SIAR RESEARCH AND CONSULTING LLC

Their core work

SIAR Research and Consulting is a Bishkek-based private research and consulting firm specializing in the political economy, governance, and business environments of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the broader post-Soviet region. They provide expert local knowledge and fieldwork capacity for European research consortia studying informality, shadow economies, corruption, and barriers to market entry in these regions. Their work bridges academic research with practical understanding of how business actually operates in post-Soviet states, making them a valuable on-the-ground partner for projects that need deep regional insight.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SIAR's early work (2015-2018) had a broader geographic and thematic scope, covering development cooperation across the entire Caspian region including Iran and Russia, with a training-oriented focus through the MSCA-ITN doctoral program. From 2019 onward, the organization sharpened its focus toward the institutional and legal underpinnings of informal economies — specifically corruption, shadow practices, legal cultures, and barriers facing businesses in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The trajectory shows a clear move from general regional development studies toward applied research on why formal markets fail and informal ones thrive in post-Soviet contexts.

SIAR is deepening its expertise in the institutional roots of informality and corruption, positioning itself as a go-to partner for research on rule-of-law and market transparency challenges in Central Asia.

How they like to work

SIAR participates exclusively as a third-party contributor rather than a direct consortium partner or coordinator, which is typical for organizations from non-EU countries providing specialized regional expertise. Despite this third-party role, they have connected with 44 unique partners across 27 countries, indicating they are embedded in broad, internationally diverse MSCA networks. This suggests a reliable, low-overhead partner that brings essential local knowledge without demanding a large management role.

Despite being based in Kyrgyzstan, SIAR has worked with 44 partners across 27 countries through its four MSCA projects, giving it a remarkably wide European and global network for an organization of its size and location. Their connections span universities and research institutions across the EU and post-Soviet space.

What sets them apart

SIAR offers something rare in EU research consortia: genuine on-the-ground expertise from within Central Asia, not about it from the outside. For any project studying post-Soviet governance, informal business practices, or market entry barriers in the region, they provide local fieldwork capacity, language skills, and institutional knowledge that European partners simply cannot replicate. Their consistent participation across multiple MSCA projects confirms they are a trusted and well-regarded regional partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CENTRAL ASIAN LAW
  Most thematically focused project, directly addressing the intersection of legal systems, governance, and business environments — a topic with clear policy relevance.
• SHADOW
  Ambitious five-year exploration of informal economies across the entire former USSR region, tackling a phenomenon that affects billions in economic activity.
• CASPIAN
  Their earliest H2020 involvement, a doctoral training network that established SIAR's credentials as a regional expert within European research frameworks.