In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, achieving self-sufficiency in technology is essential. To build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh, it is crucial to address challenges through indigenous innovation and to modernize government services and industries with our own technology. The EDGE Project is working tirelessly to drive this transformation by implementing various research and innovation initiatives that engage the government, academia, and industry. A key objective of the EDGE Project is to strengthen the innovation ecosystem through the establishment of Research and Innovation Centers (RICs).

We are inviting numerous prospective researchers/innovators to participate in our research program. To qualify as a researcher/innovator at the RIC, an individual must possess a keen enthusiasm with the problem-solving mindset, driven by a strong interest in research and innovation. Each proposed solution against problems should have a problem owner. It is essential that all solutions proposed are cost-effective, balancing innovation with financial feasibility. This approach ensures that the solutions are accessible and practical for widespread implementation. Additionally, a clear and defined timeline for submitting the solution is crucial.

Each proposed solution should be designed to make a significant impact, either socially or commercially. This ensures that the research aligns with the primary goal of contributing meaningfully to the nation’s progress. The solution should be highly scalable with the tangible Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or a functional prototype, suitable for small-scale pilot testing. The proposed solution should present opportunities for establishing a startup or potentially impact an existing business. This implies that the outcome of the problem-solving process may lead to the creation of Intellectual Property (IP), adding value and novelty to the field. It’s important to note that the solution MUST NOT be a theoretical research or academic paper. Instead, it should manifest as a physically viable product. This approach ensures that the solution is not only innovative but also practical and ready for real-world application, aligning with the goals of creating impactful and market-ready innovations.

Explore Your Passion: Submit Your Research & Innovation Proposals Today

Submission Deadline : 8 April, 2026

For more information, feel free to communicate via

Email: ric@bcc.gov.bd and

Phone: 02-41001721

Development of a High-Quality Bangla-Proficient LLM

Background

Despite being the fifth most spoken native language in the world, Bangla remains significantly underrepresented in the field of Artificial Intelligence. In this context, proposals are being invited for the development of a high-quality LLM that is proficient in Bangla.

Scope of Work

Proposers must select a suitable, fully open-source base model that already demonstrates a reasonably strong baseline score on BnMMLU or equivalent Bangla benchmarks (such as BLUB Suite, BEnQA, MGSM-Bengali, etc.). Through a three-stage training pipeline — Continual Pre-Training (CPT), Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), and Direct Preference Optimization (DPO) — the proposer must demonstrate a measurable and significant improvement over that baseline score.

Evaluation Criteria

The following factors will be given special consideration during the evaluation process:

• Base Model Selection: Parameter count of the base model and its current standing on Bangla benchmarks.
• Targeted Scores: Realistic target scores, both overall and domain-specific.
• Dataset Strategy: Sources, diversity, and quality of the datasets used.
• Data Copyright & Legal Compliance: Proper copyright and legal management of all data.
• Data Pipeline: Robustness of the data collection, cleaning, and processing pipeline.
• Training Methodology: Technical soundness of the training approach.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Sector-wise budget breakdown and overall cost-effectiveness (investment-to-benchmark-improvement ratio).
• Timeline: A realistic and achievable project timeline.

Target Use Cases

Most importantly, the proposal must clearly specify the intended use cases for the model — such as government services, education, healthcare, agriculture, and legal assistance — along with the expected impact in each of those areas. This will be a key consideration in the evaluation process.

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