The Institute of Capacity Building and Policy Studies (ICBPS) was established by the government of South Ethiopia Regional State (SERS) in August 2023 (Proclamation No. 01/2015) as “Policy Studies and Research Institute”, and renamed “Institute of Capacity Building and Policy Studies” (Proclamation No. 64/2017). The institute is accountable to the president of SERS. Moreover, currently, it has two departments: Department of Capacity Building, and Department of Policy Studies.

The institute was established as a strategic institutional response to the growing needs for targeted capacity development, rigorous policy research, and in the region. It serves as a regional think tank and research hub, designed to support the SERS in addressing its unique socio-economic, administrative, and governance challenges through knowledge generation, policy analysis, and capacity building initiatives.

ICBPS plays a crucial role in strengthening public sector performance, fostering informed policy dialogue, and enhancing institutional capacities across government sectors, civil society organizations, and the private sector within the framework of the regional government’s commitment to bring sustainable and inclusive development. The mandates of ICBPS include conducting applied research on priority development issues, generating actionable policy recommendations, and designing tailored training and capacity development programs aligned with the region’s strategic development agenda.

ICBPS also acts as a bridge between regional public organizations, academic institutions, and national or international research partners to promote knowledge exchange and skills development, conduct collaborative research projects, and develop best practices in capacity building as well as policy studies. The strategic partnerships are intended to provide practical trainings, and harmonize research approaches and undertakings that yield policy recommendations tailored to regional development contexts.

The contributions of ICBPS are made directly to strengthen governance systems, enhance policy coherence, and build long-term institutional capacities that support effective public service delivery and sustainable development outcomes. To that end, it grounds its operations in practical trainings and empirical evidence that focus on the socio-economic realities of the region.