A total of 49 innovations have been recognised from among a rich line of innovative excellences meant to ensure Bangladesh’s onward march with State Minister of ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, being present as the chief guest of Bangladesh Innovation Fest 2023, where the most promising ones have been pronounced as the best of the lot.
GPH Ispat-powered Bangladesh Innovation Award celebrated its 5th year of completion with a grand award gala last night at The Le Méridien, Dhaka. The programme was held in collaboration with the Aspire to Innovate (A2I) and in association with The Daily Star. Among these, 26 innovations were declared winners, and another 23 were honourable mentions by the jury committee.
During his speech, the state minister said, “The host committee of innovation fest organised this year’s fest as per our honourable prime minister’s vision of building a Smart Bangladesh by 2041, so that it follows the roadmap shown by the PM.”
He added, “The discussion between some of the leading global and local experts in innovation in selecting the best innovations gave me so much pleasure to hear. It is giving me a source of confidence to think that, after getting ideas from the messages and insights given in this function, our business community will be better able to fulfil the crucial role of pushing the boundaries of innovation.
Insights of the summit
For the award ceremony, more than 300 nominations were submitted from more than 100 organisations, and there were 21 categories in total. About 500 professionals and industry experts were presented at that award gala. There were a total of nine rigorous jury sessions judged by selected industry experts in order to maintain the overall transparency of the sessions.
There were three keynote sessions in total. 4 panel discussions, 3 insight sessions, and 1 case study in this summit.
As keynote speakers, internationally renowned speakers such as Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean, School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Prof. Ishtiaq Pasha Mahmood, Head of Department, Strategy & Policy, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore; and Dr. Yuosre Badir, Associate Professor, Faculty Director, PhD & DBA Programs, Asian Institute of Technology, were present at the function.
The topics of their discussion were “Design-Driven Innovation for the Future,” “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, No Strategy: How to Win the Battle for Tomorrow?” and “The human side of the organization’s digital transformation,” respectively.
Furthermore, experts like Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate (a2i); Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Project Director, a2i; Dr. Rubaiyat Islam Sadat, Business Mentor, XPRENEURS Incubator; Dr. Syed Muntasir Mamun, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Asif Iqbal, Group Chief Executive Officer, Hamid Group; and many others spoke at the summit.
Organisers’ speech
At the beginning of the summit, the founder of Bangladesh Innovation Conclave, Shariful Islam, said, “This ceremony is showing us the importance of innovations in our economic and social lives. In order to take our country ahead, we have to put our attention on innovations, for which the development of an innovative mind-set is important to note. That’s why, we need to keep finding areas where innovation can have a significant impact and will allow us to have increased benefit from that area. But it’s really a lengthy process. But we are here to work on it.”
Mahammed Alamgir Kabir, Chairman, GPH Ispat Ltd, said while giving his welcome speech that, “GPH Ispat always believes that innovation works as a key for ensuring sustainability and the development of a nation. This is the time to work to shape our future, and for this, we are all gathered here today to accumulate our plans and know about our duties to develop the innovative mind-set for a smart Bangladesh.”
According to the summit’s objective, when asked, organisers said, “in order to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and build a sustainable, innovative environment for establishing “A Smart Bangladesh,” we organised this summit to promote innovation and growth in various sectors of Bangladesh to keep pace with the gradual development of the world.”
Recognised innovations:
Best start-up innovation
ShunBoi: Bengali Audiobook Platform by Shunboi Ltd. Honorable Mention
Mokam – Easy Ordering by ShopUp WINNER
Digital Financial Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers by WeGro Technologies Limited – WINNER
Best Innovation
Agriculture Smart Solutions To SaltAffected Land by Stichting Cordaid – Honorable Mention
Digital Financial Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers by WeGro Technologies Limited – WINNER
Most Innovative Environmental Solution
Plastic Waste Road by GREENBUD – Honorable Mention
REUSABILITY OF WASTE | An Innovative Project, Utilizing 100% Induction Furnace Slag, To Replace Unsustainable Fired Clay Bricks & Stone Chips In Bangladesh by Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited – WINNER
Best Innovation – Product Development
Mokam – Easy Ordering by ShopUp – Honorable Mention
First Homegrown User Generated Content (UGC) Platform In Bangladesh by Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd. – Honorable Mention
bKash Payment Speaker by bKash Limited – WINNER
World’s Most Durable Tiles Surface ‘STONE SHIELD’ by X-Ceramics Group – WINNER
Best Process Innovation
nextblock – Autoclaved Eco Friendly by Green Bricks Ltd. – Honorable Mention
4 Savings In One App by bKash Limited – WINNER
Innovative Tiling Solutions by X-Ceramics Group – WINNER
Best Innovation – Finance Innovation In Banks
Digital Ecosystem to reach unbanked community by Community Bank Bangladesh Limited – Honorable Mention
Astha Super App by BRAC Bank Limited – Honorable Mention
City Remit by The City Bank Limited – WINNER
Best Innovation – Finance Innovation In Insurance
Machine Learning Based Cattle Identification System by MPower Social Enterprises Limited – Honorable Mention
Guardian Cancer Care by Guardian Life Insurance Limited – Honorable Mention
Pharmacy Bandhu – Making Insurance Digitally Possible by Green Delta Insurance Company Ltd. – WINNER
Best Innovation – Finance Innovation In Other Financial Institution
THE FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA FX PREPAID CARD FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (especially for FCommerce Entrepreneurs) by MASTERCARD – Honorable Mention
Payoneer (Service Export Remittance) by bKash Limited – WINNER
Nagad Islamic by Nagad Ltd. – WINNER
Best Innovation – SDG Inclusion
REUSABILITY OF WASTE | An Innovative Project, Utilizing 100% Induction Furnace Slag, To Replace Unsustainable Fired Clay Bricks & Stone Chips In Bangladesh by Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited – Honorable Mention
4A Yarn Dyeing Ltd.: Business Strategy Aligning Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 4A Yarn Dyeing Limited – WINNER
Best Social Innovation
Total Menstrual Hygiene Management by Steps Ahead – Honorable Mention
Digital Management of Graves And Graveyards of Brave Freedom Fighters by Oprotiroddho Kurigram – WINNER
Best Innovation in Community Engagement
Teacher’s Portal by Aspire To Innovate (A2i) Programme – Honorable Mention
Konnect by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – Honorable Mention
Payoneer to bKash Drive in Freelancer Community by bKash Limited – WINNER
Most Innovative Solution For Disabled People
‘স্বপ্ন উড়াই, ওদের জন্য আমরা’ by 4A Yarn Dyeing Limited, Team Group – Honorable Mention
Akij Ceramics Braille Tiles by Akij Ceramics Limited – WINNER
Multimedia Talking Book by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – WINNER
Best Innovation – Healthcare
Traumalink by MPower Social Enterprises Limited – Honorable Mention
COVID-19 Telehealth Center by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – Honorable Mention
Hexicord: The Life Savior by ACI Limited – WINNER
Best Innovation – Fashion & Apparel Seamless Garments by Fakhruddin Textile Mills Ltd, Urmi Group – Honorable Mention
DGarma by London Design Studios Limited – WINNER
ERP Integrated RFID Based Inventory & Production Management System by Fakhruddin Textile Mills Ltd, Urmi Group – WINNER
Best Innovation – Education
3rd Party Education Innovation Digital School Program by JAAGO Foundation – Honorable Mention
Bangla Iskool by Bangla Iskool & Singularity Limited – WINNER
Best Innovation – Education School Learning Delivery
Teacher’s Portal by Aspire To Innovate (A2i) Programme – WINNER.
Special Needs Children Inclusion And Integration In Mainstream Classrooms by Frobel Academy – WINNER
Public Service Innovation SDG Tracker by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) – Honorable Mention
Digital Strategy Design Lab (DSDL) by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – Honorable Mention
COVID-19 Telehealth Center by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – Honorable Mention
Consumer Complaint Management System (CCMS) by Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) – WINNER
Accessible Dictionary by Aspire to Innovate (A2i) – WINNER
Best Innovation – Frontier Technology
Voice Pay by Hishab Technologies Limited – WINNER
