About
Catalyzing Sustainable Transformation (CaST) Network is an action and policy research and advocacy institution that provides systematic and evidence-driven solutions to some of the complex development challenges of the Global South. We aim to become a think and do tank that generates on the ground evidence on the challenges and opportunities for sustainable transformation of our socio-economic, political and ecological systems and catalyze necessary policy reforms.
CaST has expertise in the field of
Entrepreneurship Development
Market Systems Innovation
Food Systems Innovation
Climate Change and Disaster Resilience
Social Protection
Health Systems Development
What We Do
Shaping Public Opinion and Discourse
CaST brings the distinguished scholars and intellectuals in the focus areas to push the envelope in shaping the public opinion and policy discourse.
Evidence Based Research
CaST consolidates the evidence generated from its field research to identify factors and influencers that can create conducing environment for development of the grassroots community.
Enterprise Ecosystem Development
CaST aspires to develop a business ecosystem, with a pipeline of investments and technical support available for the impactful microentrepreneurs. CaST enterprise development wing supports highly impactful and innovative enterprises to scale up through raising funds, providing technical support and strengthening internal governance.
Team
Dr Nabila Idris
Our Approach
Action Orientation
CaST Network strongly believes in evidence-based actions. However, for strong evidence we need access to reliable data, which is scarce in Bangladesh. CaST Network has expertise in automated data collection system to harness publicly available large data sets that can help clients make evidenced based decision based on robust data. CaST Network also has expertise in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) to identify interventions that have strong causality towards impact.
Context Driven
CaST Network takes a systems approach to tackle endemic development challenges. Our research is rooted in a particular region’s anthropological and social history that defines cultural and social norms. At CaST, we take a bottom-up approach to identifying the indigenous practices and behaviors that shape the region’s food system, WASH, and climate resilience. There is also a complex political nexus with the sociocultural norms, and our methodical approach considers this complexity to design solutions that are sustainable and amenable to the local ecosystem. We offer a comprehensive methodical approach to our partners so that their assessments, business incubations, and evaluation are holistic and strongly grounded in the local context.
Thought Leadership
CaST Network has focused areas of expertise in Climate Adaptation and Resilience, Climate Financing, Sustainable Food Systems, and Inclusive WASH. CaST Network brings in global and national experts to shape the narrative in these focus areas toward a humane, inclusive, and ecologically balanced socio-economic system. We offer rigorous research and insights as well as business incubation and capacity development to our partners to translate rigorous evidence into concrete actions and policy advocacy.