Network Contagion Research Institute

What Network Contagion Research Institute does

The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, with operating labs embedded in Rutgers University's Miller Center and the University of Maryland. NCRI studies the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and online extremism through what it terms 'cybersocial science' — an interdisciplinary method combining data science, psychology, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) to detect and respond to emerging threats in the information ecosystem. Its proprietary methodologies include Algorithm Pressure Testing (simulating user behavior on platforms such as TikTok), AI-Driven Narrative Forensics (NLP and LLM-assisted analysis of propaganda supply chains), Botometer Scoring for coordinated inauthentic amplification, Granger Analysis for detecting viral deception in financial markets, and the formally published 'Botification' framework. Outputs are organized across four research pillars: Child Safety & Psychological Health, Economic Manipulation & Market PsyOps, National Security & Algorithmic Indoctrination, and Foreign Influence on Civic Institutions.

Name

Network Contagion Research Institute

Legal name

Network Contagion Research Institute

Website

https://networkcontagion.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCRI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute that uses cybersocial science — combining data science, psychology, and OSINT — to detect and expose misinformation, foreign influence, algorithmic manipulation, and financial market psyops, serving U.S. and UK policymakers, regulators, academic partners, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: NCRI accepts donations through PayPal (fundraiser/charity ID 3521050) indicating reliance on charitable contributions and grant funding.
2. Government and Institutional Research Contracts: Research outputs inform policy for UK Government, US Congress, and law enforcement agencies. Findings directly informed the Deterring Foreign Influence in Higher Education Act, suggesting government-funded research engagements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NCRI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute that produces independent data-driven research reports and analyses on the spread of misinformation, disinformation, foreign influence operations, algorithmic manipulation, and online extremism. It also operates NCRI Labs, a virtual open-source intelligence laboratory that trains students at partner universities (Rutgers and University of Maryland) in cybersocial threat identification and forecasting. All research is delivered at no cost to the public, with no commercial products sold.

Product overview

The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) is a nonpartisan research institute that operates as a research organization rather than a traditional product company. NCRI produces cybersocial science research through its core offerings: NCRI Reports (independent data-driven reports on hostile ideological content and information threats), NCRI Labs (training and internship program in OSINT and threat detection), and the Botification of the American Mind framework. The institute organizes its work across four research pillars: Child Safety & Psychological Health, Economic Manipulation & Market PsyOps, National Security & Algorithmic Indoctrination, and Foreign Influence on Civic Institutions. All offerings are research and training focused, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCRI Reports Independent, data-driven research reports (30+ published) on the spread of hostile ideological content, foreign influence operations, assassination culture, antisemitism, and information threats to democracy and national security. Reports are publicly downloadable in PDF form from the NCRI reports archive and serve government, academic, and public audiences at no cost.
• Botification of the American Mind A peer-reviewed research report and framework formally introducing "botification" into the scientific literature, explaining how digital systems simulate behavior, hijack attention, and make belief programmable through AI-enhanced disinformation. Targeted at policymakers, academics, and the informed public.
• NCRI Labs A virtual, multidisciplinary open-source intelligence laboratory that trains the next generation of threat intelligence professionals in cybersocial threat identification and forecasting through cutting-edge coursework and internship programs in partnership with Rutgers University and the University of Maryland. Serves university students and academic researchers.
• Child Safety and Psychological Health Research Pillar A research pillar investigating how contagious self-harm behaviors, sextortion threats, and algorithmic dissociation affect minors on social platforms, including partnership-driven research with NCMEC that contributed to the removal of the Wizz app from app stores. Targeted at child-safety policymakers, regulators, and the public.
• Economic Manipulation and Market PsyOps Research Pillar A research pillar analyzing how financial ecosystems are manipulated through coordinated digital influence, using Granger analysis, Botometer scoring, and behavioral experiments to detect viral deception in crypto and finance. Findings presented to FINRA, FTC, and DOJ officials investigating market manipulation.
• National Security and Algorithmic Indoctrination Research Pillar A research pillar auditing how platforms like TikTok and X algorithmically privilege polarizing or radicalizing content while suppressing neutral or civic-oriented content, providing evidence cited in Congressional testimony, U.S. Supreme Court briefs, and DOJ cases on TikTok-related propaganda and foreign interference.
• Foreign Influence on Civic Institutions Research Pillar A research pillar investigating how foreign actors exploit universities, nonprofits, and activist networks to shape public discourse and policy through coordinated funding and influence campaigns, using entity linkage analysis and geospatial modeling to map influence operations. Targeted evidence informing the Deterring Foreign Influence in Higher Education Act and DOJ cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Threats against members of Congress increased 58% from 2024 to 2025, nearly doubled since 2020
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Rutgers University - Miller CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship research and training hub focused on psychological threat forecasting, extremism modeling, and behavioral analytics. Located within Rutgers' Miller Center, this lab trains students in the cyber-psychological dynamics of radicalization, ideological contagion, and algorithmic indoctrination.
• University of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUMD Data Science and Computing lab explores how social media influences capital markets, including spread of crypto scams, meme stock hype, and inauthentic behavior by state-linked financial actors. Uses cybersocial science to understand market manipulation in real time.
• NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on child safety research addressing sextortion, self-harm contagion, and algorithmic dissociation affecting minors. Collaborates on building tools and insights to keep vulnerable populations safe.
• Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing at University of MiamiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored report on anti-Indian hate and immigration debate manipulation with Frost Institute researchers.
• Zur Lab at Robert H. Smith School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Mission Aborted report examining institutional governance and financial transparency in major teachers' unions.
• World's Leading UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRI serves as a resource to world's leading universities and has academic partnerships with Rutgers, University of Maryland, and University of Miami for research collaboration and student training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established policy research nonprofit that conducts social-science research, including on information warfare and influence operations. Comparable as a research-driven policy influencer, though vastly broader in scope and substantially larger in scale.
• MITRE Corporation: Federally funded R&D center operating across national-security and cyber threat intelligence domains. Overlaps with NCRI's threat-intelligence and adversarial-analysis work, particularly where state-linked actors and influence operations intersect with national-security concerns.
• Recorded Future (Insikt Group): Commercial threat-intelligence platform with an in-house research team (Insikt Group) that publishes on state-linked disinformation and influence operations. Comparable subject matter and methodology, but commercial SaaS delivery and broader cyber-threat focus.

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Open-source investigations collective producing award-winning research on disinformation, foreign influence, and online extremism. Comparable in OSINT-driven methodology, publication cadence, and influence on policy and media, though Bellingcat's subject-matter focus is broader (war crimes, conflict).
• Graphika: Commercial social-network analysis firm specializing in detecting coordinated inauthentic behavior, bot amplification, and influence operations — directly overlapping NCRI's botometer scoring and narrative forensics capabilities, though operating as a paid SaaS provider rather than a nonprofit.
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD): International counter-extremism and disinformation research nonprofit that works closely with governments and produces reports on online influence operations. Directly comparable in mission, methodology, and policy-briefing function, with a stronger UK/EU footprint.
• Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab): DFRLab is a leading think-tank-based disinformation research unit that investigates influence operations, bot networks, and narrative manipulation. Directly comparable to NCRI's mission, methodology (OSINT, network analysis), and government/policy engagement model.
• Stanford Internet Observatory (legacy): Academic disinformation research program that pioneered platform-data analysis, election integrity research, and policy engagement on algorithmic amplification. Closely comparable in research methodology and government-facing role, though the program has been largely wound down.

Regional players

• DFR Lab (Germany) / EU DisinfoLab: European disinformation research organizations investigating influence operations, narrative manipulation, and foreign interference across EU member states. Comparable in methodology and subject matter, with a primarily EU regulatory and policy audience rather than U.S. congressional engagement.

Emerging players

• NewsGuard: Media-trust and misinformation ratings provider focused on reliability scoring of news outlets and tracking of false narratives. Comparable on misinformation subject matter but operates as a commercial enterprise with a different delivery model (trust ratings vs. open-source reports).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncri_io
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/network-contagion-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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