Primary Research as a Service (PRaaS): Definition & Guide

How is it different from an expert network?

A traditional expert network sells access: it finds an expert, schedules the call, and the client's analyst does the actual research work — preparing questions, conducting the interview, taking notes, synthesizing. Primary research as a service moves that work to the provider. The distinction matters most for teams that don't have analysts to spare — or don't have analysts at all.

	Expert network (access model)	Primary research as a service
What you buy	Introductions and call time	Finished research output
Who runs the interview	Your analyst	The provider — human analysts or an AI interviewer
What you receive	The conversation; notes are your job	Structured transcripts, coverage scores, or synthesized findings
Typical pricing	Annual contract plus per-call fees	Per study, per engagement, or subscription
Suits	Teams with analysts who want to steer calls live	Teams without call bandwidth — or without analysts

Why is this model emerging now?

The human version has existed for years: analyst-led research boutiques design the questions, moderate the expert calls, and write up findings. But human-analyst economics cap how many interviews a study can afford, so the model stayed niche.

AI-conducted interviews changed the cost structure. When the interview and the first pass of synthesis are automated, a provider can run more conversations per study at a lower cost per conversation — and deliver output structured enough to feed directly into a client's own analysis. The 2024–2026 wave of providers reflects that shift: Qualitate raised a $7M seed in April 2026 for AI-moderated panel studies, Checkmate Research positions itself as an automated primary research platform, and Nomais runs question-driven engagements end-to-end with AI-conducted interviews.

What does PRaaS look like for systematic and AI-native funds?

Systematic funds are the clearest case for the model, because most have no fundamental analysts to run expert calls — and their research stack expects data, not phone conversations. Delivered as a service, primary research becomes an input like any other:

A consistent question framework across experts makes answers comparable — the property a research pipeline needs.
Structured transcripts with per-topic coverage scores can be parsed, filtered, and joined against other datasets rather than read one by one.
Per-engagement commercial terms fit funds that need primary research episodically — around a signal, a position, or an anomaly — rather than as a standing research desk.

Structured research output organized for a data pipeline

Nomais's primary research as a service for AI-native hedge funds is built around exactly this shape: a research angle in, sourced experts and structured, pipeline-ready transcripts out.

When does PRaaS fit — and when does an access model fit?

PRaaS fits when you need several experts answering the same framework comparably, when no one on the team has call bandwidth, or when the output must arrive as structured data.
Access fitswhen a single high-stakes conversation deserves your PM's or analyst's own judgment live on the call, or when the goal is a relationship with a specific expert over time.

The two are complements, not rivals — which is why some providers, including Nomais, offer both from the same engagement flow.

Who provides primary research as a service?

As of July 2026:

Qualitate — AI-moderated studies over a standing expert panel, delivered as quantified, time-series data on 10,000+ tracked companies.
Checkmate Research— automates the interview layer inside a client's existing diligence workflow, with transcripts and executive memos.
Analyst-led boutiques — the human version: moderated expert calls with synthesis written by in-house analysts.
Nomais— question-driven engagements end-to-end: active sourcing for the specific question, AI-conducted structured interviews, and delivery organized by the client's question framework. Per-engagement pricing, no annual contract.

Frequently asked questions

What does primary research as a service cost?

There is no standard industry pricing. Providers charge per study, per engagement, or by subscription; traditional expert-network access, by comparison, typically combines an annual contract with per-call fees. The cost of any single engagement depends on expert seniority, domain scarcity, geography, and compliance overhead — which is why most PRaaS providers quote per engagement.

How is PRaaS different from a market research firm?

Market research firms typically run surveys and panels over consumer or broad B2B populations, with weeks-long timelines. PRaaS providers run expert-level interviews — practitioners, operators, former executives — and deliver structured findings designed for investment and strategy decisions.

What deliverable do you receive?

Depends on the provider: structured transcripts organized by a question framework, coverage scores, synthesized memos, or quantified time-series data. The common thread is that the provider delivers finished research output rather than an introduction to an expert.

Is primary research as a service compliant for investment teams?

The obligations mirror expert-network compliance: expert screening (sanctions, PEP, conflicts), disclosure, and controls around material non-public information. The delivery model changes who does the work, not the rules that govern it.

Company facts on this page are drawn from public sources as of July 2026 and may have changed. All trademarks belong to their respective owners; Nomais is not affiliated with the companies mentioned. Last updated July 7, 2026.