What CERGE-EI does

CERGE-EI (Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – Economics Institute) is a higher education and research institution founded in 1991 in Prague, Czech Republic, operating as a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The institution holds a New York state permanent charter and maintains governance through an Executive and Supervisory Committee, Board of Trustees, and Scientific Council. Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion (2025 Nobel Prize in Economics) serves on the Executive and Supervisory Committee, alongside Distinguished Speakers Series participation by laureates such as Alvin Roth, Paul Milgrom, and Jean Tirole.

The institution's core products are academic programs — a PhD in Economics, a Master in Economic Research (MER), a Bachelor program in Economics of Markets and Organizations (EMO, delivered jointly with Prague University of Economics and Business), and visiting student programs — supported by a Distance Learning Program, Jan Kmenta Library, Academic Skills Center, Digital Media Center, and Teaching Fellows Program. Research output is distributed through a Working Papers series running from 1991 to present, peer-reviewed journal publications in journals including American Economic Review, Econometrica, and Review of Economics and Statistics, dissertations and theses, and the IDEA Think Tank (Institute for Democracy and Economic Analysis). Outreach channels include the Talking Economics Podcast, CERGE-EI Insights newsletter, an annual Festival and Gala, research seminars, and multi-platform social media.

CERGE-EI's business model is that of a publicly funded academic institution with no disclosed commercial revenue; it is supported by its parent institutions (Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences), foundations (CERGE-EI Foundation, Nadace CERGE-EI), alumni giving campaigns, and fellowship programs including Excellence Fellowships, Dissertation Completion Scholarships, and Career Integration Fellowships. Tuition is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are primarily PhD and Master's students, with secondary segments in bachelor students, visiting international students, and an alumni network placed across central banks, universities, and international organizations worldwide.

Name

CERGE-EI

Legal name

Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – Economics Institute

Website

https://cerge-ei.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CERGE-EI is a Prague-based academic research institution, jointly operated by Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences since 1991. It offers PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's programs in economics, conducts research published in top-tier journals, and runs the IDEA Think Tank and global outreach programs serving students and policymakers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Economic Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Economics Schools (EDAHAHAD)

Keywords

• Economics graduate education
• Doctoral economics program
• Economic research publications
• Public policy analysis
• Academic library services

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CERGE-EI is an academic institution delivering graduate and undergraduate economics education through its PhD in Economics, Master in Economic Research (MER), and Bachelor program EMO, alongside producing peer-reviewed economic research and operating the IDEA Think Tank for policy analysis. The institution combines university-level degree programs with research institute capabilities as a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Product overview

CERGE-EI (Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – Economics Institute) is a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The institution offers a portfolio of educational programs including a PhD in Economics, Master in Economic Research (MER), and Bachelor program EMO (Economics of Markets and Organizations), along with visiting student programs and distance learning options. Its research infrastructure comprises the Jan Kmenta Library, Academic Skills Center, and Digital Media Center. The institution produces and disseminates economic research through Working Papers Series, journal articles, dissertations, and theses. Outreach programs include the Teaching Fellows Program, Global Development Network (GDN), IDEA Think Tank, Talking Economics Podcast, CERGE-EI Festival, Distinguished Speakers Series, and various research seminars. The product portfolio functions as an integrated academic ecosystem where educational programs, research outputs, and outreach initiatives support the institution's mission of advancing economic research and graduate education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IDEA Think Tank: Institute for Democracy and Economic Analysis - an independent think-tank focusing on analysis, evaluation, and customized public policy proposals
• Jan Kmenta Library
• CERGE-EI Foundation
• Nadace CERGE-EI
• Talking Economics Podcast
• CERGE-EI Insights

Products and services

• PhD in Economics
• Master in Economic Research (MER)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB): WZB is a German social science research institute with policy analysis and graduate researcher training. Comparable in research orientation, policy think tank activity, and academic publishing focus.
• Central European University: CEU is a graduate-focused institution in the CEE region with strong economics and social sciences programs. Shares CERGE-EI's Central European positioning, international student body, and dual-accreditation model.
• Paris School of Economics: PSE is a consortium of French institutions producing top-tier economics research and graduate training. Comparable in research intensity, doctoral program structure, and policy engagement model.
• Charles University Faculty of Social Sciences: Charles University's FSV is the parent institution's social sciences faculty and shares faculty, students, and governance overlap with CERGE-EI. Most directly comparable as a co-located economics and social sciences program.
• Barcelona School of Economics: BSE is a graduate economics research institution with master's and PhD programs plus policy research units. Its European focus, research output, and think tank affiliations closely mirror CERGE-EI's structure.
• European University Institute: EUI's Department of Economics offers graduate and doctoral programs with an EU policy focus. Comparable in graduate economics training, research output, and European governance interlinkages.
• Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) Vienna: IHS Vienna is a social and economic sciences research institute offering graduate-level training and policy analysis. Comparable in scale, CEE/EU focus, and the dual research-education mandate.
• Toulouse School of Economics: TSE is a specialized European economics graduate school with strong research output, Nobel laureate faculty (Jean Tirole), and doctoral/master's programs — directly comparable to CERGE-EI's specialized economics PhD/research focus.

Broad incumbents

• Bocconi University: Bocconi is a larger, broader European university with strong economics and finance programs. It offers similar graduate economics training but at a broader, more established institutional scale.
• Stockholm School of Economics: SSE is a Nordic business and economics school with graduate research programs. Comparable in focus on economics research and policy, but operates as a broader private institution with deeper resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CERGE_EI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CergeEiPrague
• Facebookfacebook.com/cergeei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerge-ei
• Instagraminstagram.com/cergeei/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CERGE-EI