Beta Research Corporation, Syosset, N.Y., has formed BETARESEARCH.COM, a subsidiary that will provide on-line research services.

Discovery Research Group, Salt Lake City, and Quick Test/Heakin Research, Inc., Jupiter, Fla., have joined forces to form the OmniSource Group. The two firms will remain as standalone companies with the staff and management at both companies remaining in place. The focus will be on dedicated support, enhanced depth of coverage across multiple collection methodologies, and streamlined communications.

Heureka Research, Budapest, Hungary, has agreed to be acquired by Global Market Insite (GMI), Seattle, in a move to create the largest provider of Internet-based market research services in Central and Eastern Europe. The terms of the all-stock transaction call for Heureka to receive 1 percent of the outstanding equity of GMI in exchange for 100 percent of the equity of Heureka. Andras Vag, president of Heureka, will become vice president of GMI’s Central & Eastern Europe division. Concurrent with the announcement of GMI’s acquisition of Heureka, GMI has agreed to establish a new global technical center to be housed in the Computer & Automation Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science (locally known as the MTA Staki). As part of the exclusive ageement, the Academy will dedicate several mathematicians and computer scientists to the development of next generation technology for use with GMI’s on-line market research systems.

Harris Interactive, a Rochester, N.Y., Internet research provider, has announced that it will become a founding sponsor of OpenSurvey, making an initial contribution of $50,000 to foster OpenSurvey’s work. OpenSurvey is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development, discussion and distribution of open source software and open standards for survey research. Leonard Bayer, executive vice president and chief scientist of Harris Interactive, will serve on OpenSurvey’s technical council. Peter Milla, Harris Interactive’s senior vice president and chief information officer, will work with Bayer in support of the OpenSurvey initiative.

Qualitative Insights, formerly Creative Data, has moved its focus group facility to a new location in Sherman Oaks, Ca!if. The new facility includes three focus suites and two one-on-one rooms. A "super suite" will accommodate up to 60 respondents classroom-style.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based InterSurvey, a Web-based survey provider has announced that CBS News, Intel, iVillage.com, Seagram and the Washington Post were among the clients the company signed during the fourth quarter 1999. Separately, the firm also announced that it has opened a New York office.

Marks & Spencer has selected New York-based MarketMAX products for its strategic merchandise planning project within its Foods Division. The new system will help Marks & Spencer plan its food layouts for the consumer based on the sales forecasts and local demogaphics for each store.

New York-based research firms Consumer Outlook Inc. and Clarion Research Inc. have formed a joint venture, Clarion Consumer Outlook Inc., which melds Clarion’s background in communications, technology and online research with Consumer Ouflook’s background in communications-related research and in the financial sector. The joint venture is based at 1776 Broadway, Suite 1000, New York, N.Y.

Customer relationship management firm Sky Alland, Columbia, Md., has changed its name to iSKY. The new corporate name reinforces the company’s expanded Intemet strategy, and better reflects its position as a provider of outsourced real-time customer care for e-commerce.

Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Cheskin Research has opened a new office at 965 Mission Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, Calif.

Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif., is spinning off DeepCanyon, its Web resource for researchers and marketers. HP will maintain an equity position in DeepCanyon.

Answers Research Inc., Solana Beach, Calif., has launched an enhanced Web site at www.answersresearch.com. The site will feature statistical research calculators to assist in computing response rates, incidence, significance and sample size. Visitors can also learn about recommended industry events and conferences in which Answers’ executives will be participating.

Tustin, Calif.-based Scantron SurveySolutions has announced that its eListen electronic survey and data collection software system is now in use by drugstore.com, Hewlett-Packard, Marathon TechnoloNes and iXL.

Gayle Ireland has founded Ireland Consulting Group, Ltd. in Charlotte, N.C. The full-service marketing research and consulting firm caters to the needs of the small business (or business unit) and the not-for-profit organization.

New York-based research firm Cyber Dialogue Inc. has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of its common stock. All shares being offered will be sold by Cyber Dialogue. The offering will be managed by SG Cowen Securities Securities  Corporation, Banc of America securities LLC and ING Barings LLC.

Watertown, Mass.-based PrimixSolutions Inc., a strategic Internet services (SIS) fLrm, has partnered with Greenfield Online, a Wilton, Conn., a new on-line do-it-yourself survey tool designed to capture immediate directional feedback from more than 60 percent of the Internet population. QuickTake lets businesses use a predefined or customized question template to create a survey, distribute it across the Internet, and manage and interpret incoming responses.

Lyra Research, Inc., a Newtonville, Mass., provider of research on the imaging industry, has appointed JDS Company Limited of Tokyo, Japan, as its new exclusive sales and marketing representative for Japan.

NextResearch.com has partnered with MarketResearch.com to offer a database of syndicated and secondary research reports.

Publications Resource Group, Inc., a North Adams, Mass., Web-based portal of market intelligence research reports, newsletters and directories, and CableTODAY.com, a Web site for video, voice, and data professionals, have formed a strategic partnership to resell the PRGGuide.com assembly of research reports through the CableTODAY.com vertical industry site. Under the terms of the agreement, CableToday.com will market and sell PRGGuide.com’s research reports within its industry-specific on-line community. In partnering with PRGGuide.com, CableTODAY.com will offer its cable industry customers the ability to retrieve comprehensible research offerings.

CUNA & Affiliates (CUNA), an organization of credit unions, and PSI Global, a Tampa, Fla., research firm, have formalized an agreement for consumer and business research analytical resources. The relationship will allow CUNA to provide credit unions with an overview of consumer attitudes, behaviors and preferences related to financial services, as well as trends on a wide range of financial services topics.