FUSADES

What FUSADES does

FUSADES (Asociación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social Fusades) is a Salvadoran non-governmental think tank and research foundation founded in 1983 and headquartered in Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador. The organization operates three core divisions: the Centro de Pensamiento, which conducts research and analysis on institutional, social, economic, legal, and political issues affecting El Salvador and Central America; the Centro de Desarrollo, which manages the PROINNOVA innovation and enterprise support program and the FORTAS small-business training and technical assistance program; and the Laboratorio de FUSADES, an ISO-accredited laboratory that has provided quality testing services in environment and food industry for over 33 years. The organization employs 51-100 people and was recognized in the "100 Think Tanks to Watch 2025" list.

FUSADES does not operate a commercial pricing model. It is structured as a non-profit association under Salvadoran law and is funded through donations, cooperation projects, and institutional partnerships. Its primary customer and stakeholder segments are Salvadoran government institutions and policymakers, the academic and research community, international development partners and donors, and the general public who access its open publications and blog content. Recent strategic partnerships include a 2024 collaboration with Teva Pharmaceuticals and FUSAL on healthcare access initiatives, and a cooperation agreement with Universidad Zamorano on agricultural sciences. Leadership includes Dr. Juan Daniel Alemán Gurdián (President), Lic. Javier Castro De León (Executive Director), and Lic. Valeria Peralta Albanez (Manager of Cooperation and Special Projects).

The organization distributes research primarily through its fusades.org website, annual Memorias de Labores reports, Centro de Pensamiento strategic studies, and email communications. Its geographic footprint is concentrated in El Salvador with broader Central American regional coverage signaled by its policy research and blog content.

Name

FUSADES

Legal name

Asociación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social Fusades

Website

https://fusades.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

FUSADES is a Salvadoran non-profit think tank founded in 1983 that conducts economic, social, and institutional research for El Salvador and Central America, operating a think tank division, a development center with PROINNOVA and FORTAS programs, and an ISO-accredited laboratory, serving government, academia, and international development partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Think Tank and Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAEAB

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

SECONDARYBPAGABAO

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPADAIAO

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) for Global Health

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Global Health & Population Programs

Keywords

• Economic policy research
• Think tank services
• Social development programs
• Accredited laboratory testing
• Small business training

Headquarters

HQ city

Antiguo Cuscatlán

HQ country

El Salvador

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FUSADES conducts economic and social development research for El Salvador through its Centro de pensamiento (think tank division) covering institutional, social, economic, and legal studies. It also runs enterprise development and small-business training programs (PROINNOVA and FORTAS) under its Centro de desarrollo, and operates an ISO-accredited laboratory (Laboratorio de FUSADES) providing environmental and food-industry quality testing services for over 33 years.

Product overview

FUSADES (Asociación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social) is a Salvadoran think tank and research organization focused on economic and social development policy. Its portfolio includes the Centro de pensamiento (think tank division conducting research on economics, social issues, education, health, and infrastructure), the Centro de desarrollo (development center managing PROINNOVA for innovation/enterprise support and FORTAS for small business training), and an accredited laboratory providing quality testing services. FUSADES is not a technology product company but rather a policy research and development organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PROINNOVA: Innovation center under FUSADES' Centro de desarrollo focused on innovative projects and programs
• FORTAS
• Laboratorio de FUSADES

Products and services

• Centro de pensamiento (Think Tank Division) FUSADES's think tank division that conducts research and policy analysis on institutional, social, economic, legal, and political issues affecting El Salvador and Central America. It covers areas such as macroeconomic stabilization, education, health, citizen security, migration, and infrastructure. The output includes strategic studies, institutional analyses, social studies, economic studies, and legal research published for government and civil society audiences.
• Centro de desarrollo (Development Center) FUSADES's development center that manages social and economic development programs including PROINNOVA (innovation and enterprise development) and FORTAS (training and technical assistance for small businesses). It serves entrepreneurs, small business owners, and development partners in El Salvador.
• PROINNOVA Innovation and enterprise development program under the Centro de desarrollo that supports entrepreneurship and business innovation in El Salvador. It is a program/sub-brand of FUSADES aimed at fostering innovative projects and programs for Salvadoran enterprises.
• FORTAS Training and technical assistance program for small businesses and entrepreneurs, part of FUSADES's development center. It provides training and country project support for small enterprises in El Salvador.
• Laboratorio de FUSADES Accredited laboratory service that provides quality testing and analysis, including environmental and food industry testing. Has been operating for over 33 years with ISO accreditation, offering on-site service delivery and quotation-based testing services for businesses, industries, and organizations.

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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Teva PharmaceuticalsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024FUSADES partnered with Teva Pharmaceuticals as part of their Access to Medicines Programs, specifically working with FUSAL (Fundación Salvadoreña de Ayuda Humanitaria) in El Salvador. Teva's 2024 Healthy Future Report documented partnerships including donations, social business models, and emergency support programs in the country. FUSADES served as a local implementation partner for healthcare access initiatives.
• FUSALminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024FUSADES collaborated with FUSAL (Fundación Salvadoreña de Ayuda Humanitaria) in El Salvador as part of Teva Pharmaceuticals' Access to Medicines Programs. The partnership focused on donations and social business models to improve healthcare equity in underserved populations. FUSAL and FUSADES worked together to respond to health emergencies in the country.
• Universidad ZamoranominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFUSADES and Universidad Zamorano signed a cooperation agreement (convenio). Universidad Zamorano is an international university specializing in agricultural sciences and related fields, with a focus on Central American development.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• INCAE Business School: INCAE is a leading Central American business school and research institution with a think tank function focused on regional economic competitiveness. It shares FUSADES' mandate of producing research on Central American economic development, leadership, and business innovation.
• ICEFI: Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales is a Guatemala-based Central American think tank focused on fiscal policy and public finance research. It is comparable in mission and methodological focus on economic policy analysis across Central America.
• FUNDE: Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo is another leading Salvadoran think tank conducting economic and social policy research. It is the most direct domestic peer, overlapping on policy research, economic analysis, and donor-funded development studies in El Salvador.

Emerging players

• CLACDS (INCAE): Centro Latinoamericano para la Competitividad y el Desarrollo Sostenible operates as INCAE's leadership and sustainable development center. Comparable to FUSADES' Centro de Pensamiento in producing strategic analysis on regional competitiveness and sustainability.
• Universidad Zamorano: Universidad Zamorano is a Central American university specializing in agricultural sciences and rural development with research output. It is comparable as a regional academic and applied research partner for development programming.

Broad incumbents

• Inter-American Dialogue: Inter-American Dialogue is a U.S.-based policy institution focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. It is comparable as a think tank producing independent analysis on Latin American economic policy, governance, and regional development issues.
• Carter Center Latin America Program: The Carter Center conducts independent research and conflict mediation in Latin America. It is comparable to FUSADES in producing nonpartisan policy research supporting governance reforms in El Salvador and the broader Central American region.
• Wilson Center Latin America Program: The Wilson Center operates one of the most prominent Latin America-focused policy research programs in Washington, D.C. It is comparable as a globally recognized think tank producing research on Central American political economy, migration, and development.
• Eurofins Latin America testing services: Eurofins operates a global network of ISO-accredited analytical testing laboratories including Central American presence. It is comparable to FUSADES' Laboratorio de FUSADES as a provider of ISO-accredited environmental and food safety testing services in the region.

Others

• FUSAL: Fundación Salvadoreña de Ayuda Humanitaria is a Salvadoran humanitarian foundation collaborating with FUSADES on healthcare access programs. It is comparable as a domestic NGO partner rather than a direct competitor, sharing the local development ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fusades
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fusades
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fusades

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 FUSADES