The academic freedom and institutional autonomy of Bangladesh's universities will remain fully intact, and no institution's research allocation will be reduced despite the government's decision to channel research funding through the University Grants Commission (UGC), UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed said on Thursday.
Speaking at an exchange meeting with the Bangladesh University Council on implementing the FY2026-27 research budget at the UGC auditorium, he said the commission would ensure transparency, efficiency, and coordination while safeguarding universities' autonomy.
To strengthen accountability, the UGC will form a committee comprising university representatives to oversee research budget implementation. It will also formulate a comprehensive policy for managing and executing research funds.
Responding to concerns over the new funding mechanism, Mamun Ahmed said the government had placed research allocations under a dedicated UGC budget code. He said the commission would maintain regular consultations with universities to ensure the process remains collaborative and effective.
Bangladesh University Council President Professor Dr SM Abdur Razzak said transferring research allocations from universities' individual budget codes to the UGC had created some administrative complexities. However, he stressed that efforts to strengthen higher education and research must not undermine the long-standing principle of university autonomy.
Mamun Ahmed said the FY2026-27 national budget had allocated Tk238 crore for research. Combined with funding under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) and Improving Computer and Software Engineering Tertiary Education Project (ICSTEP), total research funding this fiscal year could reach about Tk852 crore.
He said proposals from undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, and PhD programmes would be invited at the beginning of the fiscal year. Universities would conduct their own screening before submitting proposals to the UGC, which would award funding based on research quality and national priorities.
The UGC chairman reiterated that implementing the research budget through the commission would not reduce allocations for any university. Instead, institutions would have greater opportunities to secure additional funding than in previous years, while regional universities would also enjoy equal access to research grants.
Providing an overview of the previous fiscal year, he said universities received Tk849 crore for research in FY2025-26, including Tk793 crore for public universities and Tk56 crore for private universities. The total included universities' own research funds, UGC grants, and allocations under the HEAT and ICSTEP projects.
"There will be no shortage of research funding. Through financing from multiple sources, research activities at universities will continue uninterrupted," he said.