Founded in 1945, the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research is an independent research organization based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Its purpose is to find and promote solutions to employment-related problems.
The Upjohn Institute is an activity of the W. E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation which was established in 1932 by Dr. W. E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Company. The Trustee Corporation established the Upjohn Institute in 1945 for the purpose of "conducting research into the causes and effects of unemployment and measures for the alleviation of unemployment." Today, with a staff of nearly 60 employees, the institute not only conducts and funds research into a variety of employment-related issues, it also administers all of the federal and state employment programs in Kalamazoo County and St. Joseph County, Michigan. In addition, the Institute performs program design and evaluations for government entities worldwide.