By
Quazi M. Ahmed
Founder & President, BOND
In today’s fast-changing world, innovation is no longer an option it’s a critical driver for sustainable development. For Bangladesh, the potential of its non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) is an underutilized goldmine of knowledge, skills, and global experience. By creating Innovation Labs with NRB mentors at the center, BOND can catalyze a new era of problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth.
So, how do we start? Here’s a clear roadmap to launching an Innovation Lab that empowers local talent and connects them with global minds.
1. Start with a Clear Purpose
Every great initiative begins with a strong sense of purpose. Your Innovation Lab should be built around a clear mission. Is the goal to improve digital literacy in rural schools? To build low-cost health solutions? To accelerate climate-smart agriculture? The more specific and relevant your focus, the more aligned your resources and participants will be. It’s important to identify real problems that need creative solutions and that matter to the community.
2. Identify and Mobilize NRB Mentors
BOND’s global network is one of its biggest assets. Across continents, thousands of Bangladeshi professionals are making remarkable contributions in technology, healthcare, research, education, finance, and entrepreneurship. Many of them are willing and eager to give back.
Reaching out to these individuals and inviting them to serve as mentors can bring incredible value. Mentorship can be virtual or in-person, structured through regular sessions, feedback loops, and project-based guidance. Ideally, mentors should represent diverse backgrounds, experiences, and regions, bringing both technical knowledge and global insights.
3. Design the Innovation Lab Ecosystem
An Innovation Lab is not just a physical space it’s a platform for collaborative problem-solving. It should bring together young innovators, students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. The structure can be flexible, combining online collaboration with occasional on-site activities such as bootcamps, workshops, and demo days.
Rather than trying to do everything at once, start with a focused cycle perhaps a 12-week challenge around a single issue. During this cycle, participants explore problems, develop solutions, receive mentorship, and test their ideas. Make sure the environment fosters curiosity, experimentation, and risk-taking.
4. Build Strategic Collaborations
Partnership is key to long-term success. Collaborate with local universities for research support, with NGOs for community access, with tech firms for tools and infrastructure, and with government agencies for policy alignment.
You can also involve NRB-led businesses or diaspora philanthropists to support the lab with funding, equipment, or technical guidance. These partnerships increase the lab’s capacity and credibility, opening up new doors for scaling the initiative over time.
5. Launch Small, Grow Smart
Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Begin with a pilot phase that is manageable but meaningful. Choose one specific issue, build a small team, connect them with mentors, and let them co-create a solution. Document the process carefully what works, what doesn’t, what can be improved. A successful pilot will serve as proof of concept and can attract more partners, mentors, and participants in future cycles.
6. Share Impact, Inspire Others
Once your Innovation Lab is up and running, don’t keep the results quiet. Celebrate the stories of innovation. Showcase the mentors who gave their time. Highlight the young minds who built something meaningful. Use blogs, videos, social media, and community events to tell these stories. This not only boosts motivation but also builds public trust and inspires others to join or replicate the model.
Producing an annual impact report can also help track progress and attract more support. Transparency and storytelling are key to scaling success.
Final Thoughts
Innovation is not bound by borders. When local passion meets global expertise, powerful things happen. An Innovation Lab driven by NRB mentors is more than a development project it’s a platform for co-creation, empowerment, and transformation.
BOND is uniquely positioned to lead this movement. By bridging local innovators with global mentors, we can unlock solutions to Bangladesh’s toughest challenges and do so in a way that is inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready. Let’s begin, not just with ideas, but with action. Let’s co-create a better tomorrow one Innovation Lab at a time.