The Human Investment Research and Education (HIRE) Center was established in 1994 as a self-supporting research organization within the College of Business and Economics at California State University, East Bay. The HIRE Center's mission is to conduct and facilitate high quality research and evaluation leading to effective changes in public policies and programs that build human capital.

The HIRE Center was created to bring people and institutions together to expand human capital by researching and evaluating programs and policies designed to further employment and educational opportunities, including programs at Cal State East Bay.

The HIRE Center actively works to create meaningful partnerships with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions to achieve the goal of making the best use of resources to generate human capital.