National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR)

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), established in 1938, is Britain's oldest independent economic research institute. The institute is a London-based independent UK registered charity that carries out academic research of relevance to business and policy makers, both nationally and internationally.

The institute receives no core funding from government or other sources. The bulk of funding comes from research projects awarded or commissioned by a variety of sources, including government, all acknowledged in full in their published materials. The terms of their grants prohibit any involvement from funding bodies in determining or influencing content. Funders include government departments and agencies, the research councils (particularly the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)), charitable foundations, the European Commission, and the private sector. The institute is a partner with the ESRC's Centre for Macroeconomics), and also with the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence, which is funded by the Office for National Statistics.

History

The NIESR was established in 1938 with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Pilgrim Trust, the Leverhulme Trust and the Halley Stewart Trust. The vision of its founders was to carry out research to improve understanding of the economic and social forces that affect people's lives, and the ways in which policy can bring about change.