Bangladesh has made impressive strides in food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, and social development over the years since independence, although distributional issues are yet to be resolved. Despite this progress, the education system has lagged behind, particularly higher education.
The universities, in particular, have remained in stupor, showing limited progress in infrastructural investments, curricular reform, technology integration, pedagogy, and research. To attain the ranks of a developed nation, Bangladesh must strengthen investments in research to foster innovation, drive economic growth, and enhance social and economic progress.
Research universities have historically been critical engines of economic transformation. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea were once developing nations. With strategic investments in research and education, they have become global innovation hubs, attracting top talent, promoting entrepreneurship, and pioneering technological advancements.
Similarly, China began to strengthen its higher education system with special attention to nine elite universities (C-9). In under three decades, Tsinghua University and Peking University have joined the ranks of the top 20 world-class universities, challenging the dominance of Western institutions. India’s network of IITs has also spearheaded innovations for advancements in the global private sector.
More recently, emerging Asian universities, such as those in Malaysia and Vietnam, have begun raising funds to build globally competitive research institutions. These universities have positioned research at the core of their reputation-building efforts, attracting substantial global intellectual capital in the form of top-notch students, faculty, and institutional partnerships. Countries like Indonesia have also adopted initiatives like the World Class University (WCU) project, to boost their global research standing.
Initiatives in Bangladesh began addressing similar needs. The Strategic Plan for Higher Education (2018–2030) proposed the establishment of a National Research Council to oversee and promote high-quality research in a few selected universities upgraded as research universities. But the plan keeps sitting on the back burner.
Through directed research, Bangladesh’s universities could spur the growth of new knowledge industries and create thousands of high-paying jobs in new fields, enabling the country to reduce its reliance on low-wage manufacturing industries that advanced nations have outsourced to the Global South, trapping them in a cycle of low wages and economic inertia.
By strategically developing research-intensive sectors such as agriculture, biotechnology, information technology, public health, and renewable energy, Bangladesh can become more self-reliant.
Strengthening research universities in Bangladesh is not just about academic prestige -- it is about economic empowerment and charting a path toward long-term, sustainable growth.
Tribulations of higher education
Bangladesh's higher education system is currently dominated by institutions focused primarily on teaching. Over the years, the universities have fallen into a state of decline, exacerbated by political interests that have infiltrated academia, placing unqualified party loyalists in key administrative positions.
These institutions were often run as extensions of the ruling political party, rather than centres of learning and innovation, thus undermining research. Academic governance has been weak, uninspired, and highly deferential to political interests.
Lack of leadership has led to a serious neglect of quality education, especially research -- critical for knowledge generation and national advancement. In this environment of decay, many bright students and scholars have sought opportunities abroad, contributing to a significant brain drain that limits Bangladesh's ability to develop a knowledge-based economy.
Building research universities requires enlightened leadership, strategic vision, academic freedom, innovation, and flexibility to enable the institutions to navigate a challenging terrain in which global competitive forces, pushing knowledge frontiers, are bringing rapid advances and change.
Concerns of the critics
Since the establishment of research universities is investment-intensive, critics argue this could be expensive and risky. In this matter, public-private partnerships with the government as a guarantor will be crucial in funding and sustaining these institutions.
Investing in research universities must be seen as an investment in the country's future where the private sector can play a key role by funding targeted research projects with both academic and commercial potential. International research collaborations would also build capacity, transfer knowledge, and strengthen local research capabilities to drive innovation and new opportunities.
A futuristic vision
Bangladesh stands at the threshold of a new era in which embracing the power of research universities as engines of innovation and transformation is critical. In this era, where knowledge is fundamental to economic advancement, the establishment of cutting-edge research institutions is not just a strategic imperative -- it is the key to unlocking an imagination-driven, prosperous, and self-reliant future.
These universities will be the nerve centres of discovery, not only generating solutions for today’s challenges but also anticipating the problems of tomorrow. From creative business models to advanced biotechnology, artificial intelligence, climate resilience, and beyond, research universities can position Bangladesh in strategic spaces to shape the future.
Bangladeshi universities must aspire to become hubs of intellectual capital, attracting the brightest minds from across the world to collaborate on the most pressing global issues. With the power of imagination, they can redefine innovation ecosystems, nurturing talent and entrepreneurship to launch industries yet unimagined.
Rather than relying on low-wage industries or imported technologies, Bangladesh can create breakthroughs and lead the Global South in pioneering new economic paradigms.
This vision is not just about keeping pace with the rest of the world -- it is about setting new standards. Research universities will form the backbone of a thriving knowledge economy, drive the country toward sustainability and self-sufficiency, and prepare Bangladesh to navigate the uncertainties of tomorrow.
The new generation of research universities will also break down barriers, ensuring that the brightest students from all walks of life can access world-class education and contribute to shaping the future.
With advanced digital platforms, virtual learning environments, and global research networks, these institutions will transcend geographical boundaries and create an interconnected world where knowledge flows freely and where ideas know no limits.
In this future, Bangladesh will not merely participate in global knowledge systems but will help shape them. Establishing research universities is an imperative that can help Bangladesh to command its destiny -- an empowered nation able to navigate the intellectual and technological frontiers of tomorrow.
By committing to this path, Bangladesh can engage in academic renewal and lay the foundation for a future free from dependence on external forces and the ability to shape its destiny with creativity and resilience. It is time to seize the future which is now.
Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University and former Vice Chancellor, BRAC University. This op-ed reflects a few ideas from his forthcoming book from Brill Publishers (The Netherlands).