SIAE is the main national institution for research and development, quality and education, guidance and validation, and promotional and informative activities in the field of adult education. It was founded by decree 27 September 1991. At the end of 2011 we thus completed our second decade of successfully promoting the development of adult education and cooperation in establishing a culture of lifelong learning.

SIAE drafts professional bases and evaluations, and monitors the development of the adult education system, develops various non-formal and formal forms of learning, develops programmes to improve adult literacy, and pays particular attention to improving access by vulnerable groups of adults to education and learning. In doing so, it develops the necessary infrastructure to support learning, develops models for the self-evaluation of quality and the validation of prior learning, and provides professional education and training for adult educators. The SIAE informs professionals and the general public about all of these processes and achievements, and contributes to the broader awareness of the importance and role of adult education.