Research Culture at Universities: What Bangladesh Should Do

A former vice-chancellor of my university lamented in 2003 that universities in the country are basically teaching institutes. They were supposed to be driving knowledge, innovation and social transformation, a role historically relegated to secondary importance in Bangladesh. We declared producing manpower as universities’ objective rather than developing human capital that we can invest in building a modern knowledge-based society. Research, of immense value in achieving this, has been scarce and unknown. 

It is a fact that universities in Bangladesh face many challenges like funding, inadequate infrastructure, teaching load and weak industry-university linkages and international collaboration. And, this results in low productivity in research, limited publications in high-impact journals, and limited commercialisation or application of research findings. Researchers are often handicapped by language; lack of proper mentoring, guidance, and incentives; and the cost of publishing, which further fogs their visibility and indispensability in the research world.

The responsibility for instilling a research culture in universities lies more with its leadership than with the faculty, who must embrace a clear vision that prioritises research. Their role includes setting clear goals based on research output, funding, collaboration and societal impact; creating an office responsible for research governance, ethics and intellectual property protection, and implementing long-term plans with measurable indicators and transparent reporting. Leadership commitment allows faculty and students to realise that research is not optional but rather a core responsibility at the university. Such an environment will ensure that all strategic resources are allocated to support and enhance research.

Adequate and consistent funding is the foundation for research growth. Research at Bangladeshi universities rarely gets internal funding, and they rely on limited government support. Some also attract occasional foreign grants. To build a research culture, universities should establish internal grant funds by mandating a portion of annual revenue, say 3%, to provide seed funding to initiate projects. This is how it is done in many countries around the world. This will especially help young researchers at the early stage.

At the same time, researchers should be provided with logistical support to seek external funding from international organisations, donors, industry and other partners. International universities rely heavily on individual and institutional endowment and industry support to generate research funding, which is absent in Bangladesh. Our universities should try to attract funds from philanthropic and charitable sources and establish a transparent, merit-based funding system to encourage innovation and adequate funding for promising projects. Moreover, in a healthy industry-academic partnership, industry should be enticed to approach universities to undertake research and development activities.

Research requires appropriate physical and digital infrastructure; and the best way to develop this is through all the types of funding as above. Funds for equipment or laboratory development should be kept within the requested grants. In addition, universities should invest in well-equipped laboratories with safe facilities, high-speed internet and access to international databases and resource exchange, institutional archives for storing and sharing research results, and trained staff to maintain research activities. Such collaborative arrangements with both local and international institutions will reduce duplication and waste and ensure rational use of shared facilities.

Universities should recruit and retain research-active faculty to develop the mainstay of research. They should hire faculty with advanced degrees and research experience only, offering competitive salaries and benefits like international exposure and visibility through professional and career development programmes, fellowships, in-house exchanges and collaborations, and a balanced schedule to allow for research time. Recognition of work excellence is equally important. Faculty promotion should include publications, citations, grants, patents, etc. Incentives like cash awards, reduced teaching hours, travel funds and publication fees can motivate faculty members to prioritise research. In Malaysia or in Canada, universities support spin-off companies when research results have commercial value. Microtools in Singapore is one such company built on the research findings of Prof Mustafiz, who became its Managing Director after his retirement.

To build research capacity and expertise, universities can regularly organise training workshops on research design and methodology, academic writing, statistics and data analysis, publication process, intellectual property, research and publication ethics, use of AI, etc. The Research Office will provide editing and proofreading support, assistance in proposal writing and filing patent applications. The office will also run a structured mentoring programme by experienced faculty and external experts, especially for novice researchers. Under this, mentors will guide aspirants on topic selection, study design, obtaining ethical approval, manuscript preparation, etc. Like-minded learners can share good practices to foster a culture of self-improvement. And research enthusiasts in similar fields can increase their output and visibility through collaboration.

To build a sustainable research culture, students too need to be involved. If research is isolated from teaching, its impact and relevance are diminished. Therefore, research findings should be incorporated into teaching activities in universities as case studies and research projects, and integrate inquiry-based assignments into curricula; offer credit, scholarships, and teaching assistantships for student research. Faculty members should encourage student participation in research and use research findings to enrich and update teaching methods and course contents. Such integration will enrich the teaching-learning experience, encourage critical thinking and prepare students for research-based careers. Thus, universities would become a cauldron for curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving. They should establish graduate programmes in nationally relevant fields and encourage student participation in faculty-led projects and conferences. Though graduate programmes facilitate research, they rarely attract attention at our universities.

Global partnerships expand research opportunities, visibility and ranking. Bangladeshi universities should actively explore and establish MoUs with international institutions for joint projects, publications and exchange activities. Co-supervision of graduate students and collaborative research should be encouraged, and industry should be involved through consultancy, training and technology transfer. I found many local industries’ keenness to turn to universities for research and development activities. This will generate additional funding and align research to real-world problems and market needs. Specialised centres can serve as hubs for interdisciplinary research and innovation. Universities can set up research centres in priority areas such as climate change, public health, agriculture, nutrition, industrial productivity, machine learning and safe energy. These can attract foreign funding, foster cross-discipline collaboration, and meet national goals and societal needs. These centres of excellence will enhance universities’ global relevance.

Introducing a research culture in Bangladeshi universities is both a necessity and an opportunity. To maintain this culture, universities should implement systematic monitoring and evaluation. The research office should track data on publications, citations, and grants, compile research collections, conduct surveys on the research environment and challenges, set and evaluate benchmarks against peer institutions, and implement a feedback loop to guide future policies and investments. By prioritising the authorities’ commitment, funding, faculty development, student engagement, infrastructure, partnerships, and the integration of research into teaching, universities can transform themselves into research-intensive institutions which will not only enhance the excellence of academic programmes but also contribute to national development and global competitiveness.

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The writer is a Professor at North South University