Research institutes are specially organized entities that focus on conducting investigative and informational research on a specific topic. A research institute may be privately funded or endowed by a business or group of businesses, non-profit organizations, grassroots citizens associations or institutions of higher learning. In all its incarnations, the purpose of the research institute is to increase the bank of knowledge available about the specific subject as well as broaden the possibilities of how to utilize that knowledge to best advantage.
It is not unusual for a research institute to focus on some aspect of modern health care. The research effort may involve medical research that is centered on a specific disease or related group of diseases. The medical research may involve clinical trials on newly developed medications in order to identify the primary benefits as well as possible side effects at different dosage ranges. A medically based research institute may also promote continued research into the development of new treatments for health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and different forms of cancer.
There are also research opportunities that seek to understand different aspects of human behavior. For example, a research institute may choose to study and organize data regarding the buying habits of consumers that live within a given geographical location, are of a specific gender or age, or within a given economic bracket. Businesses sometimes underwrite the cost of this type of research as a means of developing marketing strategies that will allow them to increase their market shares within specific niche markets.
Scientific research can also be the main focus of a research institute. Within this application, the institute may gather and study clinical data that relates to specific phenomena within a given field of science such as botany, or zoology. The efforts of a research institute that pursues the collection and assimilation of this type of data is often helpful in understanding the impact of environmental changes on life on earth as well as discover ways to possibly reverse or at least minimize negative factors that may be present.
When it comes to the operation of a research institute connected with a college or university, just about any type of ongoing study is possible. Some university research programs focus on historical figures or eras, some area of science, physical or mental health, or the environment. Some universities establish research institutes that explore culture phenomena such as the impact of religion or politics on the mindset of people living within a specific nation or area of the world.
At its core, the function of any research institute is to gather together and analyze currently available data, engage in experimentation based on theories inspired by the analysis and report the outcomes of those experiments to interested parties. As a result, the institute not only makes the collected data accessible but also helps to make it more useful to those who have an interest in the subject matter under consideration.
By Malcolm Tatum
(Writer)