07/12/2025
𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐈𝐐𝐀𝐂 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐃𝐄𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐔 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
The University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) Innovation Hub (iHUB) and the Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project under the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote early-stage startups and advance a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. The MOU Signing Ceremony took place on 7 December 2025 at the ICT Division. The MoU was signed by Professor Dr. Md. Abu Hashan Bhuiyan, Vice-Chancellor of UITS, and Murtuza Zulkar Nain Noman, Project Director (Joint Secretary) of the iDEA Project. They were joined by senior officials, including Mohammad Aminul Islam Khan, Deputy Secretary and Deputy Project Director, and Siddhartho Goswami, Operations Team Lead of the iDEA Project. Senior UITS representatives present at the event included Professor Dr. Siraj Uddin Ahmed, Treasurer; Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, Registrar; and Engineer Md. Safaet Hossain, Director of IQAC and Focal Point of the UITS Innovation Hub (iHUB).
The agreement outlines a detailed framework for implementing collaborative programs, capacity-building activities, grants, research initiatives, and startup support services over the coming year. Under the partnership, the iDEA Project and UITS IQAC Innovation Hub will jointly conduct startup bootcamps, training workshops, and seminars to build entrepreneurial capacity among early-stage innovators. Startups incubated through UITS IQAC iHUB will receive facilitated access to iDEA’s pre-seed grant program, co-working space, legal and public relations support, and advanced prototyping facilities at the Fab Lab. Both institutions will also coordinate national-level initiatives, including the iDEA Academic Program 101, dedicated mentorship sessions for founders, and industry-focused networking events to enhance collaboration between stakeholders across the startup ecosystem. This partnership aligns with the Government of Bangladesh’s national priority to expand innovation-led growth and demonstrates the increasing importance of collaboration among academia, industry, and government. Both UITS and the iDEA Project expressed their commitment to supporting emerging entrepreneurs and enabling students and alumni to contribute to the next generation of technology-driven enterprises in the country.
