To facilitate research-based dialogue and a comprehensive understanding of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), in partnership with Gates Foundation, has established a Community of Practice (CoP) for global think tanks and academic institutes. As on 17th July, 2026, CoP includes 33 member organisations across 17 countries. While DPIs are being increasingly adopted by countries, policy research on the developmental impact of DPIs has lagged behind. This CoP has been created to fill this gap. Its objectives are to:
• Learn. Facilitate peer-to-peer cross-border learning among policy researchers and development specialists by exchanging research ideas and outputs on a wide range of issues involving DPIs;
• Inform. Raise awareness and generate debates and discourse, especially by tapping into the reservoir of knowledge generated by the CoP, to better inform policymakers in different countries on the benefits and risks of DPIs.
• Collaborate. Keep pace with and supplement the conversations that are taking place among other stakeholders, especially technologists, businesses, regulators, and lawmakers.
This CoP operates and actively connects the entire DPI ecosystem through activities such as:
• Monthly webinars: Hosted by ICRIER and CoP partners on a rotating basis every month to discuss and disseminate insights on various aspects of DPI.
• Joint publications: Produce collaborative research outputs and policy briefs to inform policy design.
• Dissemination of findings: Publish key takeaways from each of the webinars for wider dissemination.
After the inaugural session in September 2024, 12 monthly virtual seminars were conducted between November 2024 and September 2025. The first ‘Compendium of Learnings’, an amalgamation of key insights from these sessions, was published in December 2025. Nine virtual sessions have been conducted since October 2025 and three more are lined up till the end of September 2026.
