KIEV INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOCIOLOGY LLC

Their core work

KIIS is a Ukrainian sociological research institute conducting empirical studies of informal economies, shadow practices, and business environments in post-Soviet countries. Their core work involves survey design, qualitative fieldwork, and data analysis in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus — regions where formal institutions are often bypassed by informal networks. In EU-funded research, they serve as regional knowledge partners, contributing on-the-ground research capacity and expert understanding of how informality shapes business conditions, market entry, and economic behaviour in former Soviet republics. Their private-company structure and SME status suggest a lean, applied research operation rather than a large academic institution.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

KIIS entered H2020 through SHADOW (2018), focused on documenting the nature of informal economies and shadow practices as sociological phenomena in the former USSR. Their second project, NEW MARKETS (2019), kept informality as the core theme but reframed it around business consequences — barriers, market entry, and changing commercial environments — suggesting a deliberate move toward applied relevance for business audiences. The shift is modest given only two projects, but the direction is clear: from descriptive sociology of shadow practices toward analytical work on how informality affects real business decisions and market access.

KIIS is moving from academic documentation of informality toward business-relevant analysis of market barriers — making them an increasingly useful partner for research touching on market entry, regulatory informality, or doing business in Eastern Europe.

How they like to work

KIIS has never coordinated an H2020 project, always joining as a participant — suggesting they position themselves as specialist contributors rather than project leads. Their 17 unique partners across 14 countries in just two projects indicates involvement in large, geographically diverse MSCA-RISE consortia built for researcher exchange rather than tight technical collaboration. Working with them likely means engaging a focused regional expert who integrates into broader multi-institutional networks rather than driving the research agenda.

KIIS has collaborated with 17 distinct organisations across 14 countries — a wide geographic spread for just two projects, reflecting the multi-partner structure of MSCA-RISE mobility schemes. Their network is concentrated in post-Soviet and Eastern European research institutions, with reach extending across Europe for consortium purposes.

What sets them apart

KIIS occupies a rare niche: a private sociological research institute based in Kyiv with demonstrated EU-project experience specifically in informal economy research across post-Soviet territories. Very few organisations combine Ukraine-based fieldwork capacity, sociological methodology, and direct knowledge of Central Asian and Caucasus business environments in an EU-compatible research format. For any consortium needing credible on-the-ground expertise in Eastern European informality — whether for academic, policy, or business intelligence purposes — KIIS fills a gap that Western European partners cannot easily replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SHADOW
  KIIS's founding H2020 project and largest grant (EUR 90,000), establishing their EU research credentials in the niche field of informal economies across the former Soviet space.
• NEW MARKETS
  Signals a strategic pivot toward business-relevant research on market barriers and commercial informality, broadening the potential audience beyond academic sociology.