Shanghai Institute for European Studies (SIES) was founded in January 1992 as a member of Shanghai Social Sciences Association and a non-profit, academic organization specialized in the comprehensive studies on politics, economy, society and diplomacy of the European Union and various European countries, including Russia and countries of Commonwealth of Independent Nations, and big-power relations. SIES is composed of the researchers from institutes and universities, as well as people from non-academic institutions who are interested in European studies.

In accordance with the policies of combining theory with practice and letting a hundred schools of thought contend, SIES organizes and coordinates its fellows to do profound studies on EU, European states and CIS, to make timing analysis of new situation, new development and new trends in Europe. SIES promotes academic exchanges between domestic scholars, universities and other academic organizations, helps to bring about the development of friendly cooperation between China and EU, China and European states, China and CIS states. SIES also serves China’s economic development, reform and opening.

The main tasks of SIES are: 1. To organize forum, symposiums, lectures and seminars on issues concerning EU, European states, CIS states; to support scholars to write books, papers and reports and to promote the exchanges of academic achievements; 2. To accept the research requests entrusted by the government departments and enterprises in Shanghai, organize the scholars to write reports and provide consultative services for decision making; 3. To carry out actively academic exchanges and other friendly activities with researchers and research institutes in EU, European states and CIS states; 4. To collect the latest data on Europe’s development trend, edit and publish academic journals.

The funding of SIES is based on membership fees, donations, financial support from government and enterprise, income from service, and income from interest.