Bangladesh Innovation Fest 2023 recognises 49 innovations

For the 5th year, GPH Ispat presents Bangladesh Innovation Award in collaboration with Aspire to Innovate - a2i & in association with The Daily Star, celebrating the Best of Innovation, honoured 49 innovations following 26 Winners and 23 Honourable Mentions by holding a grand award gala at The Grand Ballroom, Le Méridien, Dhaka, on Saturday, February 18, 2023.  The Award gala was preceded by the 4th edition of Bangladesh Business Innovation Summit.

Hosted by Bangladesh Innovation Conclave, the award ceremony and the summit were components of the 3rd edition of Bangladesh Innovation Fest - For A Smart Bangladesh.

The award gala was graced by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Honorable State Minister, ICT Division, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh as Chief guest.

Hon'ble Chief Guest Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, during his speech, mentioned, "This year the fest is designed to pursue the roadmap for honourable PMs vision of SMART Bangladesh by 2041. I am glad to hear that throughout the day some of the leading global experts in Innovation along with local experts had multiple critical discussions in this regard. I am confident that the message and insights shared will help our business community to play the vital role of pushing the threshold of innovation."

The award gala was attended by more than 500 professionals and industry experts. This year, more than 300 nominations from more than 100 organisations were submitted for the award in 21 categories. All the nominated campaigns were selected through 9 rigorous jury sessions comprising the most respected industry experts to keep the process transparent, accountable, and bias-free. The prestigious accolade showcases the best innovative practices and solutions in different sectors required to meet 4th Industrial Revolution and create a sustainable, innovative ecosystem for creating - 'A Smart Bangladesh.'

Opening the event, Shariful Islam, Founder, Bangladesh Innovation Conclave, said, "This accolade upholds the reality that innovation drives every field of our economic and social lives.  we have to develop an innovative mindset in every sector of the country and keep on finding the new areas where we can nurture innovation. It's a long process, and we are here to commit longer." In the Welcome Speech of the summit, Mahammed Alamgir Kabir, Chairman, GPH Ispat Ltd., mentioned, "We at GPH Ispat Ltd. believe that Innovation is the key to sustain and develop the industries as well as the nation. Now is the time to reflect on our progress and strategies that will shape our future. We all joined here today, have our very own collective responsibilities to develop the innovation ecosystem for A Smart Bangladesh."

The summit included 3 Keynote Sessions, 4 Panel Discussions, 3 Insight Sessions and 1 case study.

The Summit was graced by the presence of 3 dynamic and globally acclaimed Keynote Speakers: Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean, School of Design; Swire Chair Professor, Design; Alex Wong Siu Wah Gigi Wong Fook Chi Professor, Product Design Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Prof. Ishtiaq Pasha Mahmood, Head of Department, Strategy & Policy, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore; Dr Yuosre Badir, Associate Professor, Faculty Director,  PhD & DBA Programs, Asian Institute of Technology. They spoke about: "Design-Driven Innovation for the Future," "Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, No strategy: How to win the battle for tomorrow?" and "The human side of the organization's digital transformation," respectively.

Apart from that, eminent experts and professionals, Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate - a2i;  Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Project Director, a2i - Aspire To Innovate; Dr Rubaiyat Islam Sadat, Business Mentor, XPRENEURS Incubator; Founder & Managing Director, Mulytic Labs, GmbH; Founder & Managing Director, Mulytic Energy Solutions Ltd., Bangladesh; Dr Syed Muntasir Mamun, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of the People's Republic of Bangladesh; Asif Iqbal, Group Chief Executive Officer, Hamid Group and many others spoke at the summit.