Happy birthday to IRIM!

Today marks nine years since we were established on 4 April 2008, and my how we’ve grown! When we were founded we had four staff members, and we now have around 25 full-time staff, as well as a large pool of skilled researchers, consultants and support staff.

Since our establishment we have completed 145 projects, in over 220 districts and in every province of Mongolia. We continue to strive to provide our clients with sound data and informative insights. Our independence means that we are trusted by government and non-government organisations alike. And sustainability is key for us—our work delivers results beyond the life of the projects we work on.

One of our major highlights this year has been our founding of the Mongolian Evaluation Network. Evaluation is one of our strategic objectives, and in-line with this objective, IRIM initiated the Network in November 2016 in order to contribute to the development of professional evaluation in Mongolia, and to create a supportive environment for the drafting of sound, evidence-based policy. Currently, the network consists of around 10 organisations and individuals. The first major success of the network has been to write the first version of the Mongolian Evaluation Standard Framework, based on the Association of South East Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) regional framework. This framework will allow for a greater focus on sound evaluation methods and effective use of results to underpin programme implementation and policy development.

Also, this year has seen us move to our fifth new office since we were established. Our new office is located north of Sukhbaatar Square, and provides us with the space we need house our growing workforce. Another highlight has been the steps we have taken towards achieving ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification.

Congratulations to all IRIM staff and to all of our friends, partners and clients for being a part of our journey.