Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam has stressed the importance of transforming knowledge into solutions, research into products, ideas into ventures, and innovations into economic and social value.
He said creating innovations alone is insufficient; securing financing, policy support, industry partnerships, intellectual property rights protection, and market entry for innovators must also be ensured.
Anam made these remarks at a press briefing held at conference room of Ministry of Science and Technology on Thursday regarding the upcoming “Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026,” organised by Ministry of Science and Technology.
The three-day fair will take place from 12 to 14 September 2026 at Novotheatre in Dhaka. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the fair, which carries the theme “Innovate to Market.”
Highlighting that Bangladesh has no shortage of talent, creativity, or promising ideas, the minister noted that students, researchers, startups, universities, and industrial enterprises are developing new solutions in their respective fields.
However, connecting these initiatives with investment, industry, and markets through an effective and integrated innovation ecosystem remains a major challenge.
It has been organised to establish this precise connection, where over 100 individual innovators and startup founders will display more than 1,000 innovations.
The fair will witness participation from 73 public and private universities across the country, alongside leading commercial banks, corporate and industrial firms, and various government and non-government organisations.
Stating that innovation cannot flourish in isolation, Anam underscored that coordination among the government, academia, industry, financial institutions, development partners, and investors is essential to building a strong, sustainable, and market-oriented innovation ecosystem.
He called upon all stakeholders, universities, researchers, financial institutions, corporate bodies, and the media to support the event and highlight the role of innovation in driving the nation’s future economy and society.
He also invited the media and public to visit Novotheatre from 12 to 14 September to engage with the innovators and share their stories with the nation.
Expressing confidence that Bangladesh will advance as a more innovative, competitive, and future-ready state through science and technology, the minister added that the fair will bring individual innovators, students, researchers, universities, corporate firms, industrial enterprises, multinational companies, government agencies, local and international development bodies, SMEs, service providers, startups, and eco-friendly entrepreneurs onto a single platform.
This platform will create effective communication and partnership opportunities among innovators, investors, researchers, industry, and policymakers.
Addressing the knowledge and policy-oriented aspects of the fair, Ministry of Science and Technology Secretary Md Anwar Hossain said a total of 17 sessions and dialogues, including six plenary sessions, six parallel sessions, and five roundtable meetings, will be held across the three days.
Policymakers, think tanks, academics, industry leaders, researchers, young innovators, investors, and development partners will participate in these sessions to address practical questions regarding the specific innovations needed for Bangladesh’s current and future challenges, their potential for large-scale implementation, and the requisite policies, investments, and institutional backing to bring them to market.
Highlighting the establishment of an “Innovation Hub” as a key objective, Secretary Md Anwar Hossain emphasised that activities will not end with the fair; rather, a connected Innovation Hub will be launched centred around the 1,000-plus showcased innovations to assist in their identification, development, financing, protection, and commercialisation.
The secretary also informed that Bangladesh Bank, National Board of Revenue (NBR), and Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks are associated as “Policy Partners,” while United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is serving as Technical Partner and Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as Strategic Partner.
Participation from these bodies is expected to strengthen connections across innovation, finance, intellectual property, policy, industry, and investment.
Organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the fair is being implemented by National Museum of Science and Technology, with Spellbound Communications Limited as the Implementation Partner.
Senior officials of the ministry, including additional secretaries, were present at the press briefing.
The fair encompasses 14 priority sectors are Frontier Technology; Information and Digital Technology; Space, Aerospace and Astronomy; Health, Medical and Life Science; Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Robotics; Agriculture and Food Technology; Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials; Climate, Environment and Sustainability; Fintech, Commerce and Business; Industrial Manufacturing and Hardware; Energy, Power and Mobility; Education, Skills and Human Development; Smart City, Infrastructure and Urban Solutions; and Social, Creative and Inclusive Solutions.
