DU sets up 2 trust funds

Dhaka University (DU) has secured a Tk 20-lakh endowment from private donors to establish two specialised trust funds aimed at boosting STEM research and supporting low-income students.

The capital injection, finalized on Monday, will be split equally between the newly minted "Dr. Mazid Scholarship Trust Fund" and the "Rosie Anwara Mazid Trust Award." The move highlights a growing institutional push within South Asia's historic universities to leverage private philanthropy to bridge funding gaps in academic research.

Under the terms of the endowment, Dr. Mazid Fund will target excellence in foundational sciences, awarding a one-time grant of Tk 40,000 to the two top-performing B.Sc. graduates from Department of Physics as they transition into their Master’s program.

Rosie Anwara Mazid Award focuses on applied sciences and equity, providing a monthly Tk 3,000 stipend for one year to two high-achieving, underprivileged undergraduates in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department to fund their research.

DU Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr. A. B. M. Obaidul Islam emphasized that deeper alumni engagement is critical for the university to elevate its research output and maintain infrastructure. "The contribution of alumni is paramount to the trajectory of global top-tier universities," the VC said, calling for structured private funding to maintain modern laboratory equipment and expand institutional research reserves.

As public universities face tightening state budgets, DU administration is increasingly looking toward its global diaspora to underwrite its transition from a teaching-centric institution to a modern research hub.