At the invitation of the University of Dhaka (DU), Bangladesh, a delegation of three led by Professor Gan Zhang, Deputy Director-general of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS), visited Bangladesh from January 29^th to 31^st. An MoA was signed between GIGCAS and DU during the visit.

The memorandum signing ceremony was attended by, on the University’s side, Professor Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Dean of Faculty of Science, and Professor Md. Ahsan Habib of the Department of Chemistry, among others. Founded in 1921, the University of Dhaka is the oldest and largest public university of Bangladesh and has had profound influence on the country’s development. Vice Chancellor Md. Akhtaruzzaman indicated that the conclusion of the agreement served as a good beginning for collaboration between the two institutions, and Gan Zhang recognized the important role that Bangladesh played in GIGCAS’s scientific efforts dedicated to China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. According to the MoA, GIGCAS and DU will carry out practical cooperation in various forms, including exchanging staff, conducting joint scientific projects, co-organizing academic activities, and sharing scientific resources.

GIGCAS launched the Southern Contaminants Programme (SCP) in 2017. Under the umbrella of the “International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences”, SCP is one of the sub-projects that serve the “Belt and Road” initiative. Focusing on low-latitude countries and regions along the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”, SCP is aimed to monitor persistent organic pollutants (POPs), persistent toxic substances (PTs) and emerging contaminants through passive air sampling, coastal water and sewage plants respectively, and assess exposure risk of highly contaminated areas, such as an e-waste dumping site. As a participant of the project, DU has helped GIGCAS in installing samplers in 21 sites across six Bangladeshi cities including Dhaka the capital.

The delegation also visited the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in Dhaka. The two parties exchanged information about their respective background and research areas, and discussed potential for future collaboration.