Your Findings Move Money and Policy.
Protecting non-clinical research firms, institutes, and think tanks
Research organizations produce conclusions that other people act on — a market study that guides a product launch, a policy analysis that shapes legislation, an economic model that moves an investment, a scientific review that informs a strategy. When the research is flawed, the methodology is unsound, or the findings are overstated, a client or funder who built a decision on it can take a real loss and name the organization. The work is professional judgment and analysis, so the exposure is errors-and-omissions, layered with the intellectual-property and data risks of handling proprietary information and the compliance obligations attached to grants and funded work. This is a distinctly different risk from a clinical contract research organization, which runs human trials and carries human-subject liability — here the exposure is the conclusion and the data behind it, not patient injury.
Properly structured coverage protects the organization, its funders, and everyone who acted on the findings.
The Research Organization's Signature Exposures
The signature exposure is errors-and-omissions for research a client or funder relied on — a flawed methodology, a data or analysis error, a biased or overstated conclusion, or a missed factor that undermines the result. These claims matter because findings drive decisions with money and consequences attached: a product is launched, a policy is adopted, capital is committed. Running alongside are intellectual-property disputes over authorship, licensing, and the use of sources; data exposure from holding proprietary and sometimes personal information; and grant-compliance and governance obligations for funded and nonprofit organizations. The relied-upon finding is the center of the risk.
Key Risks in Research Organizations
Research organizations face exposure related to:
A flawed methodology or a data and analysis error in the research
A biased, overstated, or unsupported conclusion a client relied on
Intellectual-property disputes over authorship, sources, or licensing
Breach or leak of proprietary, confidential, or personal data
Grant-compliance, reporting, and use-of-funds obligations for funded work
Governance and management exposure for institutes and nonprofits
Defamation or disparagement arising from published findings
The relied-upon finding and the data and IP behind it are what most define the organization.
Core Coverages for Research Organizations
A properly built research-organization program typically includes:
Professional Liability / E&O — Covers defense and damages when research is alleged flawed or overstated and caused a client or funder loss — the core policy, written claims-made.
Cyber & Data Breach — Protects proprietary, confidential, and personal data the organization holds.
Media Liability — Defends defamation, disparagement, and intellectual-property claims from published findings.
Directors & Officers Liability — Protects the board and executives of institutes, nonprofits, and funded organizations.
General Liability — Protects against premises injury and third-party claims.
Commercial Property & Business Income — Covers offices, equipment, and lost revenue after a covered event.
Workers' Compensation — Provides legally required coverage for researchers and staff.
Umbrella / Excess Liability — Adds higher limits above the primary program.
What's Commonly Overlooked
Research-organization programs are most often weakened by:
A general policy assumed to cover flawed research, when that is an errors-and-omissions claim
No media liability for defamation or intellectual-property claims from published work
No directors-and-officers coverage for a funded institute or nonprofit board
A retroactive date or missing tail that leaves earlier studies uncovered
Grant-compliance and data obligations treated as administrative rather than insured exposures
The gap that hurts most is treating a relied-upon finding as a routine service that a general policy would answer.
Real-World Claim Examples
A market study's flawed data leads a client into a failed product launch
A policy or economic analysis proves unsound and a funder alleges reliance loss
An authorship or licensing dispute erupts over research and sources
Confidential or personal research data is breached or leaked
Published findings draw a defamation or disparagement claim
A funder challenges the use of grant funds or a compliance failure
A single study can underpin a decision far larger than the research fee, so limits and media coverage matter.
Regulatory & Contract Context
Non-clinical research is largely unlicensed, but funded and nonprofit organizations operate under grant agreements, funder requirements, and, where federal money is involved, research-integrity and use-of-funds rules. Where human participants are involved even in survey or behavioral work, institutional review and privacy expectations can attach, and organizations holding personal data fall under privacy law. Client and funder contracts commonly require professional liability and, increasingly, cyber coverage at set limits, with proof by certificate of insurance. Underwriters expect documented methodology, data controls, and governance, and a clean claims record is central to placement.
Why Proper Placement Matters
What the organization researches, and who relies on it, drives the exposure. Market research, policy and economic analysis, scientific review, and funded institutes carry different severities, and the program must reach the media, IP, and governance exposures a generic professional policy omits. Underwriters weigh the research areas, the clients and funders, publication and reliance, data and IP handling, governance, and prior claims. Errors-and-omissions is claims-made, so the retroactive date and tail are decisive. Matching limits to the decisions the research drives, and adding media and directors-and-officers where they fit, is what keeps the program sound.
Our Approach
At Cory Washington & Co., we insure research organizations around the exposure that defines them — findings others act on — coordinating errors-and-omissions with cyber, media, and directors-and-officers coverage so the conclusion, the data, and the board are all protected. We keep the claims-made structure, retroactive date, and tail intact. We also insure related practices, including contract research organizations, management consultants, and the broader professional services category.
Your findings move money and policy — we build coverage that stands behind the conclusion.
All insurance descriptions on this website are provided by Cory Washington & Co. LLC strictly for general informational purposes. They are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, legal, financial, or insurance advice. The information presented is general in nature and does not guarantee the availability, terms, conditions, or scope of any insurance coverage. Actual coverage is determined solely by the specific policy language issued by the insurer and remains subject to underwriting approval. Nothing on this website creates or implies an agent-client relationship, binds coverage, or alters any existing policy. Cory Washington & Co. LLC expressly disclaims any liability for actions taken, or not taken, based on the content provided here. For advice regarding your particular situation, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional at Cory Washington & Co. LLC or another qualified insurance professional, and always review your policy documents in full.
See the coverages a research organization business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — plus the gap most often missed, in the Research Organization Coverage Checklist.
Complete the Research Organization Supplemental online in a few guided steps, download the fillable PDF, or browse all applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get research organization insurance through Cory Washington & Co.?
Request a quote or contact our team. We start with a short conversation about your operations, analyze your exposures, then negotiate research organization insurance across multiple carriers that compete for your account and present options with the trade-offs explained. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
How much does research organization insurance cost?
It depends on your exposure. Research organization insurance is priced on factors like your industry, size, prior claims, and the limits and deductibles you select — so two businesses rarely pay the same. We shop your account across competing carriers and present the trade-offs in plain English.
Who needs research organization insurance?
Requirements vary. Research organization insurance may be mandated by statute, or required under your contracts, leases, or loan agreements — and in many cases it is simply prudent given the risks involved. We look at your specific obligations and exposures, then recommend the coverage and limits that fit.
What if another agency has already declined or non-renewed my coverage?
Difficult, specialty, and previously-declined placements are a core part of our work. We access excess & surplus (E&S) and specialty markets that many generalist agencies cannot, and we explain the trade-offs clearly so you can decide with confidence.
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