The British Council recently launched the second international Researcher Links Workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The four-day long international research workshop, from 23-26 February 2015, was jointly organised by the Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK. The theme of this workshop was “Governance and Management of Gender Relations: A Comparative Study of Law and Society”. We funded the workshop under our Researcher Links Programme, where national and international law scholars and young researchers got the chance to present their papers on various current issues relating to gender, law and society.
Researchers Links is an important new initiative by the British Council that connects early career researchers from the UK and internationally to build long-lasting research collaborations. 32 talented researchers from the UK and Bangladesh participated in this workshop. Professor Dr A K Azad Chowdhury, Chairman (State Minister), University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, attended the opening session as the Chief Guest and delivered the inaugural speech. Professor Dr Nasreen Ahmed, Pro-Vice Chancellor, (Academic) University of Dhaka was present as Special Guest. His Excellency Mr. Robert W. Gibson CMG, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh was present as Guest of Honour. Professor Dr Werner Menski, SOAS, University of London, UK, Dr Taslima Monsoor, Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka and Mr Matt Pusey, Deputy Director, British Council Bangladesh, welcomed the participants and gave a brief outline of the programme. Many eminent researchers, academics, policy-makers, influencers, think-tanks, entrepreneurs, development partners, and members of the donor community were present at the inauguration.
The British Council aims to use this workshop as a platform to create strong bi-lateral engagement with the UK, connecting young researchers and providing them with the opportunity to learn from each other’s work. This will foster collaboration and inspire the creation of new projects and joint research studies. The initiative also works with established researchers with existing international reputations, who mentor early career researchers and provide guidance and access to their scholarly networks.