CNA’s Institute for Public Research (IPR) provides comprehensive research and analysis services to organizations leading missions of critical importance to the public to include public health and safety, homeland security and infrastructure resilience, emergency management, vulnerable population protection, justice and law enforcement, and aerospace safety and security.
Our Mission
IPR partners with clients to provide skilled resources with the essential domain and functional knowledge to help address the toughest problems. We make a client’s mission ours, and provide tailored approaches designed to accomplish specific objectives and goals. We commit to deliver the necessary combination of client understanding and research and technical skills to provide holistic and lasting solutions and impactful outcomes.
IPR's Guiding Principles
IPR Centers
Within IPR, eight Centers focus on maintaining, maturing and delivering to our clients a range of expertise across numerous capability areas outlined below. The Centers continually examine client needs within their capability areas and invest in diverse, leading-edge solutions and highly skilled and trained resources to fully address those needs. This enables the Centers to continually provide clients with optimum support to help solve their most complex problems, particularly within environments facing changing requirements and rapid innovations.
The Center for Critical Incident Analysis employs data driven approaches to reconstruct and analyze responses to real world incidents, disasters and emergencies and identify best practices and lessons learned. The Center supports government agencies and organizations in continuous learning to enhance and improve prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery capabilities.
The Center for Data Management and Analytics provides clients with experienced engineers and data scientists to apply proven approaches and frameworks for managing data throughout the data supply chain. The Center applies innovative techniques and frameworks to efficiently transform raw data into products and information that inform decision making, particularly in complex environments.
Emergency Management and Operations
The Center for Emergency Management and Operations provides experienced resources to support federal, state and local government agencies with development and implementation of the full range of emergency management programs. Using both real-world disaster experience and advanced research and analytic techniques, the Center strives to continually enhance the practice of emergency management nationwide.
Enterprise Systems Modernization
The Center for Enterprise Systems Modernization empowers clients to make fast-paced decisions in two ways: first, by providing holistic analyses of existing systems and operations to identify gaps and issues, and second, with analyses of cutting-edge technological advances that can help improve operations. The Center analyzes the entirety of systems — people, processes, data and technologies — to define solutions that enhance operational efficiency.
Homeland Security and Infrastructure Resilience
The Center for Homeland Security and Infrastructure Resilience applies multi-disciplinary data-driven methods to help clients analyze and enhance programs, policies and operations supporting the safety and security of our nation. The security of residents, visitors, environment, infrastructure and cyberspace all fall within scope of the Center. Experienced teams at the Center employ innovative solutions that inform decision-making and drive action within all levels of government and the private sector.
Justice Research and Innovation
The Center for Justice Research and Innovation translates research and analysis regarding the goals, objectives, operations and outcomes of the American justice system into promising programs, strategies and tactics within justice-related agencies. The Center works with hundreds of justice system organizations nationwide providing holistic approaches for research, training and technical assistance that inform and support system improvements.
Public Health Preparedness and Resilience
The Center for Public Health Preparedness and Resilience helps public health agencies and organizations around the globe develop, assess, test and evaluate emergency policies, plans, and operational capabilities. Using data-driven research and analysis techniques and methods the Center addresses clients' most pressing preparedness and response challenges.
Vulnerable Population Protection
CNA’s Center for Vulnerable Population Protection addresses the security of people at risk due to age, income, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, mental health or other vulnerabilities. The Center conducts policy research and development, as well as interventions, program evaluations and implementations of processes and programs. With technical expertise in background check programs, emergency preparedness and response, neglect, fraud and abuse of the elderly and children, human trafficking, displaced persons, food insecurity, and supply chain analysis, our researchers and analysts bring analytic capabilities and solution delivery to local, state, and federal agencies serving these unique populations.
CNA’s Military Advisory Board studies pressing issues of the day to assess their impact on America’s national security, ranging from fuel economy to the role of water stress in instability and conflict. The board includes retired three- and four-star flag and general officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.