The BIGD, BRAC University is a centre of research and academic excellence. As a post graduate resource centre, BIGD is devoted to specialised research on a range of governance and development concerns, as well as the nexus between the two intertwined areas. It conducts research around five broad clusters, i.e., economic growth, politics and governance, urbanisation, gender issues, and regional studies. The research on gender is undertaken at the Centre for Gender and Social Transformation embedded within BIGD. On the academic side, BIGD offers four Master’s degree programmes, the MAGD, MDS, MDMP and MPSM, and offers several first rate certificate courses aimed at building capacity of the public and private sector and the NGOs. BIGD’s research does not limit knowledge creation to being an end in itself but rather to advance the pursuit of a freer and just society. Hence, it also plays an advocacy role to give voice to contemporary governance, political and economic issues. These are best reflected in its two annual flagship publications: The State of Governance and the State of Cities. BIGD provides scholars, policy specialists, researchers, academics and practitioners to share a common platform to raise critical questions on governance and development. It aspires not only to among the most vibrant institutions of knowledge creation and management within Bangladesh but also in the wider region around it—South Asia and Southeast Asia. BIGD’s staff are its most precious resource. They are drawn from the entire spectrum of social science disciplines with excellent credentials. It hosts scholars and academics from around the world and has collaborative programmes with top universities/research institutions of the world, as indicated in another section of this website. It also hosts special programmes with Ottawa and Colgate Universities which contribute course credits towards the degrees of the participating students.