From its
humble beginning as a small, backwater town during the Mughal era, Dhaka has transformed
into a growing megacity and the capital of Bangladesh. As the center of all
economic, political and social activities of Bangladesh, Dhaka has attracted
people from all corners of Bangladesh, and there is no sign of that rate
abating. Even with all the talk of decentralization of Dhaka, it still remains
the principal generator of economic activity of Bangladesh. At present, Dhaka
does not have a good image – people identify it as a polluted, traffic
congested city with low quality of life amenities. The city needs a new brand
image that will not only redefine the city, but will eventually make it an
important city for the rest of the world. A better image of Dhaka can also
attract more foreign investment, and tourists from abroad.
Dhaka
has a unique distinction of having a large number of public and private
universities that attract the best and brightest students from all over the
country. By happenstance, a number of universities have clustered in certain
parts of the city. This gives the universities a unique opportunity to
collaborate with each other and create an environment of innovation and
entrepreneurship. For example, Dhaka University, BUET, DMCH, Eden College,
Dhaka College and Home Economics College are all in the same neighborhood, with
a few other universities just a few miles away. Another such cluster of private
universities and medical colleges are situated in the neighborhoods of
Dhanmondi and Gulshan respectively. These universities can collaborate and
create an innovation zone, where students and faculty members from different
disciplines can work together to come up with different ideas that can solve
different national problems.
The
government can also encourage firms to collaborate with these universities to
research and develop new products and ideas. BSCIR, the scientific institution
run by the government, could have an oversight over all these institutions, and
could connect the projects in these innovation zones with venture capitalists
or firms. These zones should have all the facilities needed to run multiple
interdisciplinary research projects. Students in those zones should be
encouraged to try bold new ideas to solve different national issues, come up
with new product ideas, or create a new startup. These ideas could be supported
by angel investors, or adopted by the established conglomerates of Bangladesh. Seminars
and workshops could be offered at these centers to train students about the
business world. Such creative endeavors can lead to creation of new
entrepreneurs, inventors and leaders for Bangladesh.
There
are some examples of partnership between universities and the private sector to
promote innovation. A number of universities in the US have collaborated with
government and business enterprises to create regions to attract innovative
firms and research centers. The innovation zones of Dhaka can be modelled after
the MIT Media Lab, the Stanford Research Park, or the Research Triangle Park in
North Carolina. These research parks have become important centers of research
and innovation in the US, and have contributed immensely to the development of
technology. They have also generated a lot of wealth in the regions where they
are located. The innovation zones of Dhaka can be interdisciplinary in nature,
so students of different fields can work together to create new technology and
startups.
How can
this lead to a re-branding of Dhaka city? There are a few reasons behind this.
A large proportion of Bangladesh is young, and the government and development
partners can do only so much to develop the country. The Bangladeshi youth need
to be trained to be innovative and entrepreneurial so that they can create new
ideas that can solve the national problems. In recent years, Bangladeshi youth
have been increasingly attracted towards a business administration or a
computer science degree, because of the belief that these degrees will land
them a stable career path post-graduation. Students are less inclined to study
in hard sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. These
disciplines are also important in creating new ideas and technology that can
help Bangladesh develop further. If students are provided an outlet where they
can use different disciplines to create new products and services, then they
will be encouraged to study different disciplines, which in turn can help Dhaka
become an innovative city.
