RAJSHAHI,  – Sheikh Kamal IT Incubation and Training Centre constructed newly at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib High-tech Park in Rajshahi has created working scopes for 100 start-ups and 500 IT professionals.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the centre through a videoconference from Dhaka last week. Built at a cost of around Taka 20 crore, basically the centre will play a pivotal role towards generating incubation ecosystem, said Project Director of Sheikh Kamal IT Incubation and Training Centre Shafiqul Islam.

The 72,000 square-feet IT Incubation Centre with energy-efficient state- of-the-art office building has multipurpose training facilities, high quality
start-ups, rainwater harvesting and renewable energy sources. “All sorts of business environment have been ensured for attracting investors from home and abroad,” he said.

He said the teachers concerned in Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology and Rajshahi University will conduct and supervise the activities of incubators.

Besides, there are working scopes of different government and non- government institutions, researchers as start-up. Afterwards, these start-up
companies can operate their commercial activities in the centre.

With this breakthrough, the Incubation and Training Centre will play an important role towards turning the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib High-tech Park into a successful high-tech park in near future, Shafiqul Islam added.

The centre will help build Digital Bangladesh and knowledge-based society and create employment. On the other hand, nearly 60 percent physical infrastructure development work of the under-construction Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park in Rajshahi, also known as the city of education, has already been completed.

The park is being built on 30.67 acres of land at Nabinagar in Paba upazila on the outskirts of Rajshahi city aimed at establishing knowledge-
based IT industries together with ensuring an area-based development.

Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority has been implementing the Taka 287.11- crore scheme initiated by the Information and Communication Technology Division with the main thrust of creating scopes for the new IT entrepreneurs and employment generation.

Employment opportunities for around 14,000 youths – both males and females – will be created upon successful implementation of the project by
June, 2021. The infrastructure development works include land development, a ten-storey ‘silicon tower’ in 2.70 lakh square-feet area, substation and
generation building, internal roads and drains, boundary wall and high-speed internet.

Engineer AKAM Fazlul Haque, Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park in Rajshahi Project, said the silicon tower will have multipurpose
facilities including two basement parking floors, high standard training, seminar and conference rooms, rentable office spaces and lounge and
recreation area.

Professor Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan in Rajshahi University said the park will play a key role in building Digital Bangladesh, accelerating the national economic development by expanding hi-tech industries, establishing hardware and IT industries and creating an investment-friendly condition to
attract foreign companies.