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Events

Enhancing Livelihoods for Youth with Disabilities: Evidence from the STAR+ Programme Impact Evaluation

On June 17, BIGD and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) co-hosted a knowledge-sharing session titled “Enhancing Livelihoods for Youth with Disabilities: Evidence from the STAR+ Programme Impact Evaluation.” The event highlighted findings from the evaluation of STAR+, a six-month adaptation of BRAC’s Skills Training for Advancing Resources (STAR) model.

Targeting out-of-school, unemployed youth with disabilities from low-income backgrounds, STAR+ equips participants with critical employment skills through a mix of on-the-job apprenticeships and classroom-based learning. In his opening remarks, Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director of BIGD, underscored the strength of Bangladesh’s disability movement. He emphasised that the movement’s motto, “Nothing about us without us”, must shape how we conduct research and design policy, ensuring that no one is left behind. The event concluded with a reflection session involving key implementation partners and a policy roundtable on advancing inclusive employment opportunities in Bangladesh.

The Star+ program was designed especially for youth with disabilities from low-income backgrounds who are not currently studying or employed by equipping them with critical employment skills.

Envisoneers #CareerTalks Webinar Series | Episode 1

On May 18, BIGD launched the Envisoneers #CareerTalks webinar series, aimed at empowering fresh graduates and aspiring researchers in the social sciences.

The first session featured Mehnaz Rabbani, Director of Operations, Strategy, and Partnership at BIGD, and Dr. Ashikur Rahman, Principal Economist at the Policy Research Institute. Out of a large pool of applicants, only 56 selected participants were invited to join the session, which explored how hiring managers evaluate candidates during interviews. The session concluded with a lively open discussion on common challenges and best practices in job interviews.

BRAC Leaders’ Talk | BRAC’s Approach to Human Centered Design

On May 19, at BRAC Leaders’ Talk, our Executive Director, Dr. Imran Matin, along with Shaila Ahmed, Research Fellow and Head of the Gender and Social Development Cluster at BIGD, joined a powerful conversation on BRAC’s Human-Centered Design (HCD) journey. Together, they reflected on how empathy, experiential learning, and a deep understanding of people’s diverse lived realities have shaped BRAC’s approach to development over the years.

Moderated by Moutushi Kabir, Senior Director, People, Culture and Communications, BRAC, the session offered thought-provoking insights into designing programs that truly respond to the needs and contexts of the people they aim to serve.

Sun and Soil: Exploring Agrivoltaics in Bangladesh

The knowledge-sharing session on Sun and Soil: Exploring Agrivoltaics in Bangladesh, led by Dr Rohini Kamal (BIGD) and Mr Mohaimenul Islam (BRAC University), provided updates on the Sustainable Business Model for the Agrivoltaic Pilot Project in Bangladesh and the proposed system design. The project — jointly implemented by BIGD, Bright Green Energy Foundation (BGEF), the EEE Department of BRAC University, and BRAC’s Climate Change Programme —aims to explore more efficient ways of generating income through the dual streams of agriculture and power production from the same piece of land.

While opening the session, Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar, Vice Chancellor of BRAC University, underscored the importance of the project, remarking that the main challenge facing Bangladesh is not population, but food scarcity. He added that agrivoltaics could be a key solution, merging energy production with agricultural sustainability. Professor Md. Mosaddequr Rahman, Chair of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) Department at BRAC University, acknowledged that agrivoltaics, like any emerging technology, has its pros and cons. He stressed the importance of research-led solutions to overcome challenges as the project progresses.

The session wrapped up with a lively Q&A featuring thought-provoking insights from academics and professionals across the renewable energy, agriculture, and solar sectors. In his closing remarks, Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director of BIGD, highlighted the importance of scalable, sustainable innovations like agrivoltaics—solutions that meet energy needs without compromising land use, food production, or livelihoods.

As Bangladesh continues to grow, so will our energy and food demands. Alternative solutions such as agrivoltaics might hold the potential to address this very real problem.

Book Talk by Dr. Selim Jahan

BIGD hosted Dr Selim Jahan for a book talk on Bangladesh: Contemporary Development Issues. During the session, Dr Jahan discussed the challenges facing Bangladesh today—ranging from the implications of the previous government’s manipulation of GDP growth figures to the country’s upcoming graduation from LDC status— and the importance of multidisciplinary research to push the boundaries of knowledge to face the challenges of tomorrow. He emphasised the need to focus on GDP growth and ensure an inclusive and equitable distribution of its benefits. The talk was followed by a lively Q&A, moderated by BIGD’s Executive Director, Dr Imran Matin. Dr Jahan engaged with the audience on contemporary socio-political and governance issues, future economic prospects, and the changes needed to ensure governments commit more earnestly to fair and equitable redistributive policies.

Crash Course on Effective Research Communication

As part of the Envisioneers initiative, BIGD hosted a two-day learning event on the fundamentals of research communications. Out of nearly 90 applicants, 36 talented young researchers and communication specialists were selected from 16 leading organizations, including research institutes, academic institutions, and think tanks. The workshop focused on the effective use of data visualisation, principles and best practices of writing, creating effective presentation slides, and public speaking techniques for effective research communication. The two-day crash course featured lots of individual and group exercises to help participants implement their learnings in real time.

Understanding White Paper Concepts and Methodologies (Session 3)

BIGD hosted the third and final session of Understanding White Paper: Concepts and Methodologies in মিলনপুর. After exploring Bangladesh’s economic pulse through mega projects, financial flows, and investment landscapes, the final chapter decoded social safety nets with Ms. Sharmind Neelormi, Dr. Kazi Iqbal, and Dr. Imran Matin.

Inaugural Lecture by Professor Munshi Sulaiman

Professor Munshi Sulaiman, Research Director at BIGD, delivered his inaugural lecture as a professor on “The Half-Life of Evidence on Economics: How Research Findings Hold, Shift, or Fade Over Time.” In his lecture, Professor Sulaiman discussed how the impact of social innovations evolves. Drawing from years of extensive research, he provided examples of how certain social innovations have an enduring impact, while others fade or shift over time. This lecture was part of BRAC University’s initiative to introduce newly appointed professors and their body of work to the academic community. The discussion explored how research findings evolved based on:

  • Research on BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation Program, which has shown long-term sustainability.
  • A study on skills training programs, where midterm findings shift in the long term.
  • Research on social norms and child FGM management, examining the short-term impacts in the absence of long-term evidence.

Access to Agency: Empowering Women through Digital Inclusion

The BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) are organizing an international conference on July 2-3, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, focused on the role of digital inclusion in women’s empowerment.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, women’s access to digital connectivity has become a key factor in expanding their economic opportunities. The conference will explore how digital inclusion provides women with the tools and agency to navigate both formal and informal economies, opening new avenues for economic independence, financial decision-making, and social empowerment.

Building on research from WEE-DiFine, WEE-Connect, IPA, and others, the event will examine the pathways through which digital access translates into economic autonomy and gender equality.

The conference will also host an exhibition showcasing the work of Ghanaian-based academics and implementers, offering a platform for local perspectives on how digital inclusion is shaping women’s social and economic futures in the region.

Register to attend in person at GIMPA, Accra!

Elsewhere? Register to join virtually and receive the livestream link!

Register Now
Click Here to See the Agenda

Would you like to feature your work on digitization and women’s empowerment at BIGD/IPA’s international conference?

BIGD and IPA welcome innovators in the space of digitization and women’s empowerment to share their work at our upcoming conference, “Access to Agency: Empowering Women through Digital Inclusion”!

Apply for an opportunity to feature your work in the form of a poster presentation or exhibition booth at our event. The top three participants will be selected by an advisory board for cash prizes.

Posters will be selected for inclusion at the conference, and for the cash prizes, on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the conference’s themes
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Intellectual rigor 
  • Potential for impact

*A representative must be able to attend the conference in person to present during the exhibition. Up to two representatives will be permitted to attend the conference in full, and to present during the exhibition. 

We especially encourage submissions from the following:

  • Individuals who identify as female
  • Graduate students and early career researchers
  • Early-career innovators
  • Innovators and researchers from the Global South 

Please submit your application here by June 20, 2025. If applying to present a poster, please design your poster using this template. For more information, please visit our event pages here and here. Please note that unfortunately we cannot accommodate late submissions.

*Please note that the conference organizers will cover the expense of printing posters or setting up exhibition booths for selected submissions. 

Women’s Movement Navigating Change in South Asia: Building Solidarity and Resisting Backlash Conference and Exhibition

BIGD hosted a conference and a special exhibition showcasing artwork, photo stories, and audiovisual creations from gender justice movements in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These works—created as part of the ‘Sustaining Power: Women’s Struggles against contemporary backlash in South Asia’ (SuPWR) program—aimed to highlight the struggles of gender justice movements in the subcontinent and celebrate the progress while acknowledging the challenges and backlash faced by movements in the shifting socio-political context of the subcontinent. The exhibition aimed to foster learning among the public and build solitary within and across movements. On the other hand, the conference examined how economic shocks and the rise in populist agendas have affected space for advocating women’s rights and gender equality agendas across South Asia. The day-long conference brought together researchers, gender justice struggles in Bangladesh that have been researched, and academics and practitioners to share insights and findings from cross-regional analyses.