At a national conference held in Dhaka on Saturday, speakers emphasized the importance of considering prior experience, nature of work and skilled personnel when selecting research institutions for each project claiming that discrimination in the research sector has become increasingly apparent.
They opined that certain institutions consistently receive funding for research projects, while others cannot be engaged in research activities at all. Despite this inequality, such biased project allocations have not ceased.
The 9th conference, organized by Bangladesh Institute of Social Research (BISR) Trust at the National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPD) in Nilkhet, Dhaka, saw prominent researchers from the country express this viewpoint.
BISR has been hosting this national conference annually during its anniversary month, focusing on social research in Bangladesh.
This year's conference featured the presentation of 28 new research papers on four themes: gender, economy, environment and climate, and public health, contributed by students, faculty, and researchers from various universities and research institutions, both domestic and international.
As chief guest, renowned scientist Dr Abed Chaudhury, inventor of 'Panchabrihi' rice, highlighted the importance of social research, noting that the term 'Panchabrihi' comes from the ability to harvest the same crop five times in different seasons from a single planting.
He stated, "Science is completely absent from our consciousness, we should develop our sense of science. Our Dr Kudrat-i-Khuda and Professor Salam have provided some support for physics."
Dr Khurshid Alam, a prominent sociologist, researcher, and Chairman of BISR Trust, pointed out the discrimination in funding among research institutions, stating that some receive allocations while others do not, despite their qualifications. He called for an end to this inequality.
"Various institutions and individuals also voiced concerns about the lack of funding for research. While this claim is valid, it is equally true that a significant amount of allocated funds for higher education and research institutions remains unutilized," he added.
