The Kansai Institute for Social and Economic Research (KISER) is a nonprofit organization in Kansai (the region centered in Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto) that has its objectives in contributing to the development of the national and regional economies through academic advances.
KISER was established in April 2002 as a result of the consolidation of the three research institutions in the region: the Kansai Economic Research Center (KERC), the Center for Industrial Renovation of Kansai (CIRK) and the Socio-Economic Research Institute in Kansai.
Kansai is very famous for its accumulation of substantial numbers of universities and laboratories with their world-class research and academic achievement, which through the years established a highly advanced and broader network of professors, consultants, executive managers and other academic intelligence in a wide range of fields including overseas.
Expanding this intellectual network, KISER promotes research projects through the collaboration of academia and local business community under governmental cooperation. The necessary funds for KISER are raised through membership fees from approximately 200 leading firms in various industries from all over Japan.