The Heart of the Matter
Recognising interesting problems in the information landscape, making sense of them, and turning them to client advantage.
BESPOKE RESEARCH & INFORMATION SERVICES
Introduce your brand
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Key Contacts
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Dr. Michael A. Innes
Mike founded CKS, manages the company’s strategic direction, and leads project design and implementation.
Based in Dubai, he divides his time between the UAE, the UK and assignments elsewhere. He previously served as a civilian official with the UN in Iraq and with NATO in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europe.
He spent a decade providing consultative research and information services to clients, and maintains a diversified portfolio of professional activities, including an active research profile at King’s College London, and legal services (under supervision).
He holds a PhD in political science from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and studied Law at Birkbeck.
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Dan Davies
Dan manages CKS business development planning and leads the company’s client-facing BD activities across all sectors.
He has more than a decade of experience helping pre-investment technology businesses define their value propositions, position their solutions, secure investment, and establish routes to market.
Dan’s portfolio includes multiple government-funded R&D, commercial exploitation, and use case design projects. A highlight is his development and use of hybrid STEM/non-STEM project teams for complex technology R&D.
He holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from the University of Wales and is working on a PhD in the same field at the University of St. Andrews.
DR. MICHAEL A. INNES
Mike is lead consultant at Craighead Kellas, and manages project design and implementation.
Based in Dubai, he divides his time between the UAE, the UK and assignments elsewhere. He previously served as a civilian official with the UN in Iraq and with NATO in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europe.
He spent a decade consulting on government framework projects, and maintains a diversified portfolio of professional activities, including an active research profile at King’s College London.
He holds a PhD in political science from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and studied Law at Birkbeck..
DAN DAVIES
Dan leads business development and sector-specific engagement with government, defence, justice, and others.
He has more than a decade of experience helping pre-investment technology businesses define their value propositions, position their solutions, secure investment, and establish routes to market.
Dan’s portfolio includes multiple government-funded R&D, commercial exploitation, and use case design projects. A highlight is his development and use of hybrid STEM/non-STEM project teams for complex technology R&D.
He holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from the University of Wales and is working on a PhD in the same field at the University of St. Andrews.
Who We Are
CKS is a founder-led boutique established for the purpose of the business of research.
CKS does not delegate or outsource assignments.
When requirements extend to more resource-intensive or complex assignments, we draw from a small team of close colleagues who are seasoned professionals and technical specialists in their respective areas.
They honed their competencies on big ideas and even bigger issues - covering everything from rule of law and the frontiers of technology innovation to the most pressing geopolitical, defence and security issues of the last quarter century.
They include experts in the affairs of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, highlighting our interest in international and regional developments.
ROUTES IN
We prioritise enquiries from organisations, offices, and individuals interested in retaining our services, sponsoring our research, or discussing framework or consortium support.
Calls & Meetings
We're always available for scheduled online calls and meetings with prospective and actual clients, subject to time zone considerations.
Referrals
We value third party introductions and referrals as an integral part of professional network activity, and a reliable way of extending our capabilities.
Frameworks
In the UK, Craighead Kellas is part of the BAE Systems-led framework on Analysis for Science and Technology Research in Defence (ASTRID). We maintain active affiliations within academia, including King’s College London and other institutions.
Programmes
As an R&D consultancy, our in-house programme dovetails market priorities and trends with self-identified and initiated interests. Our current research deals primarily with evidence controls, AI benchmarking, and information and communications technology.
CONTACT DETAILS
UAE: +971 (0)4 439 6306 UK: +44 (0)207 100 9280
EMAIL: enquiries@craigheadkellas.com
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Our Philosophy
There is a word in Japanese that translates broadly to “truth”, “true state”, or “actual condition”.
Jittai
In some interpretations, jittai means “substance” or “state of affairs”. It distinguishes fact from fiction, objective from subjective meaning - what is, from wishing it were so.
Jittai is the essence of things.
In a world of extremes and contested meanings, between ideas and hallucinations, we find and hold the centre.
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Our Principles
Our work isn’t governed by philosophy alone. It’s shaped by an ethic - a unique discipline of thought and inquiry.
Ten points
They’re the principles that animate us, underwritten by a commitment to the evidence and what it reveals. They guide our approach to every assignment, and how we decide what matters.
Waypoints to the true state.
Where our research provides something deliberate and of enduring value, worthy of the trust placed in it.
What We Do
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01. Approach Setting
We help clients clarify research needs, manage independent studies or in-house programs, and optimize investments in data and analytical tools. Our structured, standards-based approach delivers rigorous, relevant, and lasting results.
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02. Research Operations
We undertake directed, exploratory, and speculative inquiries to identify prioritised information, register the previously achieved, identify the current state of the art, and scope the near, medium and far horizons. We get to the heart the matter.
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03. Evidence-Based Solutions
Choosing the right direction is too important to leave to guesswork or chance. We test the waters. It requires creative thinking, proven methods, testing, and an eye for alternative outcomes and iterative clarity - based on real evidence.
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04. Technical Assistance
We help clients do more. We conduct needs assessments, training and mentoring, and direct support, on an embedded, remote, or hybrid basis. The goal: develop our clients’ in-house research competencies so they can answer the big questions.
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05. Executive Support
We provide outsourced executive support to help clients stay ahead of the information curve while keeping costs down - tracking information requirements, coordinating data collection and processing, and ensuring client requirements are met.
What We Do
How It Works
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Project Management
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Outsourced Implementation
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Training and Education
Description goes here
Initial consults are free of charge and do not involve additional commitment, obligation or lock-ins.
DR. MICHAEL A. INNES
Mike is lead consultant at Craighead Kellas, and manages project design and implementation.
Based in Dubai, he divides his time between the UAE, the UK and assignments elsewhere. He previously served as a civilian official with the UN in Iraq and with NATO in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europe.
He spent a decade consulting on government framework projects, and maintains a diversified portfolio of professional activities, including an active research profile at King’s College London.
He holds a PhD in political science from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and studied Law at Birkbeck..
DAN DAVIES
Dan leads business development and sector-specific engagement with government, defence, justice, and others.
He has more than a decade of experience helping pre-investment technology businesses define their value propositions, position their solutions, secure investment, and establish routes to market.
Dan’s portfolio includes multiple government-funded R&D, commercial exploitation, and use case design projects. A highlight is his development and use of hybrid STEM/non-STEM project teams for complex technology R&D.
He holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from the University of Wales and is working on a PhD in the same field at the University of St. Andrews.
Who We Are
CKS is a founder-led boutique established for the purpose of the business of research.
CKS does not delegate or outsource assignments.
When requirements extend to more resource-intensive or complex assignments, we draw from a small team of close colleagues who are seasoned professionals and technical specialists in their respective areas.
They honed their competencies on big ideas and even bigger issues - covering everything from rule of law and the frontiers of technology innovation to the most pressing geopolitical, defence and security issues of the last quarter century.
They include experts in the affairs of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, highlighting our interest in international and regional developments.
ROUTES IN
We prioritise enquiries from organisations, offices, and individuals interested in retaining our services, sponsoring our research, or discussing framework or consortium support.
Calls & Meetings
We're always available for scheduled online calls and meetings with prospective and actual clients, subject to time zone considerations.
Referrals
We value third party introductions and referrals as an integral part of professional network activity, and a reliable way of extending our capabilities.
Frameworks
In the UK, Craighead Kellas is part of the BAE Systems-led framework on Analysis for Science and Technology Research in Defence (ASTRID). We maintain active affiliations within academia, including King’s College London and other institutions.
Programmes
As an R&D consultancy, our in-house programme dovetails market priorities and trends with self-identified and initiated interests. Our current research deals primarily with evidence controls, AI benchmarking, and information and communications technology.
CONTACT DETAILS
UAE: +971 (0)4 439 6306 UK: +44 (0)207 100 9280
EMAIL: enquiries@craigheadkellas.com
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Knowing Your Circumstances
Your circumstances are shaped by uncertainties. You have a question and you want answers. You have a problem and you want to know how serious it is. You have a goal but the way forward is unclear.
We work on developing a strong understanding of the uncertainty you want addressed, and what success looks like on the other side.
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Defining Your Requirements
Managing those uncertainties and making effective decisions despite them means three things. Your judgment has to be on point. Your reasoning has to be sound. Your position has to be built on an unassailable foundation of evidence.
To define your requirements, we focus on how you want that foundation built and where that intersects with research operations.
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Outlining Your Options
This is when we balance requirements, approaches and available resources, to determine the art of the possible.
We outline practical options, a transparent way forward, and indicative costs. You'll come away from the consult better informed and equipped to take the next step in achieving your goals.
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Who We Are
CKS provides clients with an increasingly rare commodity: a specialised, bespoke service committed to research excellence.
Our principles reflect this approach. So does every member of the CKS team working behind the scenes. Experienced professionals, they honed their competencies on the big issues - everything from counter-terrorism and war crimes to the frontiers of technology innovation.
Their backgrounds are in military and diplomatic service, international organisations, and some of the most recognizable private sector and civil society organizations around, covering rule of law, geopolitics, and strategic and operational risk.
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Our Philosophy
There is a word in Japanese that translates broadly to “truth”, “true state”, or “actual condition”.
Jittai
In some interpretations, jittai means “substance” or “state of affairs”. It distinguishes fact from fiction, objective from subjective meaning - what is, from wishing it were so.
Jittai is the essence of things.
In a world of extremes and contested meanings, between ideas and hallucinations, we find and hold the centre.
-
Our Principles
Our work isn’t governed by philosophy and method alone. It’s shaped by an ethic - a deliberate, focused discipline of thought and inquiry.
The ten points.
These principles are our compass. They guide how we begin, how we proceed, and how we decide what matters.
The ten points are the waypoints to the true state
They shape the craft of research into something deliberate, durable, and worthy of trust.
COMPANY UPDATES
Working With Craighead Kellas
a guide for prospective clients
CONTENTS
I. GETTING YOUR BEARINGS
An introductory self-assessment tool for clients and their requirements.
II. ROUTES IN
Gateways and channels for information on Craighead Kellas and how to engage with us.
- Access Points -
How to engage us - key contacts and engagement mechanisms, in the UK, the UAE, and worldwide.
- Control Points -
Work samples - our lines of effort and samples of our publicly available work product.
- Way Points -
Essential background - who we are, including case studies, reference materials, and photo gallery.
RESEARCH NOTES
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Research Design and Management
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Implementing Research Operations
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Developing Evidence-Based Solutions
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Technical Assistance & Capacity Building
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Fractional CxO Support & Advisory
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Technical Assistance & Capacity Building
We help clients do more. We conduct needs assessments, training and mentoring, and direct support, on an embedded, remote, or hybrid basis. The goal: develop intramural competencies and capacity to field the big challenges
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Outsourced Executive Support
We provide cost-effective executive support to help clients stay ahead of the information curve: tracking information requirements, coordinating data collection, and applying it to client advantage.
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READING SIGNALS
We undertake directed, exploratory, and speculative inquiries to identify prioritised information, register the previously achieved, identify the current state of the art, and scope the near, medium and far horizons. We get to the heart the matter.
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ANTICIPATING RISKS
We investigate constraints and opportunities that shape the success or failure of ventures. We advise clients on the courses of action available to them to support compliance, ensure peace of mind, and see a worthwhile return on investment.
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INNOVATING ALTERNATIVES
Choosing the right direction is too important to leave to guesswork or chance. We test the waters. It requires creative thinking, proven methods, testing, and an eye for alternative outcomes and iterative clarity - based on real evidence.
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Technical Assistance & Capacity Building
We help clients do more. We conduct needs assessments, training and mentoring, and direct support, on an embedded, remote, or hybrid basis. The goal: develop intramural competencies and capacity to field the big challenges
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Outsourced Executive Support
Serious research takes resources, expertise, and planning. We provide fractional CxO support to help clients stay ahead of the information curve: tracking information requirements, coordinating data collection, and applying it to client advantage.
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Retained Advisory Services
Our retained advisory services provide clients with meaningful, cost-effective support. The benefits: personalised one-to-one interaction, expedited feedback, and privileged access to our expertise, experience and extended network.
DIRECTED AND EXPLORATORY INQUIRIES
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Principles That Animate Us
Exhibit - Exploration & Discovery
A hosted collection of licensed Images, showcasing a quintessentially British experience of exploration and discovery.
The images that appear on the Craighead Kellas website reflect our connections to the United Kingdom and to the United Arab Emirates. They tell a story of indomitable persistence, of a determination to seek out the true state and actual condition of things that mattered.
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Our R&D Framework
A Reference Library
Research can mean different things to research practitioners, sponsors and beneficiaries. The R&D frame is a major component of how we define our work.
At Craighead Kellas, our approach is shaped by well established, heavily documented, and mutually supporting systems. This special collection is a reference library on research & experimental development (R&D) in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and worldwide.
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Our Track Record
The Official Register
A Craighead Kellas record of work prepared for client reference and consultation, featuring major practice areas and a selection of detailed case studies.
Spotlighting a history of experiences and outcomes can offer more than just a list of contracts and case studies. The sum of its parts should convey a greater account - of experience and outcomes built up over time, and preserved in a register of record. This is our account.
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PRODUCTS
Standalone, one-off deliverables for routine or common needs. They’re priced transparently and without the commitment of recurring services or the complexity of full-scale projects.
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Our products are fixed fee deliverables that address common or recurring requirements.
Productised deliverables are ideal for clients who need immediate support on something specific that doesn’t rise to the scope of a project or the complexity of a package.
Products are priced transparently and predictably, and can function as extensions to projects or packages, with discounts and optional access to additional services such as R&D insights or specialised resources.
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PROJECTS
Projects are bespoke, non-recurring work of tightly defined scope and duration, priced to a daily company rate and predictable, fixed fee project budgets.
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Projects can be as short as a few hours or as long as several weeks, months or longer. They’re distinct from products in that they address uncommon challenges or issues.
We structure and price projects as stand-alone work, or as discounted bolt-ons for subscriber clients who need work done additional to what's covered in their packages.
Clients benefit from a daily company fee consistent with UK MoD and FCDO rate tables. On very short projects we pro-rate the daily fee to actual consultant time expenditures.
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PACKAGES
Our subscription packages are recurring services in bundles scaled for light to heavy usage - for as long are you need them, with no long-term commitment lock-ins.
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This is our service of first resort for meaningful, cost-effective client engagement. It’s your point of entry to recurring, personalised advisory and technical support.
Our packages operate on a retained basis. Clients benefit from roll-overs of unused technical support, no minimum additional spend, and no-penalty cancellation options.
Additional benefits include discounted rates, privileged access to our R&D and basic research, and services tailored to accommodate different stages in the business life cycle.
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1. The Opening Consult
An introductory meeting to assess fit, understand what you want to achieve, and determine whether your goal is achievable, options for getting there, timelines, and budget. The initial consult is free of charge.
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2. Defining Requirements
We develop a detailed understanding of your objectives, and provide you with a quote detailing cost, scope, approach, expected results, performance criteria, and any other requirements.
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3. Agreeing To Terms
We settle the conditions of the engagement, observing confidentiality, contract, and onboarding formalities, and agree costs, payment terms, start and stop dates, and any other points.
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4. Executing The Assignment
We launch at an agreed date and time and proceed with carrying out the assignment. We maintain an open channel for communication and provide scheduled status updates.
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5. Delivering Outcomes
It’s time to provide you with the results of our work. We draft and submit a final report, brief you on our findings, and offer our recommendations on how to make use of it. You now have what you need to effect change.
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6. The Closing Transition
We close out the assignment and transition to a new stage in the relationship. If your needs have been fully addressed, it’s time for us move on. If you require continued support, we remain at your disposal.
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Client Diagnostic Guide
Decision Support Tool
Being well informed has never been so challenging, but not for a lack of information. The challenge is in multiple parts: a charged media environment, unmanageable volumes of data, and sensing technology in the palms of our hands.
There is also a crowded supply-side landscape of specialists equipped to make sense of it. That means clients looking to separate the signals from the noise are spoiled for choice. Where to begin? Here.
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Register of Case Studies
A history of work is more than just a bullet list of contracts and case studies. The sum of its parts should convey a greater account - of a track record built over time and documented in a register of record.
Our track record of programmed and commissioned research is extensive. The register is our document of record for client consultation, and includes amalgamated practice area descriptions, as well as a selection of detailed case studies.
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Illustrative Applications
Backgrounder For Consultation
Effective decision-making is built on evidence and the good judgement to know how to use it. We have prepared use cases that highlight how research, evidence, and analytical methods underpin key business and operational activities.
These examples demonstrate the value of structured intelligence in driving informed decision-making, enhancing resilience, and securing strategic advantage across industries and domains.
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Exploration & Discovery
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- Photograph Exhibit -
A hosted collection of licensed Images, showcasing a quintessentially British experience.
The images that appear on the Craighead Kellas website reflect our connections to the United Kingdom and to the United Arab Emirates. They tell a story of indomitable persistence, of a determination to seek out the true state and actual condition of things that mattered.
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Research & Development
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- Official Policies, Guidelines, and Reports -
Research can mean different things to different practitioners and beneficiaries of it.
At Craighead Kellas, our approach is shaped by well established, heavily documented, and mutually supporting systems. This special collection is a reference library on research & experimental development (R&D) in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and worldwide.
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Experiences & Outcomes
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- Register of Record -
A Craighead Kellas record of work prepared for client reference and consultation.
Spotlighting a history of experiences and outcomes can offer more than just a list of contracts and case studies. The sum of its parts should convey a greater account of experience and outcomes built up over time and preserved in a register of record. This is our account.
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Growth Requirements
Services that can help Growth stage clients find their way and position themselves:
Scalable, cost-effective research, structured insights, and accessible advisory support to guide decision-making, develop strategy, and implement foundational intelligence without heavy resource commitments.
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Enterprise Requirements
Support suited to the more defined and intensive demands of Enterprise clients includes:
Deep intelligence, tailored research, and workflow integration, with structured client management, regulatory insights, and ongoing policy and risk assessments to support complex operations and long-term strategic planning.
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Strategic Requirements
Strategic clients are a breed apart, and require higher order services, including:
Bespoke intelligence, confidential research, predictive analytics, and sustained advisory partnerships to navigate high-stakes decision-making, engage multi-stakeholder networks, and position for future security and geopolitical shifts.
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RaaS Products Explained
RaaS products are fixed fee deliverables that address common or recurring requirements.
Our products are ideal for clients who need immediate support on something specific that doesn’t rise to the scope of a project or the complexity of a package.
Products are priced transparently and predictably, and can function as extensions to projects or packages, with discounts and optional access to additional services such as R&D insights or specialised resources.
-
RaaS Projects Explained
RaaS projects can be as short as a few hours or as long as several weeks, months or longer. They’re distinct from products in that they address uncommon challenges or issues.
We structure and price projects as stand-alone work, or as discounted bolt-ons for subscriber clients who need work done additional to what's covered in their packages.
Clients benefit from a daily company fee consistent with UK MoD and FCDO rate tables. On very short projects we pro-rate the daily fee to actual consultant time expenditures.
-
RaaS Packages Explained
RaaS packages are our service of first resort for meaningful, cost-effective client engagement. They're your point of entry to recurring, personalised advisory and technical support.
Our packages operate on a retained basis. Clients benefit from roll-overs of unused technical support, no minimum additional spend, and no-penalty cancellation options.
Additional benefits include discounted rates, privileged access to our R&D and basic research, and services tailored to accommodate different stages in the business life cycle.
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Client Diagnostic Guide
Being well informed has never been so easy or so challenging. Recognizing and understanding problems for what they are, and managing them effectively, takes credible information and insight, and the good judgement to use it well.
Our client diagnostic guide distills the information on this website into an easy-to-follow pathway. Clients can read about the six steps in our engagement process, the five stages of our research cycle, and ten benefits we think clients get from working with us.
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Register of Outcomes
A history of work is more than just a bullet list of contracts and case studies. The sum of its parts should convey a greater account: a track record built over time and documented in a register of record.
Our track record of successfully completed assignments and self-initiated research is extensive. Project titles are listed in our catalogue and are available for consultation by clicking through the link below. Detailed case study descriptions are available on request.
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Principles That Animate Us
Exhibit - Exploration & Discovery
A hosted collection of licensed Images, showcasing a quintessentially British experience of exploration and discovery.
The images that appear on the Craighead Kellas website reflect our connections to the United Kingdom and to the United Arab Emirates. They tell a story of indomitable persistence, of a determination to seek out the true state and actual condition of things that mattered.
-
Our R&D Framework
A Reference Library
Research can mean different things to research practitioners, sponsors and beneficiaries. The R&D frame is a major component of how we define our work.
At Craighead Kellas, our approach is shaped by well established, heavily documented, and mutually supporting systems. This special collection is a reference library on research & experimental development (R&D) in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and worldwide.
-
Our Track Record
The Official Register
A Craighead Kellas record of work prepared for client reference and consultation, featuring major practice areas and a selection of detailed case studies.
Spotlighting a history of experiences and outcomes can offer more than just a list of contracts and case studies. The sum of its parts should convey a greater account - of experience and outcomes built up over time, and preserved in a register of record. This is our account.
Our Approaches
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THE PRACTICE OF INTELLIGENCE
In its broadest sense, intelligence can be viewed as a kind of “peculiar genius” - a “quickness in seeing things as they are,” as George Santayana famously put it.
In professional practice, intelligence is the art and discipline of accessing information, elucidating meaning from it, and communicating the results at the right time to the right audience.
We use it to determine the art of the possible.
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RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT
Research and experimental development - R&D - organises speculative research in a structured and iterative process, generates new evidence, and learns from it.
Basic research builds knowledge without seeking outcomes. Applied research uncovers new data to advance a product or process. Experimental research builds, stress-tests, and studies them.
Our R&D is about advancing the state of the art.
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STRATEGIC & APPLIED OUTCOMES
Strategic and applied research (SAAR) takes its inspiration from these two elements to provide clients with something more than just a report and some commentary.
a view of the way forward and the resources needed to follow of it
need to achieve strategic and applied goals.
The result is an approach that enables more flexible, powerful, and responsive services…
… without ever losing sight of the pragmatic bottom line.
Our Approaches
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The Practice of Intelligence
In its broadest sense, intelligence can be viewed as a kind of “peculiar genius” - a “quickness in seeing things as they are,” as George Santayana famously put it.
In professional practice, intelligence is the art and discipline of accessing information, elucidating meaning from it, and communicating the results at the right time to the right audience.
We use it to determine the art of the possible.
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Social Science & Technical Acumen
Our formal training as political scientists, anthropologists, historians, and lawyers gives us the knowledge and skills to recognize, think through, and find the answers to complex questions.
We apply structured thinking to difficult issues, working on matters in which facts are disputed, sources are partial, and context is essential.
We use it to understand and assess how things work in the real world.
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Research & Experimental Development
Research and experimental development - R&D - organises speculative research in a structured and iterative process, generates new evidence, and learns from it.
Basic research builds knowledge without seeking outcomes. Applied research uncovers new data to advance a product or process. Experimental research builds, stress-tests, and studies them.
Our R&D is about advancing the state of the art.
WHO WE ARE
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Dr. Michael A. Innes
MANAGING DIRECTOR
United Arab Emirates
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Dan Davies
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
United Kingdom
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Will Hartley
RESEARCH STANDARDS
London
Our Approaches
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THE PRACTICE OF INTELLIGENCE
In its broadest sense, intelligence can be viewed as a kind of “peculiar genius” - a “quickness in seeing things as they are,” as George Santayana famously put it.
In professional practice, intelligence is the art and discipline of accessing information, elucidating meaning from it, and communicating the results at the right time to the right audience.
We use it to determine the art of the possible.
-
RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT
Research and experimental development - R&D - organises speculative research in a structured and iterative process, generates new evidence, and learns from it.
Basic research builds knowledge without seeking outcomes. Applied research uncovers new data to advance a product or process. Experimental research builds, stress-tests, and studies them.
Our R&D is about advancing the state of the art.
-
STRATEGIC & APPLIED OUTCOMES
Strategic and applied research (SAAR) takes its inspiration from these two elements to provide clients with something more than just a report and some commentary.
a view of the way forward and the resources needed to follow of it
need to achieve strategic and applied goals.
The result is an approach that enables more flexible, powerful, and responsive services…
… without ever losing sight of the pragmatic bottom line.
-
Growth Requirements
Services that can help Growth stage clients find their way and position themselves:
Scalable, cost-effective research, structured insights, and accessible advisory support to guide decision-making, develop strategy, and implement foundational intelligence without heavy resource commitments.
-
Enterprise Requirements
Support suited to the more defined and intensive demands of Enterprise clients includes:
Deep intelligence, tailored research, and workflow integration, with structured client management, regulatory insights, and ongoing policy and risk assessments to support complex operations and long-term strategic planning.
-
Strategic Requirements
Strategic clients are a breed apart, and require higher order services, including:
Bespoke intelligence, confidential research, predictive analytics, and sustained advisory partnerships to navigate high-stakes decision-making, engage multi-stakeholder networks, and position for future security and geopolitical shifts.
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Dr. Michael A. Innes
Founder / Managing Director
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Mike is lead consultant at Craighead Kellas and manages design and delivery of client services.
Based in Dubai, he divides his time between the UAE, the UK and assignments elsewhere. He previously served as a civilian official with the UN in Iraq and with NATO in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europe.
He spent a decade consulting on government framework projects, and maintains a diversified portfolio of professional activities, including an active research profile at King’s College London.
He holds a PhD in political science from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and a Graduate Diploma in Law from Birkbeck.
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Dan Davies
Business Development Manager
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Dan manages business development globally and represents Craighead Kellas in the UK.
He has over a decade of experience in business development consultancy, helping innovation teams to position their solutions pan-sector but latterly focused primarily in the government and defence spaces.
He has worked on numerous Defence-funded projects with teams focused on technology innovation, commercial exploitation, and use case design.
He holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from the University of Wales, and he is now working on a PhD in the same field at the University of St. Andrews.
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Reporting Summaries
We leverage high volumes of online information, the power of AI to structure and expedite reporting, and human eyes to vet and approve the results. We monitor authoritative sources, extract priority items of information, and compile them into a easy-to-consult resource for application against defined requirements.
Designed for decision-makers, the results are concise, factually oriented reporting summaries.
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Advisory Bulletins
Timely clarification of complex, conflicting, or unclear issues, and reliably informed advice on best practices and appropriate courses of action, make the difference between costly missteps and strategic advantage in today's information environment.
Advisory bulletins provide clear, concise guidance and issue-specific recommendations, tailored to strategic, operational, or personal requirements.
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Research Notes
Research notes offer a window into our discovery process. The work we do involves continuous engagement with programmes of research and analysis. Field notes, rough drafts, and speculative inquiry are important parts of the process.
Clients benefit from exposure to early warning indicators that might otherwise go unnoticed, and channels for injecting midstream feedback into live research processes.