Gulf Research Centre

The Gulf Research Centre (GRC) is a Jeddah-based independent think tank established in 2000, focused on political, economic, security, and energy affairs across the Gulf Cooperation Council states and the wider Middle East. It maintains additional offices in Cambridge and Geneva, giving it access to both European policy networks and Gulf government interlocutors. The GRC publishes analysis on Gulf regional security, migration, hydrocarbon policy, and GCC-Iran relations.

The centre's primary value to Lowdown coverage is as a source institution on Gulf-state decision-making. Its researchers are cited by international media when explaining GCC diplomatic posture, OPEC dynamics, and the strategic calculations of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. During the 2026 Iran conflict, the GRC's framing of Gulf States as both targets of Iranian pressure and indispensable intermediaries in any settlement has informed European policy analysis of why states like Qatar can simultaneously absorb Iranian strikes, mediate US-Iran talks, and hold $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

The GRC does not represent any government and publishes critical analysis of GCC policies. Its independence from state funding distinguishes it from some regional think tanks, though its Saudi headquarters and Gulf donor base mean its output is read through that lens by Western analysts.