Acquiring science and technology proficiency

IN the face of many adverse conditions Bangladesh has managed to make some notable advances in scientific research. Agricultural scientists have helped farmers reach self-sufficiency in food production. Good progress has been made in public health research, and worldwide recognition gained in research and treatment of diabetes and water-borne diarrhoeal diseases.
Scientists and young researchers, working under very difficult circumstances, have on occasions demonstrated that they are capable of carrying out world-class research when provided the means to do so, as in the jute genome sequencing project. But unfortunately, these instances are few and far between in spite of the fact that Bangladesh has 104 universities with 2.6 million students enrolled in its tertiary institutions. Why is Bangladesh labelled as a least developed country lagging behind in science and technology, and what can we learn from the examples of other countries?
Young researchers, many of them from developing countries, drive the research engines that sustain the economies of developed countries. In these countries there is very strong interaction between academia and industry, often with cross-appointments; a very significant portion of funds for basic and development research carried out in universities is provided by industry. The introduction of massive and well-funded postgraduate research programmes, involving doctoral research students and postdoctoral researchers, has not only provided a critical mass of full time researchers but has also totally transformed the research culture and the innovation-directed economies of rapidly advancing countries such as China, India and Brazil, where industry has followed the lead from academia.
This wave of vibrant academic research has not yet swept over Bangladesh and most other developing countries. Ironically, in Bangladesh, the technological know-how and potential research capacity of some non-academic sectors, such as the pharmaceutical industry, are in some instances more advanced than that available in university research laboratories.
Research-based scholarly pursuits do not dominate the academic scene in Bangladesh, and some university teachers do not even consider research productivity as an important determinant for personal advancement. As such, some university teachers are reluctant to be burdened with any responsibilities beyond classroom teaching. Some public university teachers also spend considerable time teaching in private universities to supplement their meagre salaries. Because of lack of time available to teachers for mentorship research students suffer from inadequate supervision.
In spite of this, a small number of dedicated academics manage to remain productive in research and continue to train research students. However, because of excessive teaching and administrative loads they find it difficult to find enough time for research. Teachers who choose not to be actively involved in research could be offered the opportunity to take on additional teaching and administrative duties so that productive researchers are allowed more time for research and supervision and also get scarce research funds diverted to them. Remuneration and incentives for productive researchers need to be greatly improved, perhaps by adopting some aspects of the performance-based reward model that has been introduced and implemented by the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan.
Active researchers face many obstacles, such as poor scientific infrastructure, unsupportive research environment and an absence or scarcity of competitive research grants. Unavailability of major equipment and cutting edge technologies prevent research and innovation in most universities from being internationally competitive, and this is the most significant reason why many Bangladeshi scientists often find it difficult to get their research accepted for publication in high impact journals. The ultimate consequence of the myriad problems that academics and researchers face is a very debilitating brain drain from Bangladesh to the economically and technologically advanced countries in the West. The reason most often cited by young expatriate scientists for their emigration to the West is their frustration at the serious lack of opportunities to get involved in "world class" research on national problems while working in Bangladesh.
It is unfortunate that Bangladesh is not only failing to keep pace in science and technology, its expatriate scientists, educated up to MSc level at Bangladesh's expense, also end up contributing to wealth creation in the West instead of being provided the opportunity to help build research proficiency and capacity in their own country. A vibrant and supportive research atmosphere and provision of decent living and working conditions need to be developed in Bangladesh to stem and reverse the brain drain. A further aim should be to develop a brain bank by tapping into the enormous talent and expertise available among the expatriate scientists, and encourage them to contribute to the development of Bangladesh in whatever way they can.
To achieve the desired level of research productivity and proficiency there has to be a transformation of research culture with increased emphasis on multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration. This requires strategic and long term funding for basic and applied research, including competitive research grants and PhD and post-doctoral fellowships, to create a critical mass of trained personnel and to provide sustained support to collaborative research in areas of national priorities.
For commercialisation of research outcomes, universities and research institutions need to develop intellectual property patents and build active partnerships with local industries, and also establish pre-commercial collaborations through which industries could provide funds for discovery and developmental research.

The writer is Incepta Visiting Professor, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences.