The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh has introduced a new mechanism for allocating research funding to public universities, shifting from direct institutional transfers towards a centrally coordinated funding model.
Under the new arrangement, research grants will no longer be distributed directly to individual universities as part of their institutional budgets. Instead, universities will submit research plans, funding requirements and budget estimates to the UGC, which will administer and distribute the funds.
The reform represents a significant change in Bangladesh’s public university funding system. The UGC said the new approach aims to improve coordination, reduce duplication in research projects, strengthen accountability and create a more transparent funding process.
Centralised research funding mechanisms are widely used in many higher education systems internationally, where national agencies allocate research grants through competitive processes, expert evaluation and strategic funding priorities.
However, the change has also generated discussion among university leaders and academics about implementation, particularly how funding decisions will be made and how academic judgement will be incorporated into the evaluation process.
Research funding increases by 13%
The UGC rejected reports suggesting that research funding for universities had been discontinued, saying such claims were based on incomplete information.
According to the commission, Tk 2.26 billion (Tk 226 crore) has been allocated for research across public universities for the 2026–27 fiscal year, representing an increase of approximately 13% compared with the previous year.
The UGC said the funding process has been redesigned to become simpler, more transparent and more researcher-friendly, while avoiding overlapping research projects.
The commission has requested all public universities to submit their research plans, sector-specific funding requirements and budget estimates. Research funds will be released following the review of these submissions.
The UGC emphasised that the new system would not affect universities’ academic autonomy, institutional identity, research priorities or disciplinary diversity.
Universities seek clarity over implementation
Some university leaders and academics have expressed concerns about how the new funding arrangement will operate in practice.
University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam said placing research funds under UGC management could create challenges for regular research activities and reduce universities’ flexibility in supporting academic work.
Other academics have raised questions about whether centralised evaluation processes will fully reflect the needs of different disciplines.
Professor Md Ilias Hossain, chairman of the Department of Economics at the University of Rajshahi, noted that universities currently have faculty-level committees responsible for reviewing research proposals and assessing academic quality.
The concerns highlight the importance of ensuring that research funding decisions are based on academic expertise rather than purely administrative processes.
Funding location does not determine academic autonomy
The debate also reflects a broader issue in higher education governance: academic autonomy depends not only on who holds research funds, but also on how funding decisions are made.
Direct allocation of research budgets to universities does not automatically guarantee academic independence. Internal university funding systems can also face challenges, including administrative influence, unequal distribution between disciplines, limited external review or lack of competitive evaluation.
Similarly, centralised national funding models can support research excellence if they are based on transparent procedures, independent peer review and discipline-specific expert assessment.
Many countries combine institutional research funding with competitive grants administered by national research agencies, seeking to balance university-level priorities with national research strategies and public accountability.
The key questions for Bangladesh’s new model will therefore be whether funding decisions are made through transparent criteria, whether researchers participate in evaluation processes, and whether different fields of study receive appropriate consideration.
Building a more coordinated research ecosystem
Supporters of the reform argue that a national-level funding mechanism can help Bangladesh strengthen research management, improve oversight and ensure more effective use of public investment.
Officials have indicated that concerns over the utilisation of research funds at some institutions contributed to the decision to introduce a more coordinated approach.
At the same time, academics have called for safeguards to ensure that the system remains efficient and avoids unnecessary administrative delays.
The effectiveness of the reform will depend on how the UGC develops its evaluation mechanisms and whether the new system can combine accountability with flexibility for researchers.
Bangladesh’s research output continues to expand
The funding reform comes as Bangladesh’s research sector continues to grow.
According to Scopus data, Bangladeshi universities have produced more than 18,000 indexed research publications, with research output increasing by around 21% in 2025 compared with 2024.
Bangladeshi academics have also gained increasing international recognition. In 2025, Stanford University and Elsevier’s ranking of leading global researchers included 35 Bangladeshi academics and researchers.
Professor Hasina Khan, a UGC professor and former University of Dhaka academic known for her work on decoding the genomes of hilsa and jute, said the new funding system could be evaluated if introduced as a pilot initiative.
“If the decision to channel university research grants through the UGC is experimental, then it can be tried and its outcomes evaluated,” she told Prothom Alo.
The discussion surrounding Bangladesh’s research funding reform is ultimately not only about whether universities or the UGC administer funds, but about creating a governance system that supports transparency, academic quality and sustainable research development.
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