Govt to build robotic fabrication labs at Dhaka Residential Model College

The government will build a robotic fabrication lab at the Dhaka Residential Model College (DRMC) for gearing up students' tech innovation, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said today (13 February).

At the inauguration event of the 7th DRMC International Tech Carnival, he also announced the launch of the "Sheikh Jamal Innovation Grant" as a tribute to Sheikh Jamal, son of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The initiative aims to serve as a catalyst, inspiring the new generation of innovators and tech entrepreneurs in Bangladesh to be a smart nation by 2041. Participants will have unique opportunities to secure financial assistance and turn their visionary concepts into tangible realities.

The ICT Division is a partner of the Tech Carnival, organised by the DRMC IT Club.

Of the Tk50 lakh sponsored annually by the ICT Division, Tk30 lakh would be disbursed as grants among the winning innovators. In contrast, the remaining Tk20 lakh would be used to organise the innovation competition, the state minister said.

DRMC IT Club invited applications from Bangladeshi citizens with innovative tech and tech-enabled business ideas for the "Sheikh Jamal Innovation Grant" through its website. The 11 winners would have the prize money and the opportunity to enter the network of Bangladeshi tech personalities, organisers said.

"Bangladeshi youth are innovative and the government would ensure that none of them would be deprived of opportunities to prove their talents," Palak said, citing an example of a rural school boy from the coastal area of Tala, Satkhira, developing a fighter jet model.

Bangladesh created 20 lakh ICT jobs alongside having 6 lakh IT freelancers, said the state minister, adding that the government was on a mission to let ICT skills and innovation spread among all the students across the country.

The ICT Division would spend Tk3.5 crore initially for the robotic fabrication lab which will research robot building, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing, followed by a further Tk12 crore investment to extend the lab's scope to more specialised technologies.

DRMC Principal Brigadier General Kazi Shameem Farhad said the tech competition already attracted competitors from more than 300 schools, and colleges.