Bangladesh is in talks with Oman to deepen cooperation in research and advanced technology, including artificial intelligence and biotech, as Dhaka seeks partners to help expand its strategic industries, AzerNEWS reports, citing Arab News.

With more than 40,000 graduates from science, technology, engineering and mathematics every year, Bangladeshi officials are working to draw on the country’s potential to further advanced scientific research, such as biotech, AI, nanotech and semiconductors.

“Our goal is to harness this research and technology to drive economic prosperity and job creation … Technology exchange will drive global economic progress, and technology will be a major factor in future geopolitics. Innovation and technology must be prioritized in our economic strategy,” Anwar Hossain, secretary in Bangladesh’s Ministry of Science and Technology, told Arab News.

Hossain said that Oman had shown “huge interest” in possible collaborations on AI, drone technology and science parks, referring to a meeting held late last month with officials from Star Drones, an Omani research and development company.

Dhaka is also seeking partners to further develop its pharmaceutical sector, which has rapidly evolved in recent years. Bangladesh’s pharma sector meets about 98 percent of the national medicine demand and exports to more than 150 countries.

“We discussed our interest in biotechnology and our plans for a biotech park. We are already working on biotechnology, new drug development, and health solutions, where we can offer support. If they are interested, we can collaborate on developing new medicines and commercializing research,” Hossain said.

Bangladesh is also working on developing a national-level platform for AI, he added, and is looking to Oman’s experience in the area.

“We need to learn from their experience, and they have expressed willingness to share it. Their successes and lessons learned will help us build a national AI platform.”

The Bangladeshi government, which also sees possible collaboration involving its manpower and Omani investment, has assigned officials to explore joint cooperation in science and tech with Oman.

“Oman has the capacity to adopt and scale advanced technologies quickly, but they face human resource constraints due to a smaller population. On the other hand, they have strong financial resources. Bangladesh has a massive, talented youth population,” Hossain said.

“This creates a mutually beneficial economic opportunity.”

Ashraful Haq Chowdhury, president of the Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry who helped organize the Bangladesh-Oman meeting, highlighted an opportunity for the two countries to establish a joint venture.

“Oman is treated as a business hub gateway for Middle Eastern, GCC countries. So, any technology, any advanced software development, or any type of tech-related companies have a great value in Oman,” he told Arab News.

“?So, I think Bangladesh people, Bangladesh expertise, and Bangladesh software development company, IT company, tech company have a lot of scope and opportunity in Oman.”

Earlier this month, Dhaka-based software development company Brain Station 23 signed a memorandum of understanding with Star Drones to collaborate in drone technology, software engineering and robotics.

The Star Drones delegation held talks with Bangladeshi foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam as part of their visit, in a meeting also attended by Fathiya Ahmed Al-Balushi, the Omani embassy in Dhaka’s deputy head of mission.

“The meeting explored opportunities for collaboration and investment between the Sultanate of Oman and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh across key sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, environmental protection, electric vehicles, as well as technology and innovation,” the company said on social media.

“We look forward to strengthening partnerships that foster innovation and sustainable growth between our two countries.”