City Desk :
A day-long workshop on ‘Intellectual Property Management’ was jointly organized by Research and Innovation Center for Science and Engineering (RISE), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and GPH Ispat Limited at the RISE Seminar Hall of BUET’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) building.
The primary objective of the event was to raise awareness among students, researchers, and industry professionals about the protection and commercialization of Intellectual Property (IP) in innovation, research, and technology development in Bangladesh, and to strengthen the innovation environment through further industry-academia collaboration, says a press release.
The workshop was attended by the chief guest, Professor Dr. A. S. M. A. Haseeb, Head of the Department of Nanomaterials and Ceramics Engineering, BUET; GPH Ispat Limited’s Chief People Officer Sharmin Sultan and Defense and Large Corporate Business Development Advisor, Brigadier General Md. Towhid Hossain (Retd.). In addition to BUET, teachers and students from BRAC University, Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Gazipur, and Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology participated in the workshop. The event was presided over by Professor Dr. Mohammad Shariful Islam, Director of RISE.
The day-long workshop was held in three sessions. The topic of the first session was ‘Managing Intellectual Property:
The Role of the State and Organization in Innovation’. In this session, Professor Dr. Mohidus Samad Khan, Professor of Chemical Engineering Department, BUET and Director of the Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), discussed in detail the role of the state and organizations in intellectual property management.
He said that to make innovation and research in Bangladesh sustainable, it is necessary to strengthen Intellectual Property (IP) rights in principle.
In the second session, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Shaleh Akram Somrat spoke on ‘Practical Insight on IP Infringement and Protection in Bangladesh’. He explained, citing various case studies and real-life examples from the court, how many innovators are losing their intellectual property due to the lack of legal protection and awareness, and the joint role of lawyers, researchers, and industry in this regard is very important.
The last session was titled ‘Strengthening the IP Policy and Commercialization Ecosystem in Bangladesh: The Role of Patents in Driving Innovation’. In it, Mirza Golam Sarwar, Deputy Director, Patent, Industrial Design and Trademark Department, Ministry of Industries, discussed ways to strengthen Bangladesh’s IP structure, the patent application process, and the potential for creating economic value from innovations through commercialization.
Speaking as the chief guest at the event, Professor Dr. A. S. M. A. Haseeb said, “The true value of innovation and research is realized only when its intellectual property is properly protected. Collaboration between academia and industry can play an important role in this regard. BUET always welcomes initiatives that will accelerate the country’s technology-based progress.”
