Acume connects organisations with tailored expert advice and concise research summaries designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical application. We provide quick access to niche, global expertise and reliable evidence to help you solve challenges, improve project design, and ensure your strategies are backed by actionable insights.

Our free Evidence Bank offers open access to practitioner-friendly research summaries, while our Expert Advisory Service delivers specialised guidance from experts carefully matched to your specific needs. Rather than relying on internal reviews, our external experts offer objective assessments that save you time and help identify potential gaps or solutions more efficiently.

By offering an affordable, time-saving alternative to traditional consultancy, Acume empowers organisations to make informed, impactful decisions that reflect the real-world needs of the communities they serve.

Yes, you can! Sign up for a free researcher profile by visiting this link, and you’ll be able to share your organisation’s research as a summary in our database.

Yes, the Evidence Bank is completely free and available here. You can browse and access research summaries from global academics without any cost or limits, allowing you to leverage high-quality insights for your work.

Acume is committed to amplifying voices from underrepresented regions and communities. We actively seek out experts with deep knowledge of local contexts and cultures, ensuring that the advice you receive is both diverse and culturally relevant, giving you new ways to approach your challenges.

Acume’s expert advisory service connects you with expert advisors grounded in academic methods from across the globe, carefully matched to your specific challenge based on their background, expertise, and your organisation’s preferences. In a one-hour, one-on-one virtual session, they offer tailored, actionable advice and fresh perspectives to help you succeed. This service is available through a monthly subscription or as a one-off purchase. For the one-off option, there is an initial £250 setup fee, which is waived for additional sessions and deducted if you choose to subscribe later. Our expert advisors provide guidance on reviewing project proposals, assessing cultural relevance, adapting to new or evolving contexts, and more, ensuring your decisions are informed by diverse, expert opinions.

You can find more information here

Each expert advisory session with Acume includes:

– Customised expert recruitment: We carefully match you with the most suitable expert for your specific challenge.
– Confidentiality agreements: Confidentiality agreements will be provided if requested by either party.
– Stakeholder preparation: We ensure your team is fully prepared ahead of the session.
– Document review: The expert will review your materials before the consultation (please submit 24 hours in advance).
– One-hour video/telephone consultation: A personalised, one-on-one session with the expert.
– End-to-end management: Acume takes care of everything from expert matching to payments.

For first-time users, the service also includes:
– Onboarding: A 20-minute session to set your preferences and establish your needs.

You can find more information here

Subscription credits can be used to book expert consultations or request custom research summaries. Here’s how the credit system works:

1 credit for a PhD-level / research assistant expert
2 credits for a junior / senior lecturer expert
3 credits for a full professor expert

You can also spend 3 credits to receive a bundle of 15 sponsored research summaries tailored to your specific needs. This service helps you gain direct, actionable insights to enhance your projects, policies, or strategies.

Acume is not only cost-effective but also removes the administrative hassle that often comes with using external consultants. We take care of everything—from matching you with vetted experts to managing contracts and payments—allowing you to focus on getting the insights you need. Our flexible credit system lets you consult a range of expert advisors to quickly address specific challenges, without the high fees or long-term commitments of traditional consultancy. This helps your organisation gain tailored insights, reduce in-house research costs, and avoid common pitfalls, ultimately saving both time and resources.

Acume’s network features expert advisors from the humanities, social sciences, and behavioural sciences, including PhD researchers, Lecturers, Professors, or their equivalents at research institutes, all focused on social impact. Our experts bring deep, contextual knowledge in areas such as international development, humanitarian aid, and public policy, with many closely connected to the communities they serve. We carefully match experts to your specific project needs and preferences, ensuring the advice you receive is directly relevant to your challenge. If the right expert isn’t currently in our network, we’ll actively source one for you.

You can get started here

We ensure the quality of insights by conducting a thorough vetting process for every expert on our platform. This includes verifying their identity, credentials, and professional experience to ensure they are reliable and reputable. Our goal is to connect you with experts who provide informed, credible guidance. However, it’s important to remember that the advice given is based on the expert’s informed opinion. We encourage you to engage critically with the insights and ask for evidence or rationale during your advisory sessions to support any claims.

Engaging with an expert advisor requires minimal time investment. The initial onboarding consultation takes about 20 minutes to set your preferences. For future sessions, you’ll simply send us the brief directly. Each expert session lasts one hour, and we ask that you provide any relevant materials for the expert to review at least 24 hours prior to the consultation, or ideally when confirming the session.

Currently, our consultations are conducted exclusively in English. We aim to change this as we grow.

Once you request an advisory session, we typically match you with a suitable expert within a 3-4 business days. The exact timing depends on the complexity of your request and expert availability, but we strive to provide fast, efficient service to meet your project deadlines.

Yes, you can book a one-off expert advisory session without subscribing. The first consultation has a £200 setup fee, which is waived for any additional bookings and will be deducted if you decide to subscribe later. This option gives you the flexibility to access expert advice as needed, without any long-term commitment.

You can find more information here

If the consultation doesn’t meet your expectations, let us know within 5 days and we’ll ask for brief feedback to understand what went wrong. If the session didn’t deliver, you won’t be charged, or we can arrange a new expert for you—whichever you prefer.

At Acume, we maintain a strict policy on conflicts of interest to uphold the integrity of our consultations. Experts are required to disclose any potential conflicts, including personal beliefs or affiliations that might influence their advice. Our platform is designed to offer objective, unbiased insights (to the extent that is possible). We ensure this by thoroughly vetting experts and requiring transparent disclosure of any conflicts at the start of each consultation.

Our cancellation policy is designed to respect both our clients’ and experts’ time.

For subscription clients:
– Cancellations made more than 4 hours before the scheduled advisory session will incur no charge or penalty.
– If you cancel less than 4 hours in advance, a one-credit fee will be deducted.

For one-time clients:
– Cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance incur no fee.
– Cancellations made less than 24 hours but more than 4 hours before the advisory session will incur a £50 penalty.
– For cancellations within 4 hours of the scheduled session, the full fee is non-refundable.

You can reschedule without penalty if done more than 24 hours in advance.

Our typical subscriptions run for 12 months, but you can cancel at any time, with the cancellation taking effect the following month. If you cancel within the first two months due to dissatisfaction, we will also refund any unused credits for that period.