CICAP - UCR

What CICAP - UCR does

CICAP (Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Administración Pública) is a research and training center of the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), Costa Rica's premier public university, operating from university facilities in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José. Founded as part of UCR's institutional framework and operating its continuous education project for over 40 years, CICAP generates, transfers, and disseminates knowledge to improve public management capacity in Costa Rica and the broader Latin American region. Its portfolio is organized around four pillars: continuing education and training for public servants and social economy organizations; advisory and consulting services for public institutions; applied research in public administration; and innovation initiatives through the Innovaap-UCR collaborative laboratory.

The center's technology stack centers on a Moodle-based virtual learning platform (Academia CICAP) that delivers MOOC courses — both facilitator-guided and self-directed — on public administration topics including administrative contracting, evaluation, and municipal management. A distinctive proprietary instrument is the Índice de Transparencia del Sector Público Costarricense (ITSP), an annual transparency benchmarking tool published since 2014 in collaboration with the Defensoría de los Habitantes. CICAP also operates the Innovaap-UCR innovation laboratory, which has partnered with 15 local municipal governments, and publishes research outputs including the Toolkit for the Professionalization of Public Contracting.

CICAP's revenue model rests on three streams: (1) course enrollment fees for facilitated MOOCs priced at $20 (no certification) and $25 (with certification), with self-directed MOOCs offered free; (2) project-based advisory and consulting engagements awarded through public tenders to public organizations; and (3) institutional funding through the parent university's budget allocation. The center's primary customers are Costa Rican public sector institutions, municipal governments, and social economy organizations, with limited but documented international engagement including a 3-year cooperation agreement with the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. As a government state entity embedded within UCR, CICAP is not commercially owned and does not raise external capital.

Name

CICAP - UCR

Legal name

Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Administración Pública

Website

https://cicap.ucr.ac.cr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CICAP (Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Administración Pública) is a 40+ year-old research and training center of the Universidad de Costa Rica that delivers continuing education, consulting, and applied research to Costa Rican public sector institutions, municipal governments, and social economy organizations, both domestically and in select Latin American countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration Training and Research

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAEAPAA

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) & Legal Tech

Keywords

• Public administration training
• Government consulting services
• Public sector research
• Transparency assessment
• Continuous education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San José

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Continuous Education and Training Courses: CICAP delivers facilitated and self-directed training courses to public servants and social economy organizations. Revenue is generated through course enrollment fees, with facilitated courses priced at $20 (without certification) and $25 (with certification), while self-directed courses without facilitator accompaniment are provided free of charge.
2. Advisory and Consulting Services: CICAP provides customized advisory and consulting engagements to public organizations and social economy entities, with interdisciplinary teams supporting the development of management instruments and policies. These services are rendered both within Costa Rica and internationally.
3. Organizational Diagnosis and Consulting Projects: CICAP executes consulting projects such as organizational diagnostic studies and strategic plan updates for public institutions (e.g., INCOP), funded through public procurement contracts awarded via competitive tendering processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CICAP is a research and training center of the Universidad de Costa Rica that generates, transfers, and disseminates knowledge to improve public management capacity. It delivers three core service lines: (1) continuous education and training programs for public servants and social economy organizations via the Academia CICAP MOOC platform and in-person courses; (2) advisory and consulting engagements for public organizations using interdisciplinary, participatory methodologies; and (3) basic and applied research in public administration topics, including the annual Índice de Transparencia del Sector Público Costarricense (ITSP) benchmarking instrument.

Product overview

CICAP (Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Administración Pública) is a research and training center of the Universidad de Costa Rica operating for over 45 years. Its portfolio is organized into four interconnected pillars: (1) Continuing Education and Training — delivered via the Academia CICAP MOOC platform (Moodle-based) and in-person programs covering public administration, contracting, evaluation, and municipal management; (2) Advisory and Consulting Services — interdisciplinary team-based support for public organizations and social economy entities; (3) Research and Publications — including the annual Índice de Transparencia del Sector Público Costarricense (ITSP), academic publications, and multimedia content; and (4) Innovation — through the Innovaap-UCR Laboratory and international forums such as Innovation Summit. CICAP also publishes expert opinion articles through CICAP Opina and offers specialized international courses on governance and public management. The organization is pursuing INTECO 21001 certification as part of an integrated service management system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academia CICAP: Virtual learning platform (Moodle-based) for accessing MOOCs, training, technical courses, and workshops in public administration topics, available at academiacicap.ucr.ac.cr
• Innovaap-UCR
• Índice de Transparencia del Sector Público Costarricense (ITSP)

Products and services

• Academia CICAP MOOC Platform Moodle-based virtual learning platform offering MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) for public sector employees and social economy organizations. Provides both facilitator-guided (attended) and self-directed (unattended) course modalities on public administration topics.
• Continuous Education and Training Programs (Educación Continua y Permanente) Over 40 years of capacity-building programs for public servants and non-profit organizations, offering updated training plans aligned with national needs. Includes curriculum (Malla Curricular), available courses, self-directed courses, and learning documents.
• Advisory and Consulting Services (Asesoría y Consultoría)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of continuous operation delivering public administration training and consulting.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SIEDIN (Sistema Editorial y de Difusión de la Investigación)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2021CICAP and SIEDIN signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic alliance for joint research, action social, editing, publication, dissemination, training, and education activities. Both university entities combine efforts and capacities to facilitate research and social action processes.
• Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2019CICAP and Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission jointly organized a seminar titled 'Academic Research Results on How We Prepare for Disaster Risk' during National Disaster Risk Reduction Week. The event featured 8 research presentations on disaster risk management and public administration, held at CICAP's facilities and broadcast via its YouTube channel.
• Asamblea Legislativa de El SalvadorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019The Universidad de Costa Rica, through CICAP, signed a 3-year cooperation agreement with the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on October 1, 2019, to develop joint educational and training activities. The agreement facilitates exchanges of public officials and university students, and promotes collaboration between UCR and the Government of El Salvador.
• Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico (INCOP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 July 2019INCOP, Costa Rica's Pacific Port Authority, awarded CICAP a public tender to conduct an organizational diagnosis of its current structure and update its strategic plan. The project runs from July 19, 2019 to May 23, 2020, using participatory methodologies with INCOP's interdisciplinary team to improve organizational alignment and strategic positioning toward 2022.
• Trust for the Americas / OEAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2019Trust for the Americas, an entity affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS), partnered with CICAP's Innovaap-UCR laboratory to organize the I Summit of Social Innovation (Innovation Summit 2019) held at CICAP's auditorium from May 6-8, 2019. The event brought together participants from Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, and other countries to address public innovation, social innovation, and open government topics.
• Innovaap-UCR (Laboratorio Colaborativo de Innovación en Administración Pública)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Collaborative Laboratory of Public Innovation (Innovaap-UCR) is an internal university laboratory that has worked with 15 local governments to implement innovation laboratories. CICAP serves as its institutional host and primary collaborator for public sector innovation initiatives. Innovaap-UCR was the lead organizer of the Innovation Summit 2019.
• INPAE (Red de Investigación en Administración Pública)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICAP is listed as a participant in the INPAE (Red de Investigación en Administración Pública) network, which connects public administration research institutions. CICAP provides access to its monitoring tools for OECD and other institutional standards through its digital platform.
• Proinnova-UCR (Unidad de Gestión y Transferencia del Conocimiento para la Innovación)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProinnova-UCR, the university's unit for knowledge management and innovation transfer, collaborates with CICAP on social and public innovation projects in Costa Rica, contributing to projects such as the Innovation Summit and ongoing public sector innovation initiatives.
• Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICAP is an official research and training center of the Universidad de Costa Rica, operating under the university's institutional framework. CICAP leverages UCR's broader research infrastructure, academic credibility, and cross-departmental collaboration (including Proinnova-UCR and Innovaap-UCR) to deliver its mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) – Public Governance: The IDB's public governance and management division funds and advises Latin American governments on transparency, institutional modernization, and innovation. Already a partner context for CICAP (BID-Lab referenced), making it a logical broad peer operating at a regional funding and convening level.
• CAF (Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina): A Latin American development bank that funds and executes public sector modernization, governance, and transparency programs across the region. While not a university center, CAF's public governance practice intersects directly with CICAP's transparency, contracting, and capacity-building mission.
• FLACSO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales): A Latin American regional academic institution delivering graduate-level training and research in social sciences, including public administration and governance. Comparable to CICAP in its applied research and capacity-building orientation, though operating at a broader academic and regional scale.
• OCDE / OECD Public Governance Directorate: The OECD's public governance division produces internationally recognized governance indicators, including transparency benchmarks that overlap with CICAP's ITSP work. CICAP explicitly provides access to OECD monitoring tools through its INPAE digital platform, making the OECD a relevant benchmark peer.

Regional players

• INPAE (Red de Investigación en Administración Pública para el Istmo Centroamericano): A Central American public administration research network of which CICAP is a listed participant. As a peer network connecting university centers and government bodies across the isthmus, INPAE is a regional-scale equivalent for CICAP's academic and applied research activities.

Direct peers

• CIDE México (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas): A Mexican public university research center focused on public administration, economics, and political science. Comparable to CICAP as a university-affiliated research and training center producing applied research and executive education for the public sector.
• INAP Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública): Mexico's national institute for public administration research, training, and consulting. INAP provides continuous education and policy advisory services to Mexican government entities, making it a close functional peer to CICAP's domestic training and advisory activities.
• CLAD (Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo): A Latin American regional body dedicated to public administration modernization, governance, and capacity building for public servants. CLAD operates similarly to CICAP by providing training, research, and consulting services to government institutions across the region, and serves as a natural direct peer in the public administration capacity-building space.
• ENAP Brazil (Escola Nacional de Administração Pública): Brazil's national school of public administration, delivering training, research, and consulting for federal, state, and municipal public servants. Comparable to CICAP in mission and service portfolio, though operating at a much larger scale within the Brazilian government ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Universidad de Chile – Departamento de Administración Pública: Chile's leading public university's public administration department, which conducts research and capacity-building for Chilean and Latin American public institutions. Comparable to CICAP as a university-anchored research and training provider with similar methodological and governance focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CicapUCR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CICAPUCR/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/cicapucr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cicap-ucr
• Instagraminstagram.com/cicap.ucr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CICAP - UCR