Capacity building focuses on the individual level, especially of PhD and MSc students. For this purpose, SDPI establishes links with Universities in Pakistan to jointly create research opportunities for promising students:

Agricultural University Faisalabad, Department of Agricultural Extension (Prof. Dr. Tanvir Ali)

- Dr. Babar Shahbaz (PhD thesis completed in 2007)
- Mr. Muhammad Awais, MSc student (thesis completed in 2005)
- Prof. Dr. Tanvir Ali, supervisor
- Muhammad Arif Watto, MSc student (thesis ongoing)

University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi

- Sadia Kiran, MSc student (thesis ongoing)
- Muhammad Tayyab, MSc student (thesis ongoing)

NWFP Agricultural University Peshawar, Department of Agricultural Economics (Prof. Dr. Muhammad Bashir)

- Ms. Tahira Sadaf, MSc student (thesis completed in 2006)
- Prof. Dr. Muhammad Bashir, supervisor

SDPI, Islamabad

- Dr. Abid Suleri, head
- Dr. Karin Astrid Siegmann
- Maqsood Jan

Sustainable Development Alternatives (SDA)

- Rana Nazir Mehmood

Development Study Group, Zurich University

- Mr. Niels Balzer, MSc student (thesis completed in 2003)
- Ms. Julia Gruenenfelder, PhD student (thesis started in 2007)
- Mr. Andreas Rothen, MSc student (thesis completed in 2005)
- Mr. Bernd Steimann, researcher / webmaster (thesis completed in 2003)
- Mr. Simon Thoma, MSc student (thesis completed in 2007)
- Dr. Urs Geiser, senior researcher
- Prof. Dr. Ulrike Mueller-Boeker, supervisor