The government has undertaken a special project to tackle the new challenges of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and to be a self-sufficient nation in terms of technology.
To this end, the project titled “Construction of Primary Infrastructure of Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology (SHIFT)” has been proposed to the Planning Commission, a planning commission official said on Wednesday.
The total cost of its implementation has been estimated at Tk 1,503.32 crore, he informed.
If the project is implemented, the country's first life-long learning provider, Frontier Technology-based specialized institution, will be built through industry integration with the government and academia, he mentioned.
The main objective of the project: building the country's first Zero Waste, Green, Clean and Sustainable Campus with a combination of modern teaching methods and innovation culture.
Stakeholders believe that Bangladesh will be built as a self-reliant nation in the field of information technology through the establishment of separate inclusive research facilities for academic and industrial research as well as through national and global stakeholder collaboration.
In this regard, Mosammat Nasima Begum, Member (Secretary) of the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission, who is in charge of the project, said that the first Frontier technology-based specialized institution will be set up in the country through this project.
Through integration of industry with government and academia, the country's first life-long provider of a modern education system and innovation culture will be built, she mentioned.
The project will play an important role in making Bangladesh self-reliant in information technology through the establishment of separate inclusive research facilities for academic and industrial research at Zero West, Green, Clean and Sustainable Campuses in collaboration with global partners, she added.
Another planning commission official said that the PEC (Project Evaluation Committee) meeting was held on August 16 last year after receiving proposals from the Information and Communication Technology Department.
The project has been recommended to be presented at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) as it complied with the recommendations given at the meeting, he mentioned.
If approved, it will be implemented by Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority by December 2026, he added.
The project proposal states that Frontier Technology generally refers to those new innovations or technologies that have the potential to have a wide-ranging socio-economic impact around the world in the future.
In order to keep pace with the modernity of the digital world and to lead the future industrial revolutions, the Bangladesh High Tech Park Authority under the Information and Communication Technology Department of the Government has proposed to set up a specialized institution called Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology in Shibchar Upazila of Madaripur District.
The topics that will be given importance at the Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology to prepare talented future leadership based on Frontier Technology include Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Neurotechnology, Cyber Security of Internet, artificial intelligence, Technological Ethics, Behavior and Experience Engineering and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The general youth as well as the working class will be able to take various levels of skill development training based on Frontier Technologies online, offline or both.
The future technology-based proposed institution will be established as an academic role model for the whole world.