Core Competence

In the nineteen years of its existence, the Foundation has carried out a wide range of research projects funded by international agencies like the World Bank, DANIDA, CIDA, DFID; Central and State Governments; autonomous institutions and corporate sector. These include qualitative research and large-scale quantitative surveys including baseline, and end line surveys, implementation and impact evaluation studies and programme monitoring. Also, serious efforts have been made to develop IEC strategy and related communication material for the same. Besides its home state Gujarat, the Foundation has worked in almost all parts of the country including north eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, in urban, rural and tribal regions of the country.

Evaluation and Large Scale Survey

TALEEM Research Foundation since its inception has been involved in carrying out large scale rural and urban national surveys and evaluation studies in health, communication and media studies. The Foundation has conducted several National/ State government projects. Important recent surveys include Baseline Coverage Evaluation Survey of Vitamin-A and Other Micronutrients among Women and Children in three Districts of Chhattisgarh (2014), Out patient end line survey to complement "Rashtriya swasthya Bima yojna" in Mehshana. (2014), Third Party Audit (TPA) of Annual Health Survey (completed phase I, phase II and phase III) (2010-2014), Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) – India (2009), District Level Household Survey (DLHS-III) (2007-08) and National Family Health Survey (NFHS-III) (2005-06) in the states of., Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Besides these states, all other states and union territories including Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand were surveyed for various health and media studies.

Qualitative Research

The Foundation has anthropologists and sociologist who are experts in qualitative research and carried out several qualitative studies on health including the recently conducted research on “Baseline Coverage Evaluation Survey of Vitamin-A and Other Micronutrients among Women and Children in three Districts of Chhattisgarh”, “End Line Assessment for Female Condom Promotion Programme” in Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan, Out Patient Survey to Complement “Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana”in Puri (Orissa)” and Focus Group Discussion of RSBY study in Patan district. Currently, the Foundation has been entrusted for.

Background in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies: The Foundation has profound and extensive experiences in conducting several quantitative and qualitative researches. TALEEM has expertise in such research methodologies for over 19 years. The Foundation has intensive and extensive experience in research design, sampling, instrument design, pre-testing instrument, translation in various Indian languages, staff recruitment, field training, quantitative and qualitative data collection, field supervision, field work management, spot checking, back checking, data coding, data entry and analysis along with report writing. Research team had carried qualitative and quantitative analysis, meta analysis and final input report preparation with policy implications and feed formed analysis for programme decision making and programme implementation.

Media Production and Communication Research Studies

The Foundation has carried out several media-related studies, both in print and broadcast media. One of the major projects has been in educational television. Syllabus-based and targeted at classroom viewing for rural primary school children, educational programmes were produced in collaboration with industry, government, NGOs and schools for children in rural and semi-rural areas, covering nine Hindi speaking states. A large number of media production including posters were developed for DFID malaria project of Gujarat.

Since the inception the Foundation has been involved in communication and media research studies like channel viewership, content analysis, viewers’ response to regional language channels and news channels. These studies have been carried out at national level and across many states in India. In Print media, the Foundation has undertaken an assessment of the coverage of science content in fifty-five Hindi and English newspapers in India. In addition, with the support of National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), the Foundation has carried out science content analysis of radio, television and print media.

Research, Training and Capacity Building

Social science research with a focus on healthcare, community and rural development, microfinance, market research, social audit, communication and media studies including Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) needs assessment, strategy and material development are the areas of interest of the Foundation.

Training and capacity building in research methodology, documentation, communication, social marketing, beneficiaries’ counseling, programme monitoring and implementation for personnel engaged in social development activities is another key area of interest.

Jigyasa University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Jigyasa University(erstwhile Himgiri Nabh Vishwavidyalaya) is based on the motto "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"(World as family). The Jigyasa University was set up by Act No. 17 of 2003 of the State Legislative Assembly, Government of Uttarakhand and has been functioning in Dehradun, Uttarakhand since 2005. The University aims to meet the growing demand for trained human resources in various organizations so as to channel human energy towards sustainable economic and social development.

Jigyasa University has been established for the vocationalization of higher education which is national in character and transnational in jurisdiction. The University is characterized by its resolve not to discriminate on grounds of caste, creed, residence, community, gender and religion.

Mount Litera School International

Mount Litera School International has been set up at MMRDA/BKC land of the Foundation. The school is co-educational day school provides an outstanding education through the holistic based curriculum. The school provides students with the happy and secure environment needed for their learning and social development. The school aspires to the best of teaching and learning, and so ensures that all students achieve the highest academic standards of which they are capable, while being prepared to take their place as world citizens. The Mount Litera School has started functioning from June 2014.

Experience in Coordinating Groups of Researchers and Team Leading

The Foundation has a full-time core faculty that has extensive research and project management experience. The multi-disciplinary faculty drawn from anthropology, communication, economics, demography, geography, psychology, sociology, social works and education, bring with them several years of diverse experience of leading and participating in national and international research surveys and evaluation projects. They are supported by an expert resource bank of adjunct and consulting faculty who contribute to the Foundation mission in various capacities both in terms of shaping policy and guiding programmes.

Networking with Other Institutions and Professionals

The Foundation follows a policy of collaborative work and is networked with various academic and research organizations across the country. The Foundation has research collaboration with State University of Moscow, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Asian Media and Information Centre, Singapore to mention a few. It is therefore well positioned to effectively mobilize appropriate technical and human resources to ensure timely and quality output. For IEC material development in print, audio visual and outdoor media as well as folk and people’s media, TALEEM has built up a resource pool of designers, creative talent and performing artists, both individuals and organizations, who contribute regularly on a project basis.

Expertise in Data Processing

The Foundation has a full component of Data Processing Unit. With help of an expert in-charge of computer a variety of statistical qualitative and quantitative analysis are carried out in-house. The consulting faculty having over three decades of experience of sampling, survey design and quantitative analysis provides data processing unit. The Foundation is capable of carrying out any large-scale statistical analysis including rapid election studies carried out from time to time.

Infrastructure Facilities

The Foundation has its own premises of 5,000 sq.ft. providing adequate space for faculty. It has a boardroom, a training hall dining room and storage facility. It has excellent communication connectivity with multiple telephone lines, fax, and broadband Internet connection. There is a well-equipped computer lab with 32 Pentium computers including laptops, six multimedia computers and six machines equipped with special software for high speed data processing, six laser printers and one digital photocopier-cum-printer. Computers are connected with LAN and online internet facility with UPS. Training support equipment like public address system, audiovisual equipment such as TV/VCR, LCD, slide projector, hard, soft and magnetic boards are also available. The Foundation has two scanners, one comp-binding machine and one digital camera. The Foundation owns two vehicles. The Foundation has one 5 KVA Diesel Generator set.

The Foundation has a local office in Patna with sufficient space and which is fully equipped with computers with broadband connections including space for training.

Experience of Working with Governments, International and National Organizations

The Foundation is being involved in various social science research and training with a focus on health, communication, micro economy, social marketing, education, social audit and poll studies. A wide range of researches funded by several states, national and international agencies have been carried out in urban, rural and tribal regions.

Government of India- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Registrar General of India (ORGI)
Indian Council of Medical Research
Indian Space Research Organization
Vigyan Prasar
Department of Science and Technology
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
National Institute of Social Defence
CAPART
Ministry of Home Affairs
State Government includes Gujarat Ecology Commission, Gandhinagar
Tribal Development Department, Govt. of Gujarat
DSAG, Government of Gujarat
Gujarat Tribal Development Corporation, Gandhinagar
Gujarat State AIDS Control Society, Ahmedabad
TATA Chemicals Limited, Mithapur-Gujarat
Integrated Population and Development Project
Commissioner - Rural Development, Government of Gujarat
Commissioner - State Programme Director, Mahila Samakhya, Gujarat
Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited, Ahmedabad
SPIPA, Ahmedabad
City Managers’ Association, Gujarat
Tata – CGPL, Kutch, Gujarat
Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra Health Systems Development Project
District Mineral Foundation, Industries and Mining Department, Government of Gujarat

International Organisations includes

World Bank
DANIDA
CIDA
DFID
UNFPA
Harvard Institute for International Development
Canadian International Development Agency
American India Foundation
British Council Division
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
DKT International
UNDP
PATH Canada
Center for International Project, Columbia Water Center India (CIPT)
Save the Children, U.K
Shastri Indo Canadian Institute
Micro-Nutrient Initiative
NIPI Secretariat and UNOPS International Institutions.
UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime