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The Penang Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank of the state government of Penang, Malaysia. It was established in March 1997 as the Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI), and was publicly rebranded as the Penang Institute during the Institute's second 'Penang in Asia' lecture on 'Finance and the Current Recession' on December 9, 2011. At present, it is housed in a double-storey government bungalow along Brown Road, Penang and is staffed by over 20 researchers and writers.

Vision and Mission Statement
Vision

Penang Institute is poised to be a force of change by delivering far-reaching and realistic policy solutions that would produce a fair, more inclusive and environmentally sustainable Penang.

Mission

Penang Institute will provide a progressive forum to engage the Penang state government, local councils, government-linked agencies, international organisations and the public by way of research and dialogue.

Its strong networks in government, academia, corporate and voluntary sectors will enable Penang Institute to deliver well-researched and clearly argued policy analysis, reports and publications which will play a vital role in initiating the momentum of progressive thought.

Tagline
Making Ideas Work

Establishment
SERI was established on 19 March 1997 as an independent nonprofit research organisation to supply the Penang government with strategic knowledge about the state. The original idea for such an organisation was first mooted in the first Penang Strategic Development Plan (PSDP1) which foresaw the existence of a Penang research and development institute 'consistent with the need for effective research and planning activities'.

Officially launched on 8 November 1997 by the then Chief Minister of Penang, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, its founding members, Datuk Noor Ahmad Mokhtar and Dr Lim Pao Li were joined on the Board of Directors by Datuk (Dr) Anwar Fazal and Datuk Dr Leong Yueh Kwong. SERI’s first home was a rented single storey bungalow at No. 10A, Persiaran Bukit Jambul, Bayan Lepas (International College Grounds). It began with less than eight staff members.

The vision for SERI at the outset was to be an institution for change, delivering far-reaching but realistic policy solutions that would produce a fair, more inclusive and environmentally sustainable Penang. It was to be a policy and action research institute that involved a wide spectrum of society and that could derive practical and workable local solutions to new challenges.

Organisation
Chairman: YAB Lim Guan Eng

Board Members:


 * YB Dato' Mansor Othman
 * YB Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy
 * Dato Seri Chet Singh
 * Dato Seri Nazir Ariff Bin Hj Mushir Ariff
 * Dato' Rosli Jaafar
 * YB Dato' Haji Mokhtar Mohd Jait
 * Ir. Jaseni Maidinsa
 * Dato Dr. Leong Yueh Kwong
 * Dr. Michael Lim Mah Hui
 * Mr. Hamdan Abdul Majeed

Executive Director: Prof Dato' Dr Woo Wing Thye

Chief Executive Officer: Zairil Khir Johari

Senior Executive Officer: Steven Sim Chee Keong

Publications
Penang Institute is responsible for publishing and disseminating research findings that enrich public discourse and promote sustainable development in Penang.
 * Penang Economic Outlook
 * Penang Monthly
 * Penang Studies Series
 * Penang in Numbers
 * ASEAN Perspectives on Clean Governance

Change of Name
On August 2, 2011, the Companies Commission of Malaysia, following a decision made at the SERI general meeting the day before, recognised the change in name of SERI to Penang Institute.

The Penang Institute was inaugurated during the Institute's second 'Penang in Asia' lecture on 'Finance and the Current Recession' on December 9, 2011, at Georgetown's historic City Hall.

“(The name change) signals our aspiration to make Penang an important intellectual centre of an ever more important Asia.” "(The name change) signals our aspiration to make Penang an important intellectual centre of an ever more important Asia."