The Center is engaged in various research activities to contribute to knowledge development. Some of the previously executed major institutional research projects of the Center are Migration and Health Survey, Contraceptive Inventory and Logistics Survey, Community and Family Survey, Sustainable Livelihood Survey, Demographic and Socio-Economic Impacts of HIV/AIDS in Addis Ababa, Impact of Water Development on Migration. These projects led to the production of proceedings and various other publications. The staff had undertaken in-depth analysis of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey of 2005. They were also actively engaged in the in-depth analysis and preparation of analytical reports of the 1994 and 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia. Besides, the staff of the Center undertake various research works on their own initiatives and publish the results in various peer reviewed local and international journals.

The Center, in collaboration with the Population Affairs Directorate, produced training manuals on Population Program Management, Integration of Population Variables into Development Planning, and Population and Results-based Management. In collaboration with the University’s School of Public Health, the Center provides international training in Addis Ababa annually on Monitoring and Evaluation of Population, Health, and Nutrition for trainees selected from Anglo-phone African countries.

The research and community service activities of the Center have been able to obtain support from various sources including the UNFPA, Brown University, the Government of Italy, University of Bristol, Population Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, and others.