This work cannot be done by an institute alone. It requires the people who write the standards, build the systems, administer the rules and live with the results — and it particularly requires people willing to tell us where we are wrong. There are eight ways to take part. Each states what happens after you get in touch.
For universities, regulators, standards bodies, foundations and companies
Formal partnerships where an institution commits people and time to shared work — co-convened working groups, joint standards development, or embedding our review methods in your own processes. Partnership means shared work, not endorsement in either direction.
For academic researchers and research groups
Joint research on any of our sixteen themes: co-authored papers, shared data and methods, peer review of our working drafts, or bringing an existing project into our publication programme. We are particularly interested in empirical work on whether governance mechanisms actually change outcomes.
For those who want to contribute time and skill
Substantive volunteer work: literature review, translation, data collection, accessibility auditing, editorial support, event organisation. We ask for a defined commitment rather than open-ended availability, because vague volunteering wastes the volunteer's time as much as ours.
For practitioners with something specific to say
We publish commentaries and analysis from people doing the work — engineers, clinicians, civil servants, procurement officers, teachers, auditors. Practitioner accounts of what actually happens when a policy meets an institution are more useful to us than another survey of the literature.
For journalists and researchers on deadline
Comment, background briefing, and technical explanation on any of our themes. We will provide context on the record, tell you where our expertise ends, and point you to someone better placed when that is the honest answer.
For conference organisers, committees and convenors
We accept invitations to speak, give evidence to legislative and regulatory committees, and take part in panels — including where our position is likely to be the unpopular one in the room. We prioritise settings where a decision is actually being made.
For schools, universities and professional training bodies
Curriculum development, teaching materials, guest teaching, and support for institutions building ethics into technical education rather than bolting it on as a final-year module. Our teaching material is released for reuse and adaptation.
For funders and philanthropic institutions
Funding for specific programmes of work. We accept support on terms that preserve our independence: no right of review over findings, no restriction on publishing results that are inconvenient, and full public disclosure of the source and amount.
Different enquiries reach different people. The contact page separates the four kinds of approach we receive most often, so your message reaches someone who can act on it.