The International Research Institute for Management Problems (hereinafter referred to as IRIAS or Institute) was established on the basis of the Intergovernmental Agreement of July 9, 1976 in accordance with the decision of the XXIX meeting of the Session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, which acted in 1949-1991 as an intergovernmental economic organization.
The initial founders of the Institute were the governments of eight countries of the socialist camp: the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian People's Republic, the Republic of Cuba, the German Democratic Republic, the Mongolian People's Republic, the Polish People's Republic, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
By a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of February 8, 1977, the responsibility for ensuring the obligations of the Soviet side arising from the Agreement on the establishment of the IRIAS was assigned to the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology and the USSR Academy of Sciences.
After the collapse of the USSR, in 1992 Poland announced its withdrawal from IRIIPU. Automatically ceased to be members of the IRIAS GDR and Czechoslovakia in connection with state reforms. The rest of the countries that signed the Agreement on the establishment of the IRIAS SU expressed interest in its preservation, development and cooperate with the Institute up to this day.
The purpose of the Institute was to carry out comprehensive research and development in the field of theory and practice of organization and management of socialist social production.
In accordance with the Protocol of May 18, 1988 to the 1976 Agreement, the legal status of the IRIAS, operating as an international intergovernmental organization endowed with international legal personality, is governed by the current intergovernmental agreement and the 1980 Budapest Convention on the legal status, privileges and immunities of interstate economic organizations operating in certain areas of cooperation. This Convention entered into force with respect to IRIAS on October 30, 1983.

At the mentioned meeting, the main tasks of the Institute were determined:

• Carrying out research and development for the countries - participants of the Agreement in the field of theory and practice of organization and management of socialist social production;
• Implementation of advisory activities for organizations of the countries - participants of the Agreement and transfer of best practices in the field of management;
• Rendering assistance to the countries - participants of the Agreement in the field of introduction of progressive forms and methods of organization and management of socialist social production;
• Development of projects and methodological regulations for organizing the management of individual systems for organizations of the countries - participants of the Agreement and national organizations of third countries.

The division into the stages of development of the Institute given below was made on the basis of the dependence of the nature of scientific and practical activity on the changing conditions of the surrounding world and the states - participants of the Institute.
Stage I (1976-1990) is distinguished by an interdisciplinary focus of activities and the formation of a dynamic international community of scientists and specialists in management, information technology, market transformation mechanisms using advanced foreign experience. Plans for multilateral scientific research were drawn up, international scientific teams, branches in the countries - participants of the IRIAS were created.
The results of scientific activity for 1981-1985 were approved at the XIV meeting of the IRIAS Council. Over the years, the Institute has carried out 82 research projects, prepared 24 information and analytical reviews, published 102 monographs. A number of methodological documents, models, human-machine systems and programs have been developed to solve complex organizational and economic problems. Important work has been done to improve governance for international and national authorities.
During this period (1976–1990), IRIAS was solving scientific and practical problems of accelerating the transition of the economy to an intensive path of development, increasing the productivity of enterprises, introducing the latest scientific and technological achievements.
The economic meeting of the CMEA member countries at the highest level became a significant event that changed the course and development trends of the Institute. As one of the most important tasks in the field of economics and mutual cooperation, it named the accelerated transfer of the economy to an intensive path, increasing its efficiency by improving the structure of social production, rational and economical use of existing material and labor resources, better use of fixed assets and scientific and technical potential. This task was the main guideline in the formation and implementation of the plan of scientific research of the IRIAS during this period.
The II stage of the development of IRIAS (1990–2000) is characterized by a change in the course of activity. Political and socio-economic transformations in the countries of the Institute at the end of the 80s presented new requirements for the activities of the Institute. New interests and needs of these countries and their organizations have emerged. Therefore, in 1990, the Institute focused on the search for new directions and forms of activity. 

The priority areas of scientific research are:

• The transformation of the Institute into a regional international center promoting effective cooperation between the countries of the East and West;
• Socio-economic conditions for a radical restructuring of the economic and management systems, the transition to new management mechanisms;
• Strategic planning and management of socio-economic and scientific-technical development of countries;
• Study of the role and place of a person in management;
• Increasing the efficiency of control systems based on mathematical methods and computer technology.

The widespread use of methods and means of information technology has become a feature of most of the Institute's projects. In some areas of application of information technology, his team acted as a pioneer. Despite the difficulties of the transition period, the IRIAS continued to work successfully.

Work in the field of information technology in the 90s was carried out in three areas:

• Development of fundamental theoretical foundations of computer science;
• Creation of advanced computing facilities in order to improve the efficiency of IT application;
• Development of information technologies for solving specific applied problems.

At the turn of the XX-XXI centuries, the Institute carried out a series of theoretical and practical works that can be considered as the first stage in the creation of a bimolecular computer. Within the framework of stage III (2000–2007), a significant number of models were created, on the basis of which many problems of control and selection of parameters of the objects under study were solved. The Institute has developed a number of macroeconomic models to study the processes of national economic development. The work of the Institute on the creation of information technologies for forecasting and assessing natural resources was of great practical importance. Several versions of such information systems have been developed.
By the beginning of the 2000s, serious changes took place in the activities of the IRIAS, caused by the desire to adequately respond to changes in the socio-economic situation of the Institute's member states, associated with the rapidly developing processes of globalization, the intensification of economic, scientific and technical ties between the West and the East. The need for the countries participating in the IRIAS to carry out large-scale projects related to the implementation of information technologies in management processes has increased.
At the IV stage (2007-2016), scientific research was carried out to analyze the development and results of Russia's economic reforms in 1991-2006. The priority research was the improvement of the problems of management of enterprises of the fuel and energy complex. New steps were taken in studying the advanced experience of developed countries in organizing and managing the economy. A large amount of work has been carried out within the framework of projects that investigate the evolution of management in the 21st century at the state, municipal and corporate levels.
Serious changes in the nature of research allowed IRIAS to achieve several goals dictated by the requirements of the time. Firstly, all work was carried out with a view to a specific consumer, which provided the Institute with a solid financial and material base. Secondly, the Institute actively used the wide opportunities that are inherent in modern IT outsourcing. And thirdly, he managed to maintain and develop a breakthrough into the Western European information technology market, establishing a solid long-term basis for cooperation with EADS.
The results of the work obtained in the framework of the cooperation of the Institute with foreign partners demonstrated the high scientific potential of the IRIAS and its latest achievements in science-intensive fields of knowledge, as well as the experience of carrying out multidisciplinary research in various directions.

The supreme governing body of the Institute's activities is the IRIAS GROUP Council.
On March 15-18, 1977, the first meeting of the Council of the International Research Institute for Management Problems was held, in which all representatives of the countries that signed the Agreement on its creation, members of the delegations of the countries - members of the Agreement, employees of the international team of scientists in the field of organizational management, cybernetics and operations research, representatives of the Secretariat of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
The Council elected the USSR Representative in the Council Jermen Mikhailovich Gvishiani (1977-1992) as Chairman of the Council of the International Research Institute of Management Problems. Stanislav Vasilievich Emelyanov, who headed the Institute until 2003, was appointed directorAt the IV meeting of the Council of IRIAS in March 1978, the personal composition of the Scientific Council of IRIAS was approved. At the XI meeting of the IRIAS Council in March 1983, after hearing and discussing the report of the Director General of the Institute S.V. Emelyanov on the preparation and release of the first trial issue of the journal, the Council decided to approve the International Editorial Board (IRC) consisting of: D. Gvishiani (Chairman), D. Davidov, I. Lang, V. Calvait, H. Diaz Martinez, D. Baazhiyhuu, S. Nowacki, L. Mateika, S. Emelyanov (deputy chairman), V. Silin - editor-in-chief (executive secretary of the MRC).
By the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 6, 1992, the functions of the parent organizations for the fulfillment of the obligations of the Russian Federation arising from the intergovernmental Agreement on the establishment of the IRIAS were assigned to the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Russia. The vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician E.P. Velikhov was appointed the representative of the Russian Federation in the Council of IRIAS.
In December 1994, the XX meeting of the Council took place, at which the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation in the Council of the IRIASU, Academician Evgeny Pavlovich Velikhov, was elected Chairman of the Council of IRIAS.

Scientific and scientific-practical activities were carried out by the organizations created at the Institute:

• Center for Cooperation with the EU;
• Center for Management and Investment Consulting;
• Management Center;
• Laboratory of foreign economic relations of firms (on the instructions of the Ministry of Industry and Science).
• The information and publishing center continued to work.

At the XXVII meeting of the Council of IRIAS in 2002, it was noted that the concept of development of IRIAS is aimed at creating conditions for increasing the financial independence of the Institute, on the one hand, and intensifying cooperation between national scientific organizations and IRIAS, on the other. At this time, negotiations were underway with the European Aerospace and Defense Corporation (EADS) on its entry into the IRIAS as an associate member.
The proposal of the IRIAS Directorate to update the scientific topics of the Institute, its orientation towards such modern areas of high technologies as software outsourcing was supported. For this purpose, the Center for Software Technologies was created. To develop activities in this direction, Alexander Petrovich Kuleshov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, organizer in the field of telecommunications and outsourcing, was appointed to the position of Deputy General Director of MNIIPU.
In March 2003, an Agreement was signed to join the IRIAS as an associate member of the European Aerospace and Defense Corporation (EADS) to carry out joint research and development work in the field of theory and practice of managing complex systems in the aerospace and telecommunications fields as well as in the field of information technology&
In the same year, at the XXVIII meeting of the IRIAS Council, the Agreement was approved. The International Center for Advanced Technologies IRIAS-EADS-RAN (International Center for Advanced Technologies IRIAS-EADS-RAN) was established in IRIAS together with EADS to ensure joint activities in the areas stipulated by the Agreement on EADS joining as an associate member of IRIAS.
At the meeting of the XXVIII Council of IRIAS, Stanislav Vasilyevich Emelyanov's proposal was adopted to relieve him of the post of general director of IRIAS in order to ensure continuity in the development of the Institute. At the suggestion of the Permanent Representative of Russia in the Council of IRIAS, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Alexander Petrovich Kuleshov was appointed to the post of General Director of IRIAS in accordance with Article 14 of the Charter of IRIAS for a period of five years. Academician Stanislav Vasilyevich Emelyanov was appointed to the post of scientific director of the Moscow Research Institute of Polytechnic University.
On November 30, 2007 the XXXII meeting of the IRIAS Council took place. The Council decided to elect Academician Yevgeny Pavlovich Velikhov as Chairman for the next three-year term. The Council approved the request of Aleksandr Petrovich Kuleshov to terminate his powers as the General Director of IRIAS and decided to appoint Yury Stanislavovich Yemelyanov, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Yury Stanislavovich Yemelyanov, for a period of five years as the Institute's General Director.
In March 2017, the Council of IRIAS GROUP elected Alexander Ivanovich Ageev, Professor, Doctor of Economics, to the post of General Director. On July 3, 2017, Alexander Ivanovich Ageev took over as General Director of IRIAS.