Who We Are
The Global South Research Initiative (GSRI) is an emerging, Bangladesh-based initiative being developed into an independent, non-profit, policy-oriented research institution.
Our focus is geo-proximity: the potential for neighboring and geographically close economies to trade more effectively with one another. We seek to connect academic research with business decisions and policy discussions through collaboration among universities, chambers of commerce and other relevant institutions.
GSRI is currently in its formative stage. Discussions are underway with prospective trustees, advisers and faculty collaborators to help shape its institutional foundations and partnerships.
Our Vision
Resilient Global South economies connected through diversified trade, informed by rigorous research and sustained collaboration.
Our Mission
To identify and assess trade opportunities among geographically close economies by bringing together academic expertise, business knowledge and policy engagement.
Our Geographic Focus
Bangladesh will serve as GSRI’s initial base. Early studies will focus on selected nearby trade corridors where there is a credible research question, potential commercial relevance and access to suitable partners.
Over time, GSRI aims to extend collaboration across the wider Global South. Expansion will follow research needs, institutional relationships and available capacity.
Our Approach
GSRI proposes to connect two complementary networks.
The Academic Network will bring together universities, business schools, research centres and individual researchers. For a cross-country study, participating teams will investigate their respective markets using an agreed methodology, analyse the evidence together and develop joint outputs.
The Business Network will connect chambers of commerce, industry associations and participating firms. These partners will help researchers understand actual demand, supply capacity, delivered costs, quality requirements, logistics and payment conditions.
Where findings identify a specific policy obstacle, GSRI and its partners will engage the relevant public institutions with a documented case.
Each study will ask practical questions: Who might buy? Who can supply reliably? At what cost? What prevents trade today? An opportunity will be presented as commercially promising only when the evidence supports that conclusion.
Research with Academic and Practical Value
GSRI aims to create opportunities for joint publications, comparative studies, teaching cases and policy analysis, alongside evidence that businesses can use.
Partner institutions may also collaborate through methods workshops, seminars and conferences. Authorship, data access, confidentiality and publication arrangements will be agreed before projects begin.
Research independence is fundamental. Findings must remain open to scrutiny, including when they show that a proposed opportunity is unviable. Publications, business engagement, completed transactions and policy responses will be reported as distinct outcomes.
Developing Researchers
A continuing researcher pipeline will support GSRI’s work:
Training and mentoring → collaborative research → publication and communication → institutional use and feedback.
The initial paid researcher-development programme will prepare participants to investigate real economic and business questions. Qualified participants may contribute to supervised studies as opportunities become available.
GSRI also intends to develop faculty fellowships with its academic partners. Funding, responsibilities and selection criteria will be established as the programme takes shape.
Founder Background
GSRI was initiated by Abu Noor Md Farukh, whose career spans university teaching and leadership, market research and banking R&D.
He served as an assistant professor and head of a BBA department, State University of Bangladesh, worked at Nielsen, and established and led the R&D function at Mutual Trust Bank Plc. His work included research procedures, training materials, feasibility-study models and commodity analysis relevant to import-related business decisions, beside publishing monthly newletter for the bank.
This experience informs GSRI’s approach: connect rigorous inquiry with the practical questions facing businesses, institutions and policymakers.
Institutional Direction
GSRI intends to establish a suitable non-profit organisation—a trust or foundation—with independent oversight, transparent finances and clear research standards.
Its proposed structure brings together governance and leadership, a small Secretariat and external partnerships. The Secretariat’s functions will expand with available resources, while partner institutions retain their independence.
Work with Us
We welcome expressions of interest from:
- Universities and business schools exploring founding academic partnerships.
- Chambers and industry associations with trade questions affecting their members.
- Faculty and researchers interested in collaborative studies.
- Prospective trustees, advisers and supporters who share GSRI’s purpose.
Contact GSRI to discuss a possible collaboration, or explore our proposed organisational structure.