In its development, TIER copied the Japanese model of combining the resources of business, government, and academia in finding answers to national economic problems. This strategy has made TIER into a policy-oriented private research institute, even though it receives generous annual grants from government agencies to carry out related research projects.
All research deals with practical topics.
In many respects, the reports are what one could expect from a large U.S. consulting firm. TIER relies heavily on income from contracted research projects. More than one hundred researchers work at TIER, assigned to its seven research divisions. TIER has seven independent research divisions. Although each research division is responsible for its own related projects, the most important aspect is that TIER represents one unified institution.