How we keep our research independent
Funders and commissioning clients have no right to approve, edit or delay our findings. This page sets out the policies that protect that independence — and the disclosures that let you verify it.
Independence is not a claim we make; it is a set of procedures we follow and publish. Research questions and methods are set by the research team. No funder, sponsor or client can require a conclusion, veto a finding or hold back a report because they dislike the result.
Because much of our work is commissioned, we hold market research to the same standard as our policy programmes: the party paying for a study does not control its findings, and the funding relationship is disclosed in the report itself.
Six policies that protect independence
Editorial independence
Funders and commissioning clients have no right to approve, edit or delay findings. Research questions and methods are set by the research team, not by the party funding or commissioning a study.
Funding disclosure
Every publication states who funded the underlying work — core institutional funds, a grant, or a commissioned engagement — in the funding line of the report itself.
No advocacy positions
The Institute does not endorse candidates, parties or campaigns, and does not take institutional positions on contested policy questions beyond what the evidence in a given study supports.
Conflicts of interest
Authors and external advisers declare financial or organisational interests that could reasonably bear on a study; material conflicts are published alongside the report.
Diversified funding base
Income is drawn from a mix of core grants, foundation support and commissioned market research, so that no single funder accounts for a majority of annual revenue.
Open data and methods
Data, code and survey instruments are published under CC BY 4.0 wherever licensing and privacy allow, so findings can be checked and reproduced.
Who pays, stated in every report
Every publication carries a funding line naming the source of the underlying work — core institutional funds, a named grant, or a commissioned engagement. Where a study is commissioned, the report states that the client had no editorial control over its conclusions.
Our income is drawn from a mix of core grants, foundation support and commissioned market research, so that no single funder accounts for a majority of annual revenue. That diversified base is itself a safeguard: it means the Institute is not dependent on any one relationship, and can decline or discontinue work that would compromise its independence.
A diversified income, reported in full
In the year to 31 December 2025 the Institute’s total income was £6.2 million, drawn across four broad sources so that no single funder holds a majority stake in our work. Unrestricted reserves at year-end covered a little over four months of operating expenditure — enough to see studies already under way through to publication without depending on any one relationship.
- Core grants & foundation support46%
- Commissioned market research34%
- Project & programme grants15%
- Events, licensing & other income5%
Figures are drawn from our latest annual review. Full audited accounts are published each year and filed with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. See our annual reports for the complete income and expenditure statements.
A funder can commission a question. They cannot commission the answer.
Declared, reviewed and published
Authors and external advisers declare financial or organisational interests that could reasonably bear on a study — for example, paid work for an organisation named in the analysis, or a governance role in a body being assessed. Declarations are reviewed before a study proceeds.
Where a material conflict exists, it is either managed — for instance, by reassigning review to an unconnected researcher — or published alongside the report so readers can weigh it. We would rather disclose an interest than hope it goes unnoticed.
Errors corrected in the open
When an error is identified after publication, we correct it in a dated erratum attached to the original record rather than quietly editing the file. Minor corrections are noted on the publication page; substantial revisions are issued as a new version with a changelog, and the earlier version remains citable.
If you believe a published finding is mistaken, you can write to enquiries@internationalresearchinstitute.org. We review every substantiated query and record the outcome against the publication.
Independence also depends on how the Institute is governed and how our standards are enforced. Read more about our governance and our editorial standards.
Every report shows its funding and methods
Read a publication and check the funding line, the methods note and the disclosures for yourself.