Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam spoke at a press briefing held in the conference room of the Ministry. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Sept 10, 2026 (BSS) – Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam today underscored the importance of converting knowledge into practical solutions, research into marketable products, ideas into enterprises, and innovation into economic and social value.

Creating innovation alone is not enough; innovators must be ensured financing, policy support, partnership with industries, protection of intellectual property rights and, above all, access to markets, he added.

Faqir Mahbub Anam, also Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, made these remarks at a press briefing held at the conference room of the Ministry of Science and Technology in the Secretariat on the occasion of the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026.

The three-day "Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026" will be held at the Novo Theatre in Dhaka from September 12 to 14, 2026, at the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology. 

The minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the fair.

Referring to this year's theme, "Innovate to Market", the minister said Bangladesh has no shortage of talent, creativity and promising ideas. 

Students, researchers, startups, universities and industries are creating new solutions in their respective fields, he said. 

The minister, however, said connecting these initiatives with investment, industry and markets through an effective and integrated innovation ecosystem is now one of the major challenges.

The Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 has been organised precisely to build this connection, he said, adding that more than 100 innovators, including individual innovators and startup founders, will showcase over 1,000 innovations at the fair. 

A total of 73 public and private universities, leading commercial banks, corporate and industrial organisations, and various government and private institutions from across the country will take part in the fair, he added.

“Innovation can never develop in isolation. It requires coordination among the government, academia, industry, financing institutions, development partners and investors," the minister said. 

He noted that building a strong, sustainable and market-oriented innovation ecosystem through such coordination is one of the key goals of the Bangladesh Innovation Fair.

The minister called upon all concerned stakeholders, universities, innovators, researchers, financial institutions, industrial and corporate organisations, and the media to come forward to make the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 a success. 

Faqir Mahbub called upon people from all walks of life, including the media, to visit the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026, and to get acquainted with the innovators so as to bring their stories of innovation to the people of the country.

The Science and Technology Minister expressed hope that through science, technology and innovation, Bangladesh will move forward as a more innovative, competitive and future-ready nation.

The minister further said the fair will bring individual innovators, students, researchers, universities, corporate organisations, industries, multinational companies, government agencies, international and domestic development organisations, SMEs, service providers, startups and environment-friendly entrepreneurs onto the same platform. 

Speaking at the press briefing on the fair's knowledge and policy-making activities, Science and Technology Secretary Md. Anwar Hossain said a total of 17 sessions and dialogues, including six plenary sessions, six parallel sessions and five roundtable meetings, will be held during the three days. 

Policymakers, think tanks, academics, industry leaders, researchers, young innovators, investors and development partners will take part in these discussions.

The secretary said the fair's discussions will seek answers to practical questions. These include what kind of innovation is needed to address Bangladesh's current and future challenges, which innovations can be implemented on a larger scale, and what kind of policy, investment and institutional support is needed to take them to market.

Referring to the initiative to build an "Innovation Hub" as one of the fair's key goals, the secretary said, "The end of the fair does not mean the end of the activities. Rather, more than 1,000 innovations showcased at the fair will mark the beginning of building a connected innovation hub." 

He said this will lead to initiatives to identify promising innovations and support their development, financing, protection and marketing.

The secretary further said Bangladesh Bank, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks are associated with the fair as "policy partners". 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is cooperating as the technical partner and the Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as the strategic partner. 

He expressed hope that the participation of these institutions will further strengthen the connection between innovation, financing, intellectual property, policy, industry and investment.

The 14 priority sectors of the fair include frontier technology; information and digital technology; space, aerospace and astronomy; health, medical and life science; artificial intelligence, automation and robotics; agriculture and food technology; nanotechnology and advanced materials; climate, environment and sustainability; fintech, commerce and business; industrial manufacturing and hardware; energy, power and mobility; education, skills and human development; smart city, infrastructure and urban solutions; and social, creative and inclusive solutions.

The fair, organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, is being implemented by the National Science and Technology Museum, with Spellbound Communications Limited as the implementation partner.

Additional secretaries and other senior officials of the ministry were present at the press briefing.