Competitive Research & Development (R&D) Grant

The Innovation in Computer Science Education to Enhance Technological Empowerment Project (ICSETEP) aims to strengthen the socio-economic development of Bangladesh by advancing higher education in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Information Technology (IT). Its mission is to enhance the quality, efficiency, and relevance of education and research, producing competent graduates and fostering cutting-edge research aligned with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The project also seeks to promote technological entrepreneurship to help Bangladesh lead in the IT sector.

Among the key objectives of ICSETEP are to increase industry relevance in research and to promote entrepreneurship development. The Competitive Research & Development (R&D) Grant is a significant component of ICSETEP designed to achieve these objectives.

Competitive R&D Grants under ICSETEP will provide funding for selected proposals focusing on:

• (a) Industry collaboration to address industry problems or develop new products or services;
• (b) Interdisciplinary R&D work combining IT solutions with other fields (e.g., medicine, education, public services) to create innovative products or services;
• (c) Cutting-edge CSE/IT research; and
• (d) IT solutions addressing disability-related challenges.

Greater emphasis will be placed on industry collaboration (50% of total funding) and interdisciplinary research (25% of total funding).

The general process of R&D grant funding includes: (i) Call for Proposals; (ii) Expert Review of Proposals; and (iii) Awarding Grants to Selected Projects. This scheme is open to both public and private universities that meet the eligibility criteria. The R&D grant will also support international collaborative research between Bangladeshi and foreign universities.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) will monitor implementation progress and evaluate outcomes following a detailed operational manual. R&D Grant funding will be available throughout the ICSETEP implementation period, up to June 2028.

Tentative Timeline for the 1^st Round of ICSETEP R&D Grant

Sl.	Task	Status
1	Prepare Operational Manual	SHED, MoE approved RDGOM on 24/07/2025
2	Call for Proposal	01/09/2025
3	Receive the Proposal at ICSETEP	13/10/2025 20/10/2025
4	Review the Proposal	To be announced later
5	Proposal Finalization based on Review Comments	To be announced later
6	Grant Notification and Award Ceremony	To be announced later

Supporting Clarifications/Explanations

Following items are the clarifications on RDGOM as decided by the RDG Board in its 2^nd meeting held on 25/09/2025:

1. For multiple collaborating entities, SPMT organogram may be expanded allowing a 3rd Co-PI. This expansion will not change the ceiling for incentives for SPMT members as stipulated in 7.4 (c) in the RDGOM.
2. The 1st Co-PI, in all areas, must be from the submitting entity.
3. Industry’s inclusion as a collaborating entity is mandatory in Area-A.
4. For Area-B (Interdisciplinary R&D), the term ‘academic disciplines’ is explained as:
   • Organizations/institutes offering tertiary-level degrees in relevant fields, or
   • Organizations/institutes that conduct relevant research and projects,
   • Government/non-government/autonomous organizations in education, research, or public services having experience in collaborative research in areas such as medicine, education, public services, infrastructure development and maintenance, etc. can be considered as academic disciplines.
5. For Area-C (Cutting Edge CSE/IT Research):
   • Researchers from government/non-government/autonomous organizations in education, research, or public services can be included as Co-PI.
   • Researchers from foreign universities can be included as Co-PI.
   • Such inclusions will not change the evaluation criteria for Area-C.
6. Researchers from foreign universities can be included as Co-PI in all areas.
7. In Area-D (IT Solutions Addressing Disability Issues): If the 3rd Co-PI is from a university, they may be from social sciences research domain or from a domain relevant to disability issues.
8. Additional ineligibility for expenditures:
   • Foreign stay/university collaboration/suppliers/consultants/contractors must be from ADB member countries.
   • Defense-related R&D proposals are ineligible.
   • Civil Works expenditure will be ineligible.
   • Companies/individuals who are sanctioned by ADB are ineligible.
9. Submission deadline is extended until 20 October.
10. The similarity score for Section A must remain below 30%. This includes overlaps with existing sources as well as content generated by AI tools.

Supporting Clarifications/Explanations on RDGOM

Following items are the clarifications on RDGOM as decided by the RDG Board in its 1^st meeting held on 14/08/2025:

A) Related discipline বিষয়ে স্পষ্টিকরণঃ

1. Undergraduate Level:

A CSE/ICT Related Discipline must offer at least 80% of courses/components from any of the following guidelines:

• UGC’s Guideline:
  • Programming: Introduction to Computing, Structured Programming, Object Oriented Programming, Web Programming, Mobile Programming, etc.
  • Hardware Systems: Digital Logic Design, Computer Architecture, Microprocessors & Microcontrollers, etc.
  • Logics and Algorithms: Discrete Mathematics, Data Structures, Algorithms
  • Systems: Computer and Cyber Security, Database, Operating System, Networking, etc.
  • Software Systems and Engineering: Software Engineering, Information System and Design, etc.
  • Technical Electives: Theory; Communications; Systems; Data Science; Software Engineering; Hardware; ICT
• BAETE’s Guideline:
  • Discrete mathematics, Computer science, and Engineering sciences for analysis and design of complex electrical/electronic devices, software, and systems with hardware/software components
  • Concepts of programming languages, Data structures, Algorithms and complexity, Software design
  • Digital logic, Computer organization and architecture, Operating systems and Networking systems
  • Tools for specification, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of software systems
  • Exposure to a variety of programming languages and systems, including proficiency in at least one higher-level language

2. Postgraduate Level:

A CSE/ICT Related Discipline must offer at least 80% of courses/components from at least three domains from the following list:

• Algorithms
• Software Engineering
• Data Science
• Intelligent Computing
• Security and Privacy
• Computer Networks and Systems
• High Performance and Distributed Computing
• Hardware and Embedded Systems

B) Co-PI Appointment from Other Departments/Institutes/Universities:

For joint research proposals with other departments, institutes, or universities, one Co-PI will be appointed from the participating department/institute/university. This Co-PI will be considered as the 2^nd Co-PI of the SPMT.

C) “International Universitates” considered as “Foreign Universities”:

• For Academy-Industry collaboration, “International Universitates” will be considered as “Foreign Universities”.
• Foreign universities listed in QS or THE rankings will be eligible to submit research proposals.
• Industry participants will not receive financial benefits from RDG funds. UGC will issue certificates to encourage participation.
• If a Co-PI is from a Foreign University, they will receive honorarium equivalent to public university Co-PI.
• Participating Industry must submit:
  • Legal certificates (trade license, joint stock company registration, etc.)
  • Annual audit reports for last three years
  • Updated tax and VAT payment certificates
  • Annual turnover for last three years
  • Company structure/organogram and brochure

D) Anonymous Sub-project Evaluation:

For impartial evaluation, the submission template will be divided into:

• Section A: Main proposal excluding SPMT research capability and collaborating institution details
• Section B: SPMT research capability and collaborating institution details

This division does not require changes to the main operational manual.