What CUTS International does

CUTS International (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) is a non-profit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1983 in Rajasthan, India, and headquartered in Jaipur. It operates as a network of specialized programme and resource centres covering international trade and economics (CITEE, established 1996), competition and economic regulation (CCIER, established 2003), consumer action and training (CART, established 1996), and human development (CHD, established 1990). The organization serves government policymakers, consumer organizations, developing-country stakeholders, and parliamentarians, producing research publications, policy recommendations, and capacity-building programmes on trade, competition, consumer protection, and regulatory reform.

The organization's core technology and intellectual product is its policy research and advocacy platform, including the long-running Gram Gadar wall newspaper (published since 1983), the G-SAGE Geoeconomic Monograph Series, and recent initiatives such as TRaNJA (Trade Not Just Aid) launched in Tokyo in December 2025. It operates 9 centres across India (Jaipur, Delhi, Kolkata, Chittorgarh) and internationally (Geneva, Accra, Nairobi, Lusaka, Hanoi, Washington DC), supported by a team of 50+ professionals, 300+ volunteers, and a network of 60+ partner institutions and 400+ experts.

CUTS generates revenue through Government of India project grants (documented 2009-2024), international organization partnerships (notably a five-year UNIDO MoU signed in 2020), and individual donations under India's 80G tax exemption. The organization does not charge fees for its research outputs and is funded entirely through grants, donations, and collaborative partnerships. Recent strategic moves include new partnerships on AI governance with ISAIL and IPLR, positioning CUTS to extend its policy research mandate into emerging digital and AI regulatory domains.

Name

CUTS International

Legal name

Consumer Unity & Trust Society

Website

https://cuts-international.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CUTS International is a non-profit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1983, operating 9 centres across India, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It serves government policymakers, consumer organizations, and developing-country stakeholders with research, publications, and capacity building on trade, competition, and regulatory reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Competition Policy, State Aid & Public Procurement Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Facilitation, Customs & Border Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAG), Competition/Antitrust & Market Conduct Regulators (BPAIAOAD), Product Safety, Consumer Protection & Market Surveillance Cooperation (BPADANAN)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Trade advocacy
• Consumer protection
• Regulatory reform
• Capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Jaipur

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Project Grants: Funding from Government of India for various research projects (2009-2024 projects documented), implementing policy research and advocacy initiatives
2. Donations and Contributions: Donations from supporters globally, with 80G tax exemption under Income Tax Act 1961, including 'Friend of CUTS' programme with contribution tiers
3. International Organization Partnerships: Collaborative projects with UN agencies like UNIDO and other international organizations for technical cooperation

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CUTS International (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) is a non-profit policy research and advocacy think tank that conducts research, policy analysis, and capacity building on trade, competition, consumer protection, regulatory reform, and governance. It operates through a network of specialized programme centres and resource centres across India, Africa, and Asia, delivering publications, convenings, and direct engagement with governments and international organizations.

Product overview

CUTS International is a research and public policy think tank (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) organized as a network of programme centres covering trade, economics, environment, competition policy, consumer protection, and human development. The organization operates through multiple specialized centres including CUTS CITEE (International Trade, Economics & Environment), CUTS CCIER (Competition, Investment & Economic Regulation), CUTS CHD (Human Development), CUTS CRC (Calcutta Resource Centre), CUTS CART (Consumer Action, Research & Training), and CUTS Delhi Resource Centre. The centres work together to advance CUTS' core mission of consumer welfare through advocacy, capacity building, research publications, and policy engagement at grassroots, national, and international levels. Recent initiatives include the TRaNJA initiative on WTO reform and the G-SAGE geoeconomic monograph series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CITEE) Programme centre established in 1996 that conducts research and advocacy on multilateral trade, economics, and environment for governments, international organizations, and civil society.
• CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment & Economic Regulation (CCIER) Programme centre established in 2003 in Jaipur that conducts research, advocacy, and capacity building on competition policy, investment, and economic regulation from the perspective of developing country consumers.
• CUTS Centre for Human Development (CHD) Programme centre established in 1990 in Chittorgarh that pursues consumer issues and community-based action programmes at the grassroots level in four districts of Rajasthan.
• CUTS Calcutta Resource Centre (CRC) Resource centre established in 1987 working on energy, sustainability, trade and connectivity, regulatory reforms, consumer safety, and governance.
• CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training (CART) Programme centre established in 1996 contributing to consumer protection, education, and empowerment through campaigns and pioneering consumer empowerment programmes.
• CUTS Delhi Resource Centre Resource centre set up in 2003 in New Delhi acting as the focal point for CUTS' advocacy, outreach, and external relations with national-level institutions and policy forums.
• Gram Gadar Wall Newspaper Monthly wall newspaper published since 1983 providing a forum for oppressed classes to seek justice and raising awareness on consumer issues at the grassroots level.
• TRaNJA Initiative (Trade Not Just Aid: Winners and Losers in the WTO) Initiative launched in Tokyo in December 2025 to build consensus around preserving the WTO's centrality in global trade architecture amid rising unilateralism and protectionism.
• Geoeconomic Monograph Series 'Global Strategies in the Age of Geoeconomics' (G-SAGE) Analytical framework and publication series equipping developing nations with tools to navigate geoeconomics strategically, delivered through expert webinars and monographs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years of continuous operation and advocacy since 1983
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• ISAIL (Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 December 2025CIRC and CUTS International designated as Knowledge Partner to ISAIL for AI governance, competition law, digital markets, AI literacy, consumer protection, and MSME standardization research.
• IPLR (Indic Pacific Legal Research LLP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 December 2025CIRC and IPLR serve as Research Partners focusing on AI governance, competition law, digital markets, AI literacy, consumer protection, and standardisation for MSMEs. Includes collaborative research projects, academic publications, training programmes, workshops, and certification courses.
• UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2020Five-year memorandum of understanding for joint technical cooperation projects supporting 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Includes BRICS e-commerce project, capacity building initiatives, and development of UNIDO's 'Culture of Quality Tool'. CUTS acts as implementing partner for promoting e-commerce as platform for digital economy transition.
• Chintan Research FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly organized global webinar 'QUADRO: Reimagining Collective Leadership in a Fragmented World Order' with CUTS International to discuss pragmatic cooperation among US, India, China and Russia. Built on November 2025 Sariska roundtable producing 'Sariska Consensus'.
• Rajasthan International CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly organized panel discussion 'The World in Flux: Charting India's Course Through Global Transformation' in Jaipur with experts examining geopolitical shifts, trade, and security challenges.
• University of Adelaide - Institute for International TradesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting organization for TRaNJA (Trade Not Just Aid) initiative co-chaired by Shashi Tharoor and Pascal Lamy. Initiative brings together nearly 30 experts from 16 countries to discuss WTO reform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Policy Research (CPR): India-based think tank conducting research on economic policy, regulatory reform, and governance. CPR's regulatory and competition policy work overlaps directly with CUTS CCIER, though CPR is more academically oriented.
• Third World Network: Malaysia-headquartered international network conducting research and advocacy on trade, development, and global governance from a developing-country perspective. Highly comparable to CUTS in mission, scope, and Southern-NGO positioning.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): International policy research institute working on trade, investment, and sustainable development. IISD's trade-and-sustainable-development programme and Geneva presence directly parallel CUTS CITEE's work, particularly on WTO reform.
• International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD): Geneva-headquartered think tank focused on trade policy and sustainable development — closely aligned with CUTS CITEE's multilateral trade research mandate. Both target developing-country perspectives in global trade governance.
• Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER): India-based policy think tank focused on international economics, trade, and regulatory policy. ICRIER's trade and competition policy research overlaps significantly with CUTS CITEE and CCIER programmes.
• Observer Research Foundation (ORF): India-based policy think tank with global policy research across trade, economics, and international affairs. ORF is the closest Indian peer to CUTS in terms of policy research focus and convening role, though ORF has a larger endowment and broader geopolitical remit.
• South Centre: Geneva-based intergovernmental policy think tank of developing countries working on trade, competition, investment, and international economic governance. South Centre is the closest peer in terms of Southern-developing-country policy advocacy for global trade architecture.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: One of the largest and best-endowed US-based policy think tanks, with substantial work on global trade, international economic governance, and development. Brookings is a 'broad incumbent' that competes with CUTS for donor attention and policy visibility, though at much larger scale.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global think tank with major programmes on international trade, economic governance, and geopolitics. Carnegie's broader geopolitical and economic work overlaps with CUTS' international advocacy, particularly the G-SAGE monograph series themes.

Emerging players

• Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) Africa / CUTS Africa Resource Centres: Listed as a peer only for completeness; CUTS' own Africa resource centres (Accra, Nairobi, Lusaka) operate in adjacent spaces. Comparable African civil society advocacy organizations include the Africa Trade Policy Centre at the African Development Bank (regional institutional peer).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CUTS_WDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMAhUM4KWSlLdT45TnuXSXg?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/cutsjaipur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cuts-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/cutsint

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CUTS International