Dhaka : North South University (NSU) and the Japanese engineering firm Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. (NK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) marking a significant milestone in their ongoing research collaboration. Under the agreement, NK will fund three research projects to be led by NSU faculty members, namely Professor Dr. Javed Bari, Dr. Minhaz Shahriar, and Dr. Lamia Iftekhar, according to a press release.
On behalf of NSU, Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury signed the MoU, while Nippon Koei was represented in the MoU by Akira Kawai, Managing Director of Nippon Koei Bangladesh Ltd. (NKB). Haruhiko Kanai, Representative Director and President of NK; and Hiroyuki Yamate, General Manager of Transportation Operations at NK.
The signing ceremony was attended by Naoki Kudo, Chairman of NKB and Director of NK responsible
for the South Asia region Akira Kawai, Managing Director of NKB; Tusuf Omar and Abed
Ali, both Deputy General Managers at NKB; and M.M.A. Kader, Manager of NKB. Kazuhiro
Ueno, Acting General Manager of NK’s Transportation and Urban Division, joined the event virtually from
Japan. From NSU, attendees included Professor Dr. Md. Shazzad Hosain, Dean of the School of
Engineering and Physical Sciences; Dr. S M Ashfaqul Hoq, Chair of the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering; the NSU Office of External Affairs team led by Director Dr. Cynthia
McKinney and supported by Dr. Hasanuzzaman; representatives from the Office of Research; the three lead
researchers of NSU; and officials from the Public Relations Office.
It is worth noting that NSU and NKB first formalized their partnership in January 2020 through a general
MoU. Since then, NSU has worked closely with NKB, NK’s Research and Development Department, and
the NK headquarters in Japan to develop and pursue a range of collaborative research initiatives. Speaking at
the ceremony, the NSU VC Professor Chowdhury expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would
pave the way for deeper academic and research ties between Bangladesh and Japan. He also highlighted the
long-standing friendship between the two countries. Naoki Kudo remarked that the five-year collaboration between NSU and NK has been highly productive, and Kazuhiro Ueno expressed hope that the newly signed MoU would elevate the partnership to new heights.
In addition to the MoU with Nippon Koei, NSU signed three other important MoUs aimed at enhancing
collaboration in key social and technological sectors. An MoU was signed with Shikkha Shastha Unnayan
Karzakram (SHISUK), a respected local NGO focused on education and public health initiatives. Another
agreement was signed with Agromukam, a digital platform that supports Agri-Ecommerce by connecting
farmers with market opportunities, products, and services using innovative technologies. The third
partnership was formed with Rayhans Clinic and Cancer Center Ltd., an academic and clinical research
institute dedicated to integrated healthcare, education, and cancer research. The heads of these respective
organizations were present at the ceremony, reflecting the mutual commitment to collaborative impact and
sustainable development.
