Closed Joint Stock Company “International Centre for Social and Economic Research “Leontief Centre” (CJSC ICSER “Leontief Centre”) was established in 1991 on the joint initiative of St. Petersburg-born well-known economist and Nobel Prize Winner Wassily Leontief and the Mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak in order to implement expert support for transition reforms in Russia, providing advisory and methodological assistance to regional and local authorities in developing socio-economic development programmes and effective mechanisms for strategic management. Currently Leontief Centre is an independent research and consulting organization.

In 2000 Resource Centre for Strategic Planning under Leontief Centre (RCSP) was established to foster the growth of professionalism in management of public processes in the cities and regions of Russia through promotion of best international standards of strategic planning quality and management, development of a cooperation network and partnership based on Leontief Centre.

In 2011 Leontief Centre Chair under St. Petersburg campus of the Higher School of Economics was established in order to improve the educational process of preparing students. Leontief Centre employees carry out the educational process of the Department.

On October 2015 Consortium Leontief Centre - AV Group was established for the joint work on the market of development of strategic documents for the cities and regions of Russia. It unites the experience of a team of professionals that has developed more than 1000 successful projects since 1991.

Main activities of the Leontief Centre:

• organizing and conducting research on problems of regional and urban economies;
• providing consulting support to federal, regional and municipal authorities in development of strategic plans, projects and socio-economic development programmes;
• participation in implementation of projects and programmes of international research and financial organizations;
• organization of scientific conferences, practical seminars, exhibitions;
• organization of trainings, educational seminars and hands-on workshops;
• publishing activities;
• information technologies and telecommunications. 

The following principles are at the core of the Leontief Centre’s philosophy:

• openness to cooperation;
• willingness to share its research findings;
• emphasis on partnerships and networking. 

Leontief Centre has made its best effort to:

• focus on communities’ real economic and social needs;
• stay ahead in terms of the subject areas and level of its research;
• involve the best Russian and international experts;
• remain independent and unbiased in its political beliefs;
• defy stereotypes and wide-spread delusions. 

The mission of Leontief Centre is to promote the best quality standards of socio-economic studies and consulting services that foster professional growth of public management in the cities and regions of Russia.