THEISS RESEARCH

What THEISS RESEARCH does

Theiss Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in La Jolla, California (EIN: 65-1268370). Its core function is to employ research scientists primarily in the physical sciences and assign them as guest researchers at US federal facilities — most notably NIST (Gaithersburg and Boulder), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory — to enable efficient collaboration with government research scientists on agency science missions. The organization has employed over 100 research scientists and has received over 150 contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements from 12 funding organizations since founding.

The company's products and services are not commercial software or hardware but rather research staffing, proposal submission assistance, and project execution on behalf of federally funded research scientists. Theiss Research applies for and receives federal funding (primarily cooperative agreements from NIST, with additional funding from DOD-ONR, DOD-ARO, NASA, NSF, DOE national labs, and private foundations including FQxI, Future of Life Institute, and Templeton). In February 2025 it publicly expanded its offering to NIH-funded research scientists at a 15% fee structure through a letter to the NIH.

Revenue is generated through federal research contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, with a supplementary 15% service fee model for individual researchers seeking proposal support. Go-to-market is direct enterprise-style engagement with federal agencies and individual scientists, with no digital marketing footprint. Leadership consists of Jurgen Theiss (President and CEO, Ph.D. Physics, Cambridge), board members Florian Weissbach and Fabian Wagner (both Ph.D. physicists), and CFO/Secretary Hans C. de Salas-del Valle (MA, Stanford). The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no M&A activity.

Name

THEISS RESEARCH

Legal name

Theiss Research

Website

https://theissresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Theiss Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that employs over 100 research scientists and assigns them as guest researchers at federal facilities (NIST, ORNL, BNL) to support US government science missions, funded primarily by federal grants and cooperative agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK), Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• Physical sciences research
• Nonprofit research services
• Federal research collaboration
• Guest researcher placement
• Grant administration services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Contracts, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements: Theiss Research applies for and receives federal funding from government agencies (primarily NIST) to assist the US government in achieving its science mission. They employ research scientists who work at federal facilities. Also assists research scientists with personal projects by securing funding from federal agencies and foundations, then employing them to execute the projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Theiss Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that employs research scientists and assigns most of them as guest researchers at federal facilities (NIST, ORNL, BNL) to assist the U.S. government, primarily NIST, in achieving its science mission. It also assists research scientists with personal scientific goals by submitting proposals for project funding to federal agencies and foundations on their behalf, then employing the scientists to carry out the funded projects. The organization offers competitive compensation and benefits to all its employee-scientists.

Product overview

Theiss Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that provides scientific research services, primarily in the physical sciences. Rather than offering commercial products, it offers services including: assisting the U.S. government (mainly NIST) to achieve its science mission by employing research scientists and assigning them as guest researchers at federal facilities; offering proposal submission assistance to research scientists for funding from federal agencies and foundations; and organizing and running workshops. The organization has no discrete product modules or named product offerings in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Research Collaboration Services

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Primary strategic partner; Theiss Research assists NIST in achieving its science mission by employing research scientists and assigning most as guest researchers at NIST facilities in Gaithersburg, MD and Boulder, CO. Main source of cooperative agreements and funding.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research facility where Theiss Research research scientists are assigned as guest researchers. ORNL provides funding through UT-Batelle partnership.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research facility where Theiss Research research scientists are assigned as guest researchers for collaboration with other research scientists at the facility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: Large nonprofit research institute delivering scientific and technical research services to U.S. government agencies; comparable in mission and customer set but with a much broader portfolio and larger scale.
• Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): Nonprofit applied-research organization performing contract R&D for federal agencies; comparable in nonprofit structure and physical-sciences contract research orientation.
• SRI International: Established nonprofit research institute conducting contract research for government and commercial clients in physical and life sciences; comparable in nonprofit R&D services model.
• RAND Corporation: Large nonprofit research institution funded substantially by federal contracts and grants; comparable in nonprofit structure and federal research-services model, though focused on policy analysis.
• MITRE Corporation: Federally Funded R&D Center operating across multiple federal sponsors; comparable in nonprofit/federally-funded research-services model though focused on systems engineering rather than physical sciences.
• Battelle Memorial Institute: Major nonprofit that operates or co-manages multiple DOE national laboratories; overlaps with Theiss Research in managing federally sponsored physical-sciences research at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Operates the NRC Research Associateship Programs that place scientists at federal laboratories across NIST, DOE, and DOD, directly overlapping with Theiss Research's guest-researcher value proposition.
• Universities Research Association (URA): Nonprofit that operates Fermilab and manages university-based research collaborations at DOE facilities; comparable in nonprofit-vehicle model for running federally sponsored research programs.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Runs Science & Technology Policy Fellowships and similar federal-placement programs, using a nonprofit structure to embed scientists across government agencies—a structurally analogous model to Theiss Research.
• Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU): Nonprofit consortium that manages DOE research workforce programs and places scientists and research associates at national laboratories—the closest direct peer to Theiss Research's guest-researcher placement model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theiss-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THEISS RESEARCH