Bangladesh’s first nanotech institute in the works

The government plans to establish the country’s first nanotechnology institute in order to capitalise on nanotech’s potential to advance various fields, including agriculture, medicine, healthcare, and textiles.

To this end, the Ministry of Science and Technology prepared a project proposal titled “Establishment of Institute of Nanotechnology,” which has recently been submitted to the planning commission for approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

The project aims to develop skilled manpower in nanotechnology through specialised training and the installation of modern facilities for synthesising nanomaterials and its characterisation, a senior planning ministry official told The Business Post.

If approved, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission expects to complete the Tk 389-crore state-funded project by December 2025, according to Mahbubul Islam, chief of the planning commission’s socio-economic infrastructure division.

“We convened a project evaluation committee after receiving the proposal from the Ministry of Science and Technology, which we have cleared and sent to the ECNEC for approval,” he also said.

According to sources, the project work will include the construction of a six-story specialised building and the setting up of a full-fledged nanotechnology institute.

Furthermore, the project will create research opportunities for the practical application of nanotechnology in medicine, agriculture, and textiles, as well as ensure practical application in public health, agriculture, textiles, and the environment, as well as organize international and local training.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study of various objects at the nanoscale and their application across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.

According to a UNESCO-sponsored study in 1996, “nanotechnology will provide the foundation of all technologies in the new century.”

Subsequently, the United States first formed the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2001.

Besides, developing countries, such as China and India, have achieved sustainable development at the national level through collaborative research in nanotechnology.

“We have asked the concerned ministry to include an explanation of the benefits that can be gained through this new technology in the project proposal,” Nasima Begum, a member of the socio-economic infrastructure division, said.