UITS iHub and BCC’s iDEA Join Forces to Foster Startup Growth

The Innovation Hub (iHub) of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at the University of Information Technology & Sciences (UITS) and the Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) project of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) will work together to support early-stage startup development and build a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. The initiative is being undertaken by the ICT Division under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

As part of academia–industry–government collaboration, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two organisations on Sunday, 7 December, at the ICT Tower in Agargaon.

Professor Dr. Md. Abu Hasan Bhuiya, Vice-Chancellor of UITS, and Murtuza Zulkar Nayeen Noman, Project Director (Joint Secretary) of the iDEA Project, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.

Present at the ceremony were Mohammad Aminul Islam Khan, Deputy Project Director and Deputy Secretary of the ICT Division, and Siddhartha Goswami, Operations Team Lead of the iDEA Project. Representing UITS were Treasurer Professor Dr. Siraj Uddin Ahmed, Registrar Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, and Engineer Md. Safayet Hossain, Director of IQAC and Focal Point of UITS Innovation Hub (iHub).

Under the agreement, a clear framework has been outlined for implementing joint activities over the next year, including training, research, grants, capacity-building initiatives and startup support services. Through this collaboration, the iDEA Project and UITS IQAC iHub will jointly organise startup bootcamps, training workshops and seminars to enhance the skills of emerging entrepreneurs.

According to sources, startups incubated at the UITS IQAC iHub will receive priority access to the iDEA Project’s pre-seed grant programme, co-working spaces, legal and public-relations support, and advanced prototyping facilities at the Fab Lab. In addition, both institutions will host national-level iDEA academic programmes, founder mentorship sessions and industry-focused networking events to strengthen partnership within the country’s startup ecosystem. This initiative is expected to empower emerging entrepreneurs and inspire students and alumni to build the next generation of technology-driven ventures.

DBTech/SH/EK/OR