Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

What Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) does

The Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) is a multi-disciplinary research unit established in 2007 within Manchester Metropolitan University's Department of Sociology. The unit comprises evaluators, economists, sociologists, and criminologists who specialise in evaluating public policies, programmes, and projects and advising national and local policy-makers on evidence-informed policy development. PERU serves UK government departments (Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, HM Inspectorate of Probation), local authorities and combined authorities (Greater Manchester Combined Authority, MOPAC London), the voluntary sector, the European Commission, and What Works Network centres (Education Endowment Foundation, Youth Endowment Fund).

The unit's core products include the Evidence Lab for Social Interventions (ELSIE) for quasi-experimental designs and causal inference methods, the GUIDE (Growing Up in Digital Europe) longitudinal cohort study infrastructure — included in the ESFRI Roadmap 2021 — the Human Learning Systems Framework with 80+ co-produced case studies, the British Journal of Community Justice (BJCJ) academic journal, the Enablers of Change assessment tool for probation, M-PACE policing analytics, and postgraduate Masters programmes (MSc Evaluation and Policy Analysis, MPA Public Administration). Underlying technology spans randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, big data analytics, geostatistics, machine learning, agent-based simulation, microsimulation modelling, and Rapid Evidence Assessment.

PERU operates a grant-funded professional services model rather than a commercial pricing structure. Revenue derives from commissioned research contracts with UK government departments, local authorities, charitable foundations (Barrow Cadbury Trust, Better Society Capital, Bridges Outcomes Partnerships), and EU framework programme funding. The unit sits within Manchester Metropolitan University's academic governance structure and does not raise external equity or hold independent commercial ownership.

Name

Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

Legal name

Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) at Manchester Metropolitan University

Website

https://mmuperu.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PERU is a multi-disciplinary research unit at Manchester Metropolitan University (founded 2007) that evaluates public policies and programmes using RCTs, quasi-experimental methods, and big data analytics for UK government departments, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and the European Commission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research & Evaluation Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAF

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Policy evaluation research
• Public policy analysis
• Programme evaluation services
• Evidence-based research
• Social research consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: Commissioned evaluations and research projects from UK government departments including Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, and other national agencies.
2. Local Government Contracts: Research and evaluation projects commissioned by local authorities and combined authorities such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
3. European Commission Funding: Major EU-funded research infrastructure projects including GUIDE, MYWEB, ECDP, COORDINATE, CoSIE, InnoSI, and MiCREATE.
4. What Works Centre Evaluations: Independent evaluations for Education Endowment Foundation, Violence Reduction Unit, Youth Endowment Fund, and other What Works Network centres.
5. Social Investment Evaluations: Evaluations of social impact bonds and outcomes-based contracts commissioned by organisations including Bridges Outcomes Partnerships and Better Society Capital.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PERU is a multi-disciplinary research unit at Manchester Metropolitan University that evaluates public policies, programmes, and projects for government departments, local authorities, voluntary sector organisations, and the European Commission. It delivers commissioned evaluations, randomised controlled trials, longitudinal surveys, economic analysis, and Rapid Evidence Assessments, and advises national and local policy-makers on evidence-informed policy development.

Product overview

The Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) is a multi-disciplinary research unit at Manchester Metropolitan University, not a unified software product but rather a portfolio of interconnected research programmes, academic publications, and educational offerings. The core unit specializes in evaluating policies and programmes for UK and European clients including government departments, local authorities, and voluntary organizations. Key offerings include the Evidence Lab for Social Interventions (ELSIE) focusing on causal inference methods; the Child Wellbeing Research programme coordinating the GUIDE longitudinal survey infrastructure; Relational Public Services research; the British Journal of Community Justice (BJCJ) academic journal; the Reducing Reoffending evidence repository; and postgraduate Masters programmes in Public Administration and Evaluation & Policy Analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Evidence Lab for Social Interventions (ELSIE): Innovating in quasi-experimental designs and methods in causal inference
• British Journal of Community Justice (BJCJ)

Products and services

• Evidence Lab for Social Interventions (ELSIE) A specialised research lab within PERU that undertakes rigorous evaluations, conducts trials, links large datasets, and hosts secured data environments, with a focus on innovations in causal inference and rehabilitation within criminal justice.
• Child Wellbeing Research Programme Longitudinal survey research programme coordinating European Commission-funded projects (including GUIDE, MYWEB, ECDP, MiCREATE) to develop large-scale comparative social science research infrastructure on children's wellbeing and education across European countries.
• Relational Public Services Research An engaged-scholarship research programme at PERU focused on Human Learning Systems, co-production with practitioners and service users, and developing relational approaches to public service evaluation and reform.
• British Journal of Community Justice (BJCJ) A peer-reviewed open-access online journal hosted by PERU that publishes research articles stimulating policy and practice debates on community justice, covering policing, prisons, probation, youth justice, community safety, restorative justice, victims, and crime prevention.
• Reducing Reoffending Evidence Repository A curated online repository of evidence on interventions designed to reduce reoffending rates among adult and juvenile offenders, with interventions rated and findings summarised based on published research evidence.
• Masters Programmes (MPA Public Administration; MSc Evaluation and Policy Analysis) Postgraduate taught programmes offered by PERU academics, including the MPA in Public Administration and the MSc in Evaluation and Policy Analysis, for future researchers and practitioners in public service leadership and evaluation.
• Growing Up in Digital Europe (GUIDE) Survey Infrastructure Europe's first comparative birth cohort survey infrastructure providing longitudinal data on children's wellbeing from birth to age 24 across multiple European countries, using an accelerated cohort structure with nationally representative samples.
• Policy Evaluation and Research Services Commissioned evaluation and research services provided by PERU to government departments, local authorities, What Works Centres, voluntary sector organisations, and the European Commission, including policy evaluation, programme evaluation, RCTs, economic analysis, systematic reviews, and big data analytics.

Quantifiable outcome

• GUIDE included in ESFRI Roadmap 2021 as one of 11 new European Research Infrastructures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder of European research infrastructure projects including GUIDE, MYWEB, ECDP, COORDINATE, CoSIE, InnoSI, and MiCREATE. These projects develop pan-European longitudinal surveys and social innovation methodologies across EU member states.
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent evaluator for the Education Endowment Foundation and other What Works Centres. Conducts randomised controlled trials and impact evaluations of educational interventions including Reading Plus, PALS-UK, Eedi, Family Skills, and Digital Technology Evidence Review.
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority / Violence Reduction UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and evaluation partner for Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2020, undertaking projects assessing violence, its causes and consequences, and evaluations of Violence Reduction Unit interventions including Navigators programme and PIED pilot.
• Queen’s University BelfastsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to investigate the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in the criminal justice system, addressing policy implications around controversies in CJS applications.
• HM Inspectorate of ProbationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned in 2019 to undertake a Rapid Evidence Assessment of remote supervision approaches and emerging technologies for probation service management.
• Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) InterservesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership from 2012-2020 to evaluate new models of managing people with convictions, leading to development of the Enablers of Change assessment tool.
• Youth Endowment Fund (YEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation Panel member since 2019. Working with YEF and Manchester Centre for Youth Studies on four youth diversion project evaluations.
• Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative relationships on youth diversion and criminal justice research projects, establishing PERU as a major contributor to the What Works agenda.
• Greater Manchester Women's Support Alliance (GMWSA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact evaluation in 2018 of support services for women involved in criminal justice system, including reconviction study using Police National Computer data.
• Sol Price Center for Social InnovationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on multiple projects relating to Social Impact Bonds, including publications and speaking engagements. Contributed to book 'Payment by Results and Social Impact Bonds' and collaborative project 'Social Impact Bonds 2.0'.
• Bridges Outcomes PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned to evaluate two outcomes-based contracts employing strengths-based and co-created ways of working: Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership and Greater Manchester Youth Homelessness Prevention Project.
• Better Society CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on 'Everyone In' social investment pilot evaluation in collaboration with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Pilot aims to deliver over 200 move-on homes to rough sleepers.
• Centre for Homelessness ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrequent collaborator on social impact evaluation and social investment projects, including 'Everyone In' pilot evaluation and SIB evaluations.
• Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), LondonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in 2021 to investigate women's experiences accessing Whole Systems Approach services provided by Advance and Women in Prison.
• NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboratives (Portsmouth and Plymouth)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking as learning partners with teams on a learning-based approach to evaluation as part of relational public services work.
• CoSIE Consortium (24 partners across 10 EU countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading role in Co-creation of Service Innovations in Europe project running across 10 EU countries with 24 partners, co-designing, enacting and evaluating ten pilots of co-creation methods.
• InnoSI ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed large international consortium on Innovative Social Investment: Strengthening Communities in Europe project exploring welfare reform models and their impact on local services.
• Advance (Minerva WrapAround Service)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation of Minerva WrapAround Service and South London Alliance Services Programme in partnership with MOPAC.
• Women in PrisonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on women's experiences within criminal justice system as part of Whole Systems Approach evaluation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Global policy research organisation conducting rigorous evaluation and policy analysis. Comparable to PERU in methodological rigour and evidence-based policy focus, but at significantly larger scale and with broader subject coverage and global footprint.
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Larger UK What Works Centre focused on education evidence. PERU is a contracted independent evaluator for EEF rather than a direct competitor, but the organizations share methodology and evidence-generation missions in education.
• Youth Endowment Fund (YEF): UK What Works Centre funding evidence-based interventions to prevent youth violence. PERU serves on YEF's Evaluation Panel and conducts evaluations of YEF-funded programmes, sharing overlapping evidence-based mission.

Direct peers

• Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS): Independent UK research institute evaluating fiscal policy and economic outcomes. Comparable to PERU in providing rigorous independent policy evaluation, with PERU's microsimulation capability particularly aligned with IFS economic analysis work.
• National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR): UK-based independent research institute conducting economic and social policy research. Comparable to PERU in providing rigorous policy evaluation using advanced methodologies, with overlapping focus on labour markets, social policy, and education.
• Centre for Homelessness Impact: UK What Works Centre focused on homelessness evidence and evaluation. Comparable to PERU as a frequent collaborator on social investment and homelessness evaluations, sharing similar evidence-focused mission and methodologies.
• Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS): MMU-based research centre focused on youth studies and criminal justice research. Directly comparable to PERU as a close collaborator within the same university, sharing overlapping research interests in youth justice and What Works agenda.
• Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR): UK-based progressive policy think tank conducting research and policy analysis across multiple sectors. Comparable to PERU in providing evidence-based policy research to UK government, local authorities, and civil society, though IPPR is more advocacy-oriented.
• Tavistock Institute: UK-based applied social science research institute specializing in evaluation of complex social programmes. Directly comparable to PERU in its methods-led approach to complex evaluation work and applied research for public sector clients.
• What Works Centre for Children's Social Care: Independent What Works Centre producing rigorous evidence on children's social care. Comparable to PERU as a partner and panel evaluator, with overlapping focus on evidence-informed practice in social services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MMUPERU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mmuperu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)