Center for Research and Policy Making

What Center for Research and Policy Making does

Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) is a North Macedonia-based non-profit think tank founded in 2003 and restructured in January 2011, headquartered in Skopje. It conducts policy research, public opinion surveys, governance monitoring, and capacity-building training aimed at civil society organizations, government institutions, and mid-career professionals in Macedonia and the broader Western Balkans region. Its flagship educational asset is the School of Public Policy Mother Teresa, operated since 2011 as part of the Council of Europe Network of 21 Schools of Political Studies, delivering an annual October–June program of weekend courses and weekly discussions to cohorts of mid-career professionals aged 25–45.

The organization's core 'products' are educational and research programs rather than commercial software: the School of Public Policy Mother Teresa, the accredited Financial Academy for Civil Society Organizations (a 120-hour blended-learning program), and a portfolio of regional projects including SMART Balkans (civil society empowerment with partners in Bosnia and Albania), Women-Led Coal Transitions / School for Women Leaders in Just Transition (with EBRD funding), Young Men Initiative (with CARE International Balkans), Gender Budget Watchdog Network, Green Agenda podcasts, and AFD-funded demographic research. Technical infrastructure consists of standard quantitative and qualitative research tooling plus six landline telephone lines used for simultaneous phone surveying; no proprietary technology stack, software product, or AI/ML capability is disclosed.

CRPM operates as a project-grant-funded civil society organization rather than a revenue-generating company. It does not sell commercial products or services; it is funded through institutional grants and partnerships with international donors including the European Union, Council of Europe, OSCE, USAID, GIZ, UNDP, UN Women, World Bank, EBRD, AFD, and bilateral donors (Netherlands, Norway, Sweden/Sida). The organization publishes policy studies, briefs, memos, and surveys, and is governed by an Executive Board and Advisory Board, with founder Zhidas Daskalovski (also Director of the School of Public Policy Mother Teresa) and Executive Directress Marija Risteska leading operations.

Name

Center for Research and Policy Making

Legal name

Center for Research and Policy Making

Website

https://crpm.org.mk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRPM is a Skopje-based non-profit think tank founded in 2003 that conducts policy research, surveys, and training on governance and social policy for civil society, government, and mid-career leaders in Macedonia and the Western Balkans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ), International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Civil society capacity building
• Democratic leadership education
• Public policy training
• Governance policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Skopje

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CRPM conducts policy research, evaluations, surveys and training in governance and social policy. Its core offerings are the School of Public Policy Mother Teresa (leadership education within the Council of Europe network), the Financial Academy for Civil Society Organizations (accredited capacity building), and applied policy analysis on democracy, EU integration, gender equality, and development across the Western Balkans.

Product overview

CRPM offers a portfolio of policy research, educational programs, and capacity-building services centered around its School of Public Policy Mother Teresa and Financial Academy. The core offerings include training programs for civil society organizations and public policy professionals, research and analysis on democracy, development, and human rights, and specialized initiatives like the Gender Budget Watchdog Network and Young Men Initiative. CRPM functions as a policy institute rather than a technology company, with its products being educational programs, research publications, and advocacy initiatives rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School of Public Policy Mother Teresa An educational program that trains future generations of Macedonian political, economic, social, and cultural leaders and policy makers. Part of a network of twenty Schools of Political Studies organized in cooperation with the Council of Europe, with an annual program running October to June including four weekend courses, weekly discussions, and World Forum for Democracy participation. Targeted at mid-career professionals aged 25-45 from public and private sectors.
• Financial Academy for Civil Society Organizations An accredited capacity-building programme designed to strengthen the administrative, financial and project management capacities of civil society organizations. Delivered through blended learning combining online and in-person sessions in Skopje, with 120 hours of theoretical and practical instruction across 24 sessions in three modules.
• School for Women Leaders in Just Transition A program aimed at strengthening the role of women in just energy transition processes and local development in regions affected by the transformation of the coal industry. Includes interactive trainings, workshops, mentorship, and networking for women leaders from targeted municipalities (Bitola, Novaci, Mogila, Kičevo), with scholarships supported by EBRD.
• Gender Budget Watchdog Network A network focused on gender-responsive budgeting, producing videos, webinars, and training materials on gender fiscal analysis and monitoring for advocates and policymakers.
• Young Men Initiative A program promoting gender equality and violence prevention through education, engaging young men and women to increase acceptance of healthy, nonviolent, and gender-equitable lifestyles. Includes training of trainers and peer educator programs in municipalities across Macedonia.
• SMART Balkans Project A regional project implemented together with Centar za promociju civilnog društva and IDM Albania (plus Faktoje Albania), aimed at strengthening civil society in the Western Balkans region, including subgrant administration and regional coordination.
• Demographic Challenges Research Project A research project articulating demographic challenges of ageing and socio-economic contexts in the Western Balkans, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), conducted by CRPM analysts and team members in consultation with national institutions and stakeholders.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Centar za promociju civilnog društva (Center for Promotion of Civil Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRPM implements the SMART Balkans project in partnership with this Bosnian organization, focusing on civil society empowerment in the Western Balkans region. The partnership involves joint implementation, subgrant administration, and regional coordination.
• Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM Albania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SMART Balkans regional civil society empowerment project. Conducted kick-off meeting in Ohrid in February 2023 to coordinate project activities across the Western Balkans.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder and supporter of the School of Public Policy Mother Teresa. Coordinates the Network of Schools of Political Studies across 21 countries. Provides diplomas and oversees academic standards.
• CARE International BalkanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Young Men Initiative project implementing Program M for positive behavior change among young men. Collaborates on training of trainers and peer educator programs in municipalities across Macedonia.
• Faktoje (Albania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlbanian partner in SMART Balkans regional civil society empowerment project

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Group 484: Serbian policy and civil society organization working on migration, governance, and EU integration. Comparable to CRPM in its non-profit policy research and advocacy orientation anchored in EU accession support.
• Analitika (Montenegro): Montenegrin think tank delivering policy research and EU accession support across governance, rule of law, and economic policy. Comparable regional peer serving the same Western Balkans donor ecosystems on similar themes.

Direct peers

• Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD): Bosnian civil society organization running the SMART Balkans regional project alongside CRPM. Directly comparable as a civil society empowerment, advocacy, and capacity-building NGO with overlapping donor portfolio and regional remit.
• European Policy Institute (EPI) Skopje: North Macedonia-based policy think tank focused on EU integration, rule of law, and democratic governance. The closest in-country peer, serving overlapping audiences on EU accession research and policy advocacy.
• Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM Albania): Albanian think tank focused on governance, EU integration, civil society empowerment, and policy research — a regional counterpart to CRPM and a confirmed SMART Balkans co-implementation partner. Operates a similar policy advocacy and capacity-building model in a neighboring Western Balkan jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans: Global foundation with a substantial Western Balkans portfolio funding governance, civil society, and democratic reform. Functions as both a peer funder and adjacent donor in CRPM's operating space.
• European Stability Initiative (ESI): Multi-country policy research and advocacy think tank producing investigative analysis on Western Balkan governance, rule of law, and EU integration — a broader incumbent operating across the same regional thematic space.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI) – Balkans: US-based governance organization supporting political party development, civic participation, and election-related programming across the Balkans. Operates as a broader incumbent in CRPM's policy advocacy and democratic education space.
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD): UK-supported organization strengthening democratic governance, political participation, and parliamentary capacity worldwide, including Western Balkans programming. Comparable as a capacity-building peer operating in the same funding ecosystem.

Others

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German development agency that both funds and implements governance and democratic reform programs in the Western Balkans. Functions partly as a peer implementer and partly as a funder of CRPM's work, addressing the same target audiences through similar programmatic models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRPMmk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CRPMMacedonia
• Facebookfacebook.com/crpm.org.mk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-research-and-policy-making---crpm
• Instagraminstagram.com/crpm.mk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Center for Research and Policy Making