COMMUNITY FOR ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

What COMMUNITY FOR ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION does

Community for Academic Research and Development Foundation (CARD) is a not-for-profit academic research foundation headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, with a secondary office in Alipurduar, West Bengal. The organization describes itself as India's first Multi-disciplinary Academic Research Organisation, structured around 19 Research Centres of Excellence covering constitutional governance, comparative human rights, criminal justice, climate and environmental studies, digital law and technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, economic policy, education policy, engineering research, gender and social inclusion, health law and bioethics, international law and strategy, indigenous and tribal studies, labour and social security, literary and Vedic studies, media law and information policy, medical research, philosophy and ethics, and public policy and governance. Operational metrics disclosed on the website include 13 completed projects, 11 ongoing policy projects, 45 total research undertakings, and a claimed network of 48,000+ scholars spanning 86 countries (some website sections cite 4,800+ members, indicating an internal counting discrepancy). Year of founding is recorded as 2026, making the entity very early-stage.

CARD generates revenue through two modelled streams: recurring membership fees (student and executive tiers applied for via Google Forms) and research grants or institutional project funding. The foundation does not disclose any pricing, no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no API or SDK, and no patents or trademarks. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on membership recruitment, internship pipelines, conferences, a digital presence (cardint.org, LinkedIn, Instagram, newsletter), and a partnership network that includes UNDP, UNESCO, the World Bank, OECD, SIPRI, SSRC, UNU, WRI, IISD, International IDEA, ACU, IAU, and the Asian Development Bank. Target segments are academicians and researchers, graduate students and early-career scholars, government and policy institutions, and academic institutions, with stated focus on South Asia and global outreach.

The business model is fundamentally a grant- and membership-supported academic nonprofit rather than a commercial enterprise. The foundation holds sector credentials including NITI Aayog NGO Darpan registration, ORCID membership, Crossref DOI membership, and DOAJ listing, which collectively provide baseline legitimacy for an India-based nonprofit research body. There is no disclosed parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, no leadership changes, and no product launches beyond the standing RCoE portfolio. As such, the entity is best evaluated as an early-stage, policy-facing research community whose near-term commercial optionality is constrained by its nonprofit structure and lack of disclosed financial scale.

Name

COMMUNITY FOR ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Legal name

Community for Academic Research and Development Foundation

Website

https://cardint.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CARD is a not-for-profit academic research foundation headquartered in India that operates 19 Research Centres of Excellence, running interdisciplinary policy-driven research for a global network of scholars from 86 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Noida

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CARD generates revenue through membership programs including student and executive membership tiers, enabling academicians, researchers, scholars, and students to join the global research network.
2. Research Grants and Project Funding: As a not-for-profit research foundation, CARD likely receives funding through research grants, policy project funding, and institutional partnerships to support its 19 Research Centres of Excellence and ongoing projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CARD is a not-for-profit research foundation that operates 19 Research Centres of Excellence spanning governance, human rights, climate, digital law, entrepreneurship, economics, education, health, international law, indigenous studies, and other disciplines. It offers structured membership and internship programs to build a global academic research network and translates scholarly work into evidence-based policy insights.

Product overview

CARD is India’s first Multi-disciplinary Academic Research Organisation offering a portfolio of 19 Research Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) spanning constitutional governance, human rights, climate studies, digital law, entrepreneurship, economics, education, engineering, gender studies, health law, international law, indigenous studies, labour studies, literary/Vedic studies, media law, medical research, philosophy, and public policy. The organization also provides structured internship and membership programs, operating as a not-for-profit research foundation that promotes interdisciplinary inquiry, comparative regional studies, and applied scholarship to inform policy, governance, and societal development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 completed projects and 11 ongoing policy projects demonstrate sustained research output
• +1 more outcomes

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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with global research organization focused on environment and development issues, aligning with CARD's sustainable development and climate research initiatives through its Centre for Climate & Environmental Studies (CCES).
• United Nations University (UNU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UN think tank providing academic legitimacy and supporting CARD's mission to advance interdisciplinary research and policy influence at the international level.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNESCO supporting CARD's research initiatives, particularly in education, science, culture, and communication, enhancing international academic credibility.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UNDP supporting development research, governance initiatives, and policy-driven scholarship aligned with Sustainable Development Goals.
• Social Science Research Council (SSRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SSRC supporting social science research initiatives, peer review processes, and scholarly collaboration across CARD's network.
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration supporting peace and security research, international law studies, and strategic studies through CARD's Centre for International Law & Strategy.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting economic policy research and development studies, aligning with CARD's Centre for Economic Policy & Development.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting environmental sustainability research and policy advocacy, complementing CARD's climate and environmental studies initiatives.
• International IDEAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration supporting democracy and governance research, electoral studies, and institutional accountability research.
• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with World Bank supporting development research, economic policy studies, and international development initiatives across CARD's research network.
• Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with ACU supporting academic networking, university collaboration, and research capacity building across Commonwealth institutions.
• International Association of Universities (IAU)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with IAU supporting global higher education collaboration, university partnerships, and academic research networks.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting development research, economic studies, and regional cooperation initiatives in Asia, aligned with CARD's South Asian focus.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Established global research organization spanning policy, social science, health, and security. Comparable in non-profit, interdisciplinary, and applied-research model.
• Brookings Institution: Large, multi-disciplinary policy research organization operating across economics, governance, and international studies. Comparable in multi-disciplinary structure and policy-research positioning.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: International affairs think tank with centres on governance, economics, and security. Comparable in multi-disciplinary, international-network approach to policy research.
• Chatham House: Royal Institute of International Affairs with interdisciplinary research on international affairs, governance, and law. Comparable in independent, policy-driven scholarship model.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies: Global think tank on international security, defence, and strategic studies. Comparable in interdisciplinary research, international network, and policy-focused publications.

Direct peers

• Observer Research Foundation: India-based think tank covering policy, geopolitics, and interdisciplinary research. Closest comparable in geography, multi-disciplinary scope, and policy-translation mission to CARD.
• Centre for Policy Research: India-based public-policy research institution with interdisciplinary focus on governance, law, and development. Highly comparable in target audience and research-policy translation model.
• SIPRI: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute focused on security, international law, and strategic studies. CARD lists SIPRI as a partner and operates a CILS centre covering overlapping topics.
• World Resources Institute: Global research organization working on environment, climate, and sustainable development. CARD explicitly partners with WRI and shares a Centre of Excellence (CCES) in climate and environmental studies.

Regional players

• Institute of Economic Growth: India-based academic research institute covering economics, development, and policy studies. Comparable in Indian academic research positioning and policy orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardint
• Instagraminstagram.com/cardint

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 →

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