The Centre for Business and Development Studies (CBDS) opened 1 January 2005. CBDS is a multi-disciplinary Centre that combines business economics and management disciplines with other disciplines within social sciences in order to study both intra-firm issues (the organization, the capabilities and the strategies of companies and organizations operating in developing countries), inter-firm issues (collaboration and competition between companies, which are active in developing countries) and the relations of developing country firms with their broader economic, social, environmental and cultural environments within the developing country and in relation to the global economy.

CBDS works within the following 3 areas:

Research on

• Firm strategies in developing countries, BRIC countries and beyond
• Firm-level research on value chains, subsidiary mandates and management
• Entrepreneurship, CSR, development and global value chains

Teaching within

• Business and Development Studies master/minor programme
• Other CBS education programmes

Capacity building by

• Partnering with Danida and other development organizations (nationally and internationally)
• Engaging in capacity building of universities in developing countries

The CBDS has the ambition of being a leading research institution for the study of business and development in developing countries and emerging markets.