Roundtable on Industry-Academia Collaboration

Call for Stronger Industry–Academia Collaboration to Address Post-LDC Graduation Challenges

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Al-Mamun, Member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, has emphasised that developing skilled human resources, innovation capacity and a competitive industrial ecosystem is essential for addressing the challenges following Bangladesh's graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category in 2029 and ensuring sustainable economic growth.

He stated that there is no alternative to strengthening Industry–Academia Collaboration to establish an effective connection between the practical needs of industries and the research and educational activities of universities.

He made these remarks as the Chief Guest at a roundtable discussion titled “Industry–Academia Collaboration”, jointly organised by The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) and the University of Chittagong on 4 November 2026 at the Conference Hall of the World Trade Center, Chattogram.

During his speech, he highlighted the importance of building mutual trust between universities and industrial entrepreneurs, involving industry representatives in curriculum development and revision, creating internship opportunities for students in industrial establishments, expanding joint research initiatives and commercialising university research outcomes.

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Al-Forkan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chittagong, presented the paper from the academia perspective, while Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, former President of the Chittagong Chamber and Chairman of the Port Users Forum, presented the paper representing the industry perspective.

Bridging Industry and Academia is essential to developing skilled human resources, fostering innovation and building a competitive economy for the future of Bangladesh.

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