The Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division and The North South University (NSU) will work together to create a sustainable startup ecosystem in Bangladesh with different research and activities on innovation and entrepreneurship. In the light of this, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on the campus of North South University located in the Bashundhara residential area of the capital on Wednesday morning, 25 May 2022. In the presence of the Senior Secretary of the ICT Division N M Zeaul Alam PAA and the Vice-Chancellor of North South University Professor Atiqul Islam, the MoU was signed by the Project Director (Joint Secretary) of the iDEA Project Md Altaf Hossain and NSU Professor & the director of NSU “Startups Next Initiative” Dr Shazzad Hosain.
Among others, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of North South University Dr Ismail Hossain, the Senior Consultant of iDEA RHM Alaol Kabir, the Legal Consultant of iDEA Adneen Zereen, other Deans of the university, officials from NSU and iDEA Project were present at the time of MoU signing.
According to the MoU, different initiatives will be taken jointly for the development of entrepreneurial culture including various programs, training, awards and research. In addition, through this MoU, the two sides agreed to assist each other in different matters such as consultation, exchange of information, incubation, etc. Note that the iDEA Project will be a part of North South University's "NSU Startups Next" event as the Partner. The winning startups from this initiative will be awarded grants based on evaluation by the iDEA Project Selection Committee. Besides, the iDEA Project will cooperate in different activities such as boot camps, workshops, seminars, etc. as per the mutual discussions, said by the Project Director (Joint Secretary) of the iDEA Project Md Altaf Hossain.
So far, 261 startups have been approved to provide pre-seed stage grants of BDT 10 lakh from the iDEA project, information shared by the National Consultant (Communication) of the iDEA of ICT Division Shohag Chandra Das. In addition to providing grants from the project, startups are being allocated free co-working space in the iDEA office, Agargaon, Dhaka. Startups interested in co-working spaces and any innovative ICT-based ideas may apply for a grant of up to BDT 10 lakh at the pre-seed stage. To apply, startups need to visit the official website of the iDEA Project that is www.idea.gov.bd .
