DU-led project to train, offer seed funding to 200 student entrepreneurs
Koica-funded $7.5 million project to run until 2027
The Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Centre of the University of Dhaka is set to provide training, seed funding and post-incubation support to 200 student entrepreneurs from seven public universities under the "Creative Bangladesh" project, officials said.
The initiative, jointly supported by the governments of Bangladesh and South Korea, aims to strengthen entrepreneurship education and startup development across public universities in the country. Entrepreneurs will be selected through a business idea competition.
Launched in December 2021 as part of the University of Dhaka's centenary celebrations, the project is backed by approximately $7.5 million in funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica).
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According to project officials, the Technical Assistance Project Proposal was submitted in 2024 and approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in April 2025.
The project, which will run until 2027, is being implemented by the ICE Centre in collaboration with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Education.
Under the programme, 200 entrepreneurs will be selected in four batches through business idea competitions. Each batch will consist of 50 participants who will receive 320 hours of training over six months.
Students from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), Bangladesh Medical University, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University and Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (Kuet) will be eligible to participate.
The first batch is expected to begin training in the last week of July.
Beyond training, selected participants will receive capital support to launch their ventures. The ICE Centre will also continue to assist entrepreneurs through mentorship, professional networking and other support services after the completion of the programme.
The project will further organise hackathons, boot camps and workshops to engage a larger number of young people in entrepreneurship activities.
Based on lessons learned from the four training batches, the project will also formulate an entrepreneurship development roadmap for universities in Bangladesh through research and advocacy.
Infrastructure development work is currently underway at the ICE Centre's premises in the CARASS building behind the university's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC). The framework for the business idea competition will be finalised after the work is completed.
"One of the key objectives of this project is to strengthen entrepreneurship education in universities across the country," said Md Rashedur Rahman, executive director of the ICE Centre and chairman of the Department of Organisation Strategy and Leadership at the University of Dhaka.
Established in 2018 as an interdisciplinary centre of excellence, the ICE Centre focuses on innovation and creativity, entrepreneurship development and employability. It launched its 100-hour Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) in 2020 and began working as an entrepreneur support cell with Bangladesh Bank in 2023.
