The two companies, which have had an informal working relationship for some time, signed the agreement last month.

As part of the deal, Roger Donbavand, board director at BDRC Continental in London, has joined JDSP as managing partner. Founder Tony Jones will serve as senior partner, stepping back from management responsibilities to spend more time working with clients.

BDRC Group, which owns BDRC Continental and Perspective Research Services in the UK, recently opened an Asian business in Singapore.

CEO Cris Tarrant said: “With Asia increasingly important to the growth plans of many of our clients we have a strategic goal to build our presence in the region and this is another step towards achieving that aim.”

Tony Jones of JDSP said: “We have taken this step in response to increasing client expectations of both regional and global capability and resources. We will now have access to more than 100 staff in the London and Singapore offices of the BDRC Group.”

Founded in 1998, JDSP has a dozen staff and revenue of more than AU$3.5m in the year ended June 2011.