The latest move by the finance ministry to disburse funds to researchers at public universities drew criticism for various reasons. Under the new rule, the University Grants Commission (UGC) will centrally disburse research funds. So far, public universities have received funding from the UGC and have spent it in line with their priorities. The rule change became effective this fiscal year. As a result, public universities are not receiving any direct UGC research funding in their 2026-27 budgets.
Last week, several media outlets reported that no funds had been earmarked for research at public universities, sparking criticism. In response, the UGC issued a press statement saying Tk 2.26 billion has been allocated for research at public universities in 2026-27, an increase of nearly 13 per cent from the previous year. The UGC also added that the research funding system has been streamlined to make it easier, more transparent and research-friendly.
Nevertheless, the UGC's press statement did not clearly describe how the funding system had been streamlined. It added that letters were sent to all public universities on July 2, asking them to submit their research plans, sub-sector-wise funding requirements and budget estimates as soon as possible. It also said funds will be released once the UGC receives funding requests from the universities. This indicates that universities are likely to receive research funding on a case-by-case basis.
It is difficult to understand why the UGC did not provide a clear description of the changes made to the research fund disbursement process. The lack of transparency creates speculation. If the government decided to make fund disbursement easier, why not explain it in detail? It appears that, like other government agencies, the UGC is taking a bureaucratic approach by not providing full information to make things clear and simple.
Media reports suggested that the change in the fund disbursement process is primarily experimental, as the government wants to see whether centrally distributing funds works. Some questions have been raised about the quality of research at several universities over the years. There are also allegations of duplicity in some research works. In some cases, project-based consulting work is presented as research by many teachers. All these issues call into question the selection and approval processes for research work by university authorities.
Again, the overall allocation for research in public universities is small. According to a news piece published last month in a vernacular daily, less than 2.0 per cent of the annual budgets of public universities are allocated to research activities. Almost half of the research fund is usually allocated to teachers, with the rest disbursed to PhD and MPhil students, as well as centres, bureaus, and institutes. For instance, the University of Dhaka allocated Tk 215.70 million in research grants last year, against a total annual budget of Tk 10.35 billion. Thus, the research budget ratio stood at 2.08 per cent of the total budget in the last fiscal year. Individual researchers are also limited and, in many cases, insufficient to complete the work. Inadequate funds also discourage research in the field of applied sciences, where extensive field and laboratory works are necessary, in addition to theoretical and paperwork.
Visibility of research is another challenge. Though publication of papers in various national and international journals and books from reputed publishers has some visibility, in many cases, these remain within small groups. Due to the lack of a comprehensive, interactive research repository at public universities, most people cannot learn about the work.
The core objective of research is to add new knowledge to the existing pool. Research works indicate the level of yearning for knowledge at a university. So, it is necessary to increase the research budget and make it easier for academics and researchers to access. At the same time, researchers also need to utilise the funds purposefully by doing their works, while maintaining ethical and academic standards.
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