This grant supports Russia’s first independent research-based think tank in economics.

CEFIR was founded in 2000 at the initiative of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics (for further details, please refer to www.hhs.se/site). It is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that brings together young Russian economists, including the first Russians with PhDs from leading Western institutions (such as MIT, Manchester, Harvard, Michigan and Toulouse).

CEFIR is committed to reversing the brain drain from Russia, bringing back young Russian scholars to their home country by offering them a professional network and opportunities for professional growth. It helps strengthen local capacity for economic research and teaching in Russian regions and CIS countries by participating in joint projects, seminars and summer schools.