Starbase Research was a division of Starbase 73 charged with seeking out answers to questions it was given. This could include things such as interpreting subspace radio messages.
In 2365, Starbase Research took several hours to determine that a mysterious signal originating from the Ficus sector was actually an Earth SOS message. It took William Riker only a few minutes to make the same conclusion. (TNG: "Up The Long Ladder")