Green University of Bangladesh today opened the fourth international conference “Innovation and Transformation for Development (ITD) 2025”, assembling academics, policymakers and industry experts from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia and India to debate sustainable business, law and technology for emerging economies.

The two-day conference, hosted at Green University’s permanent campus in Puroachal (American City), carried the theme “Sustainable Business and Legal Progress: Aligning Environment, Society and Governance in Emerging Economies.” Organisers said ITD 2025 received 192 research-paper submissions, of which 113 were shortlisted for presentation; selected papers will be considered for publication in indexed journals, with top contributions earmarked for Scopus-indexed outlets and awards for best papers.
Green University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohammad Sharif Uddin inaugurated the event, underlining the university’s effort to push its “innovation, research and sustainable-development agenda.” In his opening remarks he said cross-border academic collaboration is essential to building a knowledge-driven society and that the ITD platform will amplify Bangladeshi students’ and researchers’ access to international networks.

The conference programme spans papers and panel discussions on environment, corporate governance, human rights, sustainable development, and the ethics and future of artificial intelligence — a recurring thread in several sessions. A special stream organised by the Law Faculty contributed heavily to the submissions: organisers reported 58 papers from the law department alone among the entries.
Beyond conventional paper presentations, ITD 2025 features a practical bridge to industry: student entrepreneurs will pitch business ideas and prototypes to participating companies and investors. Conference convener Prof. Dr. Mohammad Tarek Aziz said the aim is to convert academic innovation into market-ready ventures, giving promising student concepts a fast track to incubation and potential investment.
Organisers emphasised international participation both in-person and virtually: many overseas scholars joined sessions via Zoom, while visiting delegates from Canada, the US, UK, Japan, Malaysia and India delivered keynote addresses and panel talks. The selection committee said only high-quality submissions were chosen for presentation and that several papers will undergo further peer review for journal publication.

ITD 2025 also plans to reward outstanding research: best-paper awards and recognition for applied projects will be announced at the conference close. Organisers said the event, first launched in 2021 online, has matured into a distinctive research forum that links academia, industry and policy actors, and that the outcomes are intended to inform future policy and entrepreneurial paths for Bangladesh’s evolving economy.
As sessions continue over the next day, organisers urged delegates to prioritise actionable research and cross-sector collaboration, stressing that rigorous scholarship coupled with industry uptake will be essential for translating ideas into societal impact.