Centar

What Centar does

Centar (legal entity Eesti Rakendusuuringute Keskus CentAR OÜ) is an Estonian applied research firm founded in 2007 and headquartered in Tallinn. The company delivers socio-economic research, policy studies, data modelling, surveys, and training services to Estonian central-government ministries, public agencies, and private sector clients. Its core offering centers on tailor-made commissioned research projects covering labor market, education, health, social protection, finance, and transport policy areas, executed by a team of PhD-qualified senior researchers using quantitative and qualitative methods, econometric analysis, and proprietary simulation models (e.g., the RITA-C19 macro-model).

The firm's product portfolio comprises three lines. First, custom research studies designed to client specifications and delivered through direct engagement. Second, standardized employee commitment and satisfaction survey products: the APR methodology for the public sector (co-developed with Psience under Ministry of Finance commission in 2015), covering 14 thematic areas with statistical confidence intervals and comparison-group benchmarking, and the copyright-protected Stepp2 methodology for the private sector. Third, the Centar School of Analysis, offering R-based data analysis training from 7 to 40 academic hours with diploma certification.

The business model is professional services revenue from commissioned projects and standardized survey products, with sales-led direct engagement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are typically multi-year. Customers are concentrated in Estonian public administration, including the Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of the Interior, alongside enterprise clients such as Tallinn Airport and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates as a privately-held boutique of 1-10 employees.

Name

Centar

Legal name

Eesti Rakendusuuringute Keskus CentAR OÜ

Website

https://centar.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centar (Eesti Rakendusuuringute Keskus CentAR) is an Estonian boutique applied research firm founded in 2007 that delivers socio-economic research, policy evaluation, proprietary employee surveys (APR/Stepp2), and R-based data analysis training to government ministries, public agencies, and private sector clients in Estonia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Socio-Economic Research and Policy Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB), Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Applied socio-economic research
• Policy impact assessment
• Employee commitment surveys
• Econometric modelling
• Data analysis training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Research and Consulting: Centar conducts tailor-made research, analysis, and consulting services commissioned by government ministries, public agencies, and private sector organizations. Projects are typically time-bound with specific deliverables.
2. Personnel and Business Studies: Employee commitment and satisfaction studies conducted using proprietary methodologies (APR for public sector, Stepp2 for private sector). Organizations can commission these standardized surveys.
3. Training Services: Centar School of Analysis offers data analysis training programs using R software. Training is delivered in academic hour modules with diplomas upon completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Centar conducts tailor-made applied socio-economic research, policy studies, and impact assessments for Estonian government ministries, public agencies, and private sector clients. It also sells standardized employee commitment and satisfaction surveys (APR for public sector, Stepp2 for private sector) and delivers R-based data analysis training through the Centar School of Analysis.

Product overview

Centar (Eesti Rakendusuuringute Keskus CentAR) is an Estonian applied research center offering tailor-made research, analysis, and consulting services since 2007. The company operates three main product lines: (1) custom in-depth research studies designed to client specifications covering sectors such as labour market, education, health, finance, and transport; (2) personnel and business survey products including the Stepp2 methodology for the private sector and the APR (Avaliku sektori pühendumus ja rahulolu) methodology for public sector organizations, both featuring benchmarking capabilities and structured survey frameworks; and (3) the Centar School of Analysis providing R data analysis training. The company serves government ministries, local governments, EU institutions, and private sector clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stepp2: Employee commitment survey methodology for private sector companies
• APR (Avaliku sektori pühendumuse uuring)
• Centar School of Analysis

Products and services

• Tailor-Made Research Studies Custom-designed applied research studies with methodology tailored to client needs, including data collection, analysis, and interpretation for sectors such as public administration, finance, labour market, education, health, and social policy. Commissioned by government ministries, agencies, and private sector organizations.
• Stepp2 Employee Commitment Study

Quantifiable outcome

• The new methodology for household subsistence minimum establishes the first adult household member minimum at 443.5 euros per 30 days (2024 prices)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PsiencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the APR (Avaliku sektori pühendumus ja rahulolu) methodology for public sector employee commitment and satisfaction surveys. Psience collaborated with Centar in developing this standardized methodology commissioned by the Ministry of Finance in 2015.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Praxis Center for Policy Studies: Estonian think tank conducting applied social research, policy analysis, and evaluations for government and EU institutions. Direct domestic competitor to Centar in evidence-based policy research, program evaluation, and labour/education/social policy studies.
• European Policy Evaluation Consortium (EPEC): European partnership providing evaluation, monitoring, and research services for EU-funded programmes. Directly comparable to Centar's policy-research and evaluation work, with a similar academic/consulting hybrid model.
• TNS Emor (Kantar Estonia): Estonian market and social research firm offering surveys, opinion polling, and analytics. Comparable to Centar in survey design and private/public sector research, with stronger brand presence in market research but weaker specialization in policy evaluation.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: Global consulting firm with deep public-sector research, evaluation, and survey practices. Competes with Centar on government-commissioned policy research, program evaluation, and survey methodology work, particularly for EU and international clients.
• Ecorys: European research and consulting company specializing in socio-economic research, policy evaluation, and EU programme assessments. Direct overlap with Centar's policy research, ex-ante/ex-post evaluation, and survey capabilities, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Gallup: Global analytics and advisory firm specializing in public opinion polling, employee engagement surveys (Q12), and behavioural research. Comparable to Centar's Stepp2/APR work on standardized employee commitment measurement, though operating at vastly larger scale.
• Ramboll Management Consulting: Global engineering, design, and consultancy firm with a strong public-sector policy and evaluation practice across the Nordics and Baltics. Competes with Centar for EU-funded evaluation and policy-impact assessment mandates, with much broader scale and cross-border delivery.

Regional players

• Statistics Estonia (Statistikaamet): Estonian national statistical office producing official socio-economic data and conducting methodological research. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but Centar's econometric and survey work intersects with Statistikaamet's analytical capabilities and serves overlapping policy customers.
• Institute of Baltic Studies: Estonian independent research institute focused on socio-economic research, policy analysis, and international project evaluation. Closest domestic peer to Centar in scale, mission, and methodological orientation.

Others

• GHK (now part of ICF) / Coffey / EU evaluation consultancies: Network of European consultancies delivering EU programme evaluations, social research, and policy impact studies. Adjacent ecosystem competitors that bid on the same EU and government tenders as Centar.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Centar