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The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) is planning sweeping reforms to position universities as key engines of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic value creation, UGC Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed announced on Monday.
Speaking as chair at a roundtable titled "Universities as the Driving Force of Innovation" during the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 at the Novotheatre in Dhaka, Ahmed outlined initiatives to advance university-industry collaborative research, commercialize academic discoveries, secure patents, and establish structured incubation hubs across capable institutions.
Ahmed stated that to support the government's vision of building a knowledge-based society and reaching a one-trillion-dollar economy, universities must evolve beyond conventional degree-awarding campuses into active partners in wealth generation. Noting impressive student prototypes seen during recent campus visits, he stressed that transforming student ideas into commercial products will drive broader economic growth without merely copying Western or Asian models, but by adapting to local socio-economic realities.
He criticized fragmented initiatives across tertiary institutions—such as uncoordinated technology transfer cells and temporary incubation setups—calling for a standardized framework. The roundtable emphasized overhauling faculty promotion metrics to factor in patents, commercialization, and spin-off creation alongside research paper publications. Participants also urged curriculum overhauls with direct industry input, hiring industry practitioners as adjunct faculty, launching skill-focused short courses, and creating a unified national research repository.
Moderated by Daffodil International University Chairman Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, the session featured contributions from Gazipur Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. GKM Mustafizur Rahman, Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr. Umme Salma Zohra, and representatives from Bangladesh Bank, BSCIC, the World Bank, UNDP, BRAC, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, and Startup Bangladesh.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/education/1f1b0683-96d7-6c80-870b-515ec5efd9c7