Three faculty members from Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) have secured an international research grant exceeding USD 36,780 (over BDT 44 lakh) under the Resilience and Adaptation Mainstreaming Program (RAMP) by SOAS University of London, UK. This interdisciplinary project investigates the role of digital technologies in enhancing climate adaptation for vulnerable communities in Bangladesh.
Titled “Leveraging ‘Climate Technologies’ for Transformative Adaptive Capacity of Vulnerable Communities in Bangladesh,” the project is led by Dr. Md. Khaled Saifullah, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Economics. The research team also includes Dr. Md. Taslim Uddin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Finance, and Md. Ekhtekharul Islam, Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science and Management.
The study examines how digital platforms—such as social media, crowdsourcing, and financial technologies—can bolster climate resilience. Key areas of focus include mobile financial services, digital cash management, microfinance, crop insurance, e-banking, and peer-to-peer sharing. By analyzing the effectiveness of these technologies, the research seeks to address critical knowledge gaps and strengthen adaptive capacity in climate-vulnerable regions of the developing world.
Hosted at the Department of Economics within the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, the research will benefit from the expertise of Dr. Md. Mizan R. Khan, Technical Lead of the Least Developed Countries Universities Consortium on Climate Change (LUCCC), who serves as a co-investigator. This initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IUB and SOAS University of London in January 2025, facilitating collaborative efforts in climate resilience research.
This grant underscores IUB’s commitment to advancing climate change adaptation through academic research and technological innovation.