Designing studies that survive scrutiny: pre-registration in industry research
Why fixing hypotheses and analysis plans before data collection protects both credibility and budget.
Read moreIndependent research across the questions that matter.
Critical Research Institute designs and runs rigorous studies in health, environment, technology, society, and industry — and delivers findings you can defend and act on.
Research areas
One institute, many disciplines. Each area is led by researchers with domain expertise and shared standards for design, data, and reporting.
Health & life sciences
Clinical and observational studies, epidemiology, health outcomes, and real-world evidence.
ExploreEnvironment & earth systems
Water, soil, air, and ecosystem monitoring; climate risk; remediation effectiveness.
ExploreTechnology & data science
Algorithm evaluation, AI safety and bias audits, software reliability, and cybersecurity assessment.
ExploreSociety & behavior
Surveys, experiments, program evaluation, and qualitative research on how people decide and act.
ExploreMaterials & engineering
Product testing, failure analysis, durability, and standards conformance.
ExploreEnergy & infrastructure
Grid, transport, and built-environment studies; performance and resilience assessment.
ExploreWhat we do
End-to-end support from the first question to the final report — or any single stage you need.
Study design & protocol development
Hypotheses, sampling frames, power calculations, endpoints, and pre-registration. We design studies that can answer the question before any data is collected.
Field research & data collection
Site management, participant recruitment, sensor deployment, surveys, and interviews — run to a written protocol with documented chain of custody.
Laboratory & testing
Analytical chemistry, microbiology, materials testing, and environmental sampling through our partner laboratory network.
Data management & biostatistics
Validated databases, statistical analysis plans, modeling, machine learning, and reproducible analysis pipelines.
Regulatory & compliance
IRB/ethics submissions, GCP and GLP alignment, quality assurance audits, and documentation for regulators and standards bodies.
Systematic reviews & evidence synthesis
Literature reviews, meta-analysis, and evidence maps that show what is known, what is contested, and what is missing.
Advisory & program evaluation
Independent assessment of programs, products, and policies — with findings written for the people who have to decide.
Scientific communication
Technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, regulatory dossiers, and briefings for boards and public audiences.
Built for scrutiny
Every study follows a written protocol, a pre-specified analysis plan, and a documented audit trail. Our findings are the same whether the client likes them or not — which is why clients keep coming back with harder questions.
8research areas under one quality system
4sectors served: public, private, health, nonprofit
100%of studies pre-registered with an analysis plan
1point of contact from proposal to final report
Who we serve
Organizations that need evidence they can stand behind.
Government & public agencies
Program evaluation, environmental monitoring, public-health surveillance, and policy analysis delivered to procurement and audit standards.
Industry & product companies
Product testing, market and pricing research, safety studies, and third-party validation buyers and regulators trust.
Healthcare & life sciences
Clinical and observational studies, health economics, outcomes research, and real-world evidence.
Foundations & nonprofits
Impact measurement, needs assessments, and independent evaluation of funded programs.
Insights
Methods, findings, and perspective from our research teams.
Field sampling in variable environments: a practical quality framework
Chain-of-custody, calibration, and replication practices for environmental and infrastructure programs.
Read moreEvaluating AI systems the way we evaluate medical devices
What clinical evidence standards can teach technology buyers about validation, monitoring, and post-market surveillance.
Read moreHave a question that needs an answer?
Tell us what you need to know. We respond within two business days with a scoped approach.