Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison | 1,439 followers on LinkedIn. Research | Training | Policy | Practice | The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) is a university-based center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States and the impact of related policies and programs. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. The Institute was established in 1966 at the university by the U.S.