The Center for Excellence in Survey Research (CESR) builds on NORC's reputation as a leader in methodological innovation in survey research. Its mission is to conduct timely, cutting-edge statistical and methodological research on problems of design, execution, and analysis of surveys and related information collection activities.

Center work is conducted primarily through externally-funded grants and contracts, and secondarily through the use of limited internal R&D funds that may become available from time to time.

Since its initiation in 2004, the CESR has conducted  four externally funded projects:

• Black Youth Culture Project, funded by the Ford Foundation, University of Chicago, and NORC. 
• How Social Relations and Attitutes Vary by Neighborhood, funded by the National Institutes of Health.
• Workshop on the Social Psychology of Survey Participation, funded by the National Science Foundation.
• Estimation of Rx activity at Multiple Levels of Disaggregation, funded by IMS Health.