Strengthen industry-academy ties

Industry-academy collaboration in Bangladesh is conspicuous by its absence. University-industry partnerships can play a vital role in a nation’s innovation system. Weak links between centres of science and technology and the production sector are critical challenges in the country’s economic development path.

Experts have identified distrust and lack of a facilitative environment as the causes of the failure of industry-academia collaboration. In Bangladesh, there is no authentic culture of teamwork between the industry and academia, coupled with a lack of support from the authorities concerned.

However, the government is planning to address the issue. According to a report published in this newspaper yesterday, Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni stressed the importance of establishing a connection between industry and academia to create skilled human resources. While addressing the third convocation of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology (ADUST) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka on Wednesday, she said that the universities will have to update their curriculums to establish a liaison between the industries and the higher seats of learning. She said there is also the need for a system that will address the career-based demands of students and their future employers so that students can receive the necessary training to find a job after graduating. Striking a positive note, the minister further said that the government is updating the curriculums from pre-primary to higher secondary levels to make education experience-based, practical and enjoyable.

The minister also said that all universities in the country would have the necessary laboratories and libraries. “The universities should collaborate more with local and foreign universities in the field of research,” Dipu Moni said.

The world widely views universities as an economic engine that can positively contribute to a country’s growth in addition to its primary role as a centre for knowledge. According to experts, the collaboration between industry and academia is critical to catalyse innovation and growth in technology. While industry often focuses on addressing solutions that are of near-term commercial value and academia focuses on building new knowledge through research and imparting education to students, the combination can yield the accelerated development of breakthroughs.

In a country like Bangladesh, the role of universities becomes vital as they can share intellectual power to boost the economy and help solve many issues ailing the land. The nation expects the universities to contribute to basic, applied, and/or action research to help minimise the country’s problems and meet future targets. Naturally, there needs to be a good understanding between the universities and the industry.

Industry-academy partnerships are instrumental in advancing research and creating a skilled workforce. Industry gains work-ready talent with specialist knowledge and practical training. Universities benefit by having opportunities to work on relevant technologies and challenging problems. Sadly in Bangladesh, this school of thought has failed to gain much ground. And this has to change.

Industry-academy linkages will mutually benefit the two sectors. Students will learn and engage in real-world problem-solving as it brings together the applicability of theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. The exposure to the students will strengthen their intellectual capabilities and is a win-win situation for all stakeholders. While the industry will find ‘job ready’ students who need less training, the university will gain brand recognition by recording high placements. Unfortunately, youth unemployment and underemployment have reached critical levels and are expected to continue to rise. Many employers cannot find enough people with the skills they need to grow their business. There exists an urgent need to forge stronger links between academia and industry, education and skills, theory and practice, and supply and demand to fight the employability crisis.

Academia and industry are two important pillars of our economy. There must be a clear policy for strengthening industry-academy ties. An institutionalised framework for industry-academia connection is required, and strong government support is essential for that to happen.