Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education

What Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education does

The Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education (IRPHE / موسسه پژوهش و برنامه ریزی آموزش عالی) is a government-affiliated research institute (think tank) operating under Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, founded in 1969 and re-established under its current name in 1990. Headquartered in Tehran, IRPHE functions as the official "brain trust" (کانون تفکر) for the ministry, conducting foundational research, developing strategic plans, drafting regulatory frameworks, and providing statistical data to support policy decisions. It is the sole official reference (مرجع رسمی) for Iranian higher education statistics, tracking approximately 3.5 million students, 85,000+ faculty members, and graduate employment outcomes across roughly 2,680 higher education institutions in the country.

IRPHE operates a portfolio of information systems and platforms covering the Iranian higher education sector. Core products include the SAHAM intelligent statistics system (سامانه هوشمند آمار آموزش عالی), the SIMAP research information management system (سامانه مدیریت اطلاعات پژوهشی), the comprehensive national higher education statistics database, the Graduate Tracking and Survey System, and the IRANTRACE graduate monitoring network that cross-references national insurance databases. The institute also publishes a peer-reviewed quarterly journal (issue 120 published in summer 2025), runs a digital library, hosts workshops and capacity-building programs, operates a publishing house, and convenes the SHEMA higher education specialists network and the National Research Institutes Congress.

IRPHE's business model is fully government-funded through state budget allocation under the Ministry of Science — it does not generate commercial revenue and provides its research outputs and policy advisory services to ministries, universities, and executive agencies at no direct charge. It serves a concentrated customer base anchored by the Ministry of Science, all Iranian universities, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution, and over 16 executive agencies, with seven specialized research groups covering the full spectrum of higher education studies. Recent strategic moves include the 2021 elevation of its president to Deputy Minister status, the 2025 launch of three mega-projects (Smart Data Governance, Impact Lab, Standard Humanities), and expanded co-organized policy panels with the Institute of Labor and Social Security on labor and macroeconomic topics.

Name

Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education

Legal name

Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education

Website

https://irphe.ac.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education (IRPHE) is a government-affiliated research institute under Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, serving as the ministry's official think tank and sole national reference for higher education statistics, policy research, and graduate employment tracking across 2,680 universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Policy Research and Advisory Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAO

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYEDADADAA

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

SECONDARYEDADAIAM

Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Data, Reporting & Accountability Systems

Keywords

• Higher education research
• Education policy advisory
• Higher education statistics
• Education planning services
• Graduate employment tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: The institute is a fully government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری). It receives operational funding from the state budget and is assigned research mandates by the ministry and affiliated bodies. No commercial revenue model is described; the institute's outputs are provided as public goods to policymakers and the higher education system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRPHE conducts foundational research and provides policy advisory, strategic planning, statistical analysis, and regulatory framework development services for Iran's higher education system. It serves as the official think tank for the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, producing policy briefs, strategic plans, statistical reports, and a quarterly peer-reviewed journal, and it also delivers capacity-building workshops and conferences for university administrators and faculty members across Iran.

Product overview

The Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education (IRPHE) operates a comprehensive suite of research, statistics, and knowledge-sharing platforms for Iran's higher education sector. The core portfolio includes: the Comprehensive Higher Education Statistics Database and SAHAM Smart Statistics System for national data collection and analytics; the Graduate Tracking System and IRANTRACE network for employment monitoring; the Azma System for translating research into policy language; and the Quarterly Journal for academic publishing. Major ongoing initiatives include the Data Governance Smart System (mega-project for integrated data production and knowledge sharing) and the Impact Lab for measuring higher education outcomes. The institute also operates digital library, online meeting, and workshop/capacity-building platforms, positioning itself as the official think tank and brain center for Iran's Ministry of Science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IRPHE Publication (انتشارات موسسه): The institute's publishing arm, which publishes books, reports, and the quarterly journal 'Research and Planning in Higher Education' (فصلنامه پژوهش و برنامه‌ریزی در آموزش عالی) — Issue 120 published in Summer 1405 solar.

Products and services

• Quarterly Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education (فصلنامه پژوهش و برنامه‌ریزی در آموزش عالی)

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduate employment tracking for over 714,000 graduates tracked through insurance databases in the first survey round
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 and minor.

• Institute of Labor and Social Security (مؤسسه کار و تأمین اجتماعی)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute of Labor and Social Security and the Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education co-organize specialized conferences and policy panels on topics including social security, fair wages, employment structure, and inflation in Iran. Examples include a panel on 'Fair Wages, Real Living Costs and Economic Welfare' and a symposium on 'Geopolitical Risks and Inflation in Iran.'
• Payam-e Noor University (دانشگاه پیام نور)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe project 'Redrafting Executive Programs and Updating the Strategic Document of Payam-e Noor University' was assigned to the Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education, aiming to review and modernize the university's development roadmap.
• Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution (شورای عالی انقلاب فرهنگی)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute maintains a two-way relationship with the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution. Research outputs have contributed to major transformations in science and technology policy. The institute has been tasked with studies related to the national science roadmap as part of the council's mandate.
• All Iranian Universities and Higher Education InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute provides data, policy recommendations, and advisory services to universities across Iran, and universities are key stakeholders in the institute's research programs, employment tracking surveys, and workshop offerings.
• National Research Institutes Congress (مجمع پژوهشگاه‌های ملی کشور)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute serves as the secretariat for the National Research Institutes Congress of the country, coordinating among Iran's national research institutes and facilitating collaborative policy research.
• Iranian Universities (Consortium for Research University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium of universities has been formed under the institute's coordination to advance the research university model. Memoranda of understanding have been signed with volunteer universities for collaborative research initiatives.
• Executive Agencies and Government Bodies (حدود ۱۶ دستگاه اجرایی)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 16 executive agencies including various deputy offices of the President, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution, and the Ministry of Science utilize the institute's research capacity and policy advisory outputs.
• Kassel University (Germany) - KOAB NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute collaborated with Kassel University in Germany to learn from the KOAB (Konsortium Alumni-Panel) graduate tracking network, which is considered Europe's leading graduate survey consortium with 70 German university members. A German expert was invited to Iran in 1395 (2016) to conduct workshops for representatives from 14 Iranian universities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): A leading private, non-profit U.S. research organization that has historically informed federal policy with rigorous academic research. Comparable to IRPHE in operating as a non-university research body producing policy-relevant analysis, though NBER's scope spans all economics while IRPHE focuses narrowly on higher education.
• OECD Directorate for Education and Skills: The OECD's policy research and advisory body on education systems across member countries. Comparable to IRPHE in producing cross-national comparative studies, policy recommendations, and the statistical frameworks that inform national education reform agendas.
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS): The official statistical agency of UNESCO, maintaining global databases on education, science, and literacy. Comparable in its role as the authoritative international reference for education statistics and indicators that inform country-level policy decisions.
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): The U.S. federal statistical agency for education, housed within the Department of Education. Directly comparable to IRPHE's role as the official statistical reference for Iranian higher education, with parallel mandates in collecting and publishing student, faculty, and graduate outcome data.

Direct peers

• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): A U.S. advocacy and policy organization that coordinates higher-education accreditation and quality assurance. Comparable to IRPHE's role in advising on regulatory frameworks, institutional quality assessment, and governance standards for higher-education institutions.
• UNESCO IESALC (International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean): A UNESCO institute dedicated to higher-education policy research, planning, and information systems in a specific region. Directly comparable to IRPHE as a regionally-focused think tank producing statistics, policy analysis, and strategic planning support for national higher-education systems.
• National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS): A U.S. policy research and advisory organization focused on higher-education planning, performance measurement, and policy analysis. Directly comparable to IRPHE in providing state-level strategic planning, institutional effectiveness research, and data-driven decision support to universities and policymakers.
• Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI): An independent UK think tank focused exclusively on higher-education policy, producing research, reports, and policy briefs for government and university leaders. Directly comparable to IRPHE as a higher-education-focused think tank providing evidence-based policy recommendations and statistical analysis.

Regional players

• Institute of Labor and Social Security (Iran): An Iranian government-affiliated research institute under the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare that co-organizes policy panels with IRPHE. Comparable as a domestic peer with parallel structure (government-affiliated research/policy institute focused on social policy) and as a demonstrated co-partner.
• Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) at UC Berkeley: A U.S.-based higher-education research center producing policy analysis, comparative studies, and strategic planning frameworks. Comparable to IRPHE in producing academic research on higher-education policy, though operating within a U.S. academic rather than government-mandated framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/irphe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irphe.ir

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education