Cambridge University Press, the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) have moved to broaden Bangladeshi universities’ access to global academic resources, strengthen digital research infrastructure and raise the international profile of locally produced research.
The three organisations brought together vice-chancellors, librarians and research leaders from universities across the country in Dhaka on Saturday for a day-long programme, “BdREN–CUP Partnership: Pathway towards Global Knowledge”, where they outlined the next phase of collaboration alongside the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project.
UGC Chairman Mamun Ahmed said Cambridge University Press’s global expertise would help strengthen Bangladesh’s digital higher education ecosystem by expanding access to quality academic resources, building research capacity and creating a sustainable institutional framework.
BdREN CEO Mohammad Tawrit said the collaboration would strengthen the country’s research network by connecting universities with trusted global academic resources while fostering greater research collaboration and academic excellence.
The programme marked a deeper partnership between Cambridge University Press and BdREN, Bangladesh’s national research and education network. BdREN presented its roadmap for expanding e-resource access, the HEAT project director outlined plans to widen access and the UGC ICT director detailed the commission’s strategy for extending digital academic resources across institutions under its oversight.
Participants joined six thematic sessions covering the research-to-publication journey for Bangladeshi scholars, open-access publishing, the digital university library of 2030, textbook quality assessment, increasing the global visibility of Bangladeshi research and transformative publishing agreements, including Cambridge University’s institutional support for universities.
The programme concluded with a plenary session and an open forum where university representatives provided Cambridge University Press with direct feedback on improving access to academic resources and identifying future areas of collaboration.
Cambridge Press and Assessment Bangladesh Ltd Country Head Sarwat Reza said wider access to world-class research and learning resources would be critical to supporting Bangladesh’s transition to a knowledge-driven, innovation-led economy. Cambridge University Press National Head Debottam Bhattacharjee said equitable access to trusted academic content remains fundamental to advancing research, innovation and academic excellence.
Established by UGC with support from the government and the World Bank, BdREN operates Bangladesh’s high-speed research and education network, connecting universities, research institutions and medical colleges to digital academic resources and regional and international research networks.
