The Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) is an applied, policy-relevant research organization. PPRI provides scientific research and evaluation services to both public and private sponsors including various federal, regional, state, and community agencies actively engaged in determining public policy. PPRI was established by a Special Item appropriation of Texas A&M University during fiscal year 1983 to provide relevant scientific research to the Texas legislature and the various federal, regional, state, and community agencies actively engaged in determining public policy.

This mission is fulfilled through the employment of creative personnel with the expertise to conduct evaluative research, by operating a nationally known survey research center, and through an ambitious, experiential-based training environment for Texas A&M University graduate and undergraduate students.

Since the establishment of the Institute, PPRI personnel have been successfully designing and implementing scientifically sound research strategies that test the effectiveness of existing governmental programs and policies, and providing the scientific foundations that aid policy makers in the development of new policies. At present, research activities at PPRI are focused on five program areas of regional, state, and national significance: government policy, education policy analysis, public health policy, substance abuse prevention, and innovation and technology transfer.

PPRI has the analytical capacity to address many policy research and program evaluation efforts. The Institute also has the facilities and experience to satisfy most survey demands: computerized mail facilities; modern computerized data entry and optical scanners; and a centrally monitored Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) survey facility with a simultaneous capacity of 50.