The Prairie Research Institute houses five state scientific surveys — Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), and the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS). The Institute was established in 2008 as the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Institute's mission is "to provide objective integrated scientific research and service, in cooperation with other academic and research units of the University of Illinois and elsewhere, that allow citizens and decision-makers to make choices that assure sustainable economic development and enduring environmental quality for the people, businesses, and governments of Illinois."