Millennium fellowship selects nineteen iub students for 2025 cohort

Nineteen undergraduates from Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) have been selected for the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2025, a global leadership programme by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and Millennium Campus Network (MCN).

The announcement was made on 20 August 2025.

The semester-long fellowship, which runs from August to November, provides leadership training, mentorship, and opportunities for global collaboration. Fellows implement time-bound projects that advance the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and submit final impact reports to UNAI and MCN.

This year, over 60,000 students across 7,500 campuses in 160 countries applied. Only 4,000 students secured a selection from 290 campuses—an acceptance rate of 1.4%. Thirteen campuses represent Bangladesh with a total of 344 students.

The IUB cohort, led by campus directors Mubashwara Mehzabeen (Economics) and Tanjil Sarkar (Computer Science and Engineering), will work on diverse projects such as "Project VerdaLight," which promotes access to sustainable energy; "Carbon Footprint Tracker," which helps measure and reduce environmental impact; "Dhaka's Thinking Bins," which introduces innovative waste management solutions; "BloodBridge," aimed at connecting blood donors with patients in need; and "Literacy for All," which supports community education. These initiatives address issues including education, climate change, waste management, gender equality, public health, and community development.

Campus directors described the programme as a platform that channels student energy into measurable projects linking local initiatives to global SDGs. Fellows acquire practical skills in project design, teamwork, evaluation, fundraising, and public speaking, and contribute to targeted interventions, including education drives, awareness campaigns, and waste-management pilots.

Fellows will submit final reports in November to demonstrate measurable social impact and progress towards the SDGs, with potential for scale-up and institutional adoption.