across MENA on monitoring, evaluation, and policy programs. Comparable to AWRAD on donor-funded M&E and policy consulting, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Arab Barometer: Multi-country public opinion research network conducting nationally representative surveys across the Arab world. Closely comparable to AWRAD's regional polling franchise and cross-national comparative research model.
• Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR): Ramallah-based Palestinian research center that conducts public opinion polls, surveys, and policy research on Palestinian political, social, and economic issues. Directly comparable to AWRAD in location, mission, methodology, and donor ecosystem.
• Center for Strategic Studies, University of Jordan: Amman-based policy and survey research center producing recurring public opinion polls and strategic studies on Jordan and the broader region. Directly comparable to AWRAD in survey-research methodology and Arab-region positioning.
• Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS): Doha-based think tank conducting social science research, public opinion polling, and policy studies across the Arab region. Comparable to AWRAD in regional research scope, MENA-wide footprint, and mixed-methods approach.

Regional players

• Sigma Conseil (Tunisia): Tunisia-based public opinion polling and market research firm with a long track record of election and political polling in North Africa. Comparable to AWRAD on survey methodology and Arab-region public opinion work, but with North African rather than multi-country focus.
• Baseera (Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research): Egypt's leading public opinion polling firm, historically the dominant private-sector pollster in the Arab world's largest market. Comparable to AWRAD in national-level public opinion methodology, though focused on Egypt rather than multi-country delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/awradpalestine?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjPaIVHphe2JiBEa8d2xP0g
• Facebookfacebook.com/awradpalestine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awrad-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Arab World for Research & Development - AWRAD