The Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) played a central role in a day-long "Workshop on Empowering Educators through Digital Knowledge Enhancement," held at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) on 22 June 2026. Organised under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project, the workshop ran from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and drew faculty members eager to sharpen their digital, research, and cybersecurity skills.

While the programme was organised principally by the HEAT Project, BdREN's contribution shaped the day from start to finish — from the registration desk to the core training modules. As the country's only National Research and Education Network, BdREN supplied much of the technical expertise that gave the workshop its substance.

The programme was chaired by Professor Md. Asaduzzaman and graced by Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Latif, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of SAU, as Chief Guest. Professor Md. Abul Bashar, Treasurer; Professor Dr. Md. Belal Hossain, Pro Vice-Chancellor; and Professor Dr. Jamilur Rahman, Director of the ICT Cell, attended as Special Guests.

In his address, the Chief Guest highlighted the growing importance of digital literacy and research integrity in higher education and commended both the HEAT Project and BdREN for equipping educators with the tools demanded by a modern academic environment. The Special Guests reinforced the call for sustained investment in faculty capacity, secure digital practices, and broader use of online scholarly resources.

Registration for the workshop was handled seamlessly through Orbit, BdREN's own event management platform — an early signal of the network's hands-on involvement. Following the inaugural session and an address by the Deputy Project Director of HEAT, BdREN's leadership and technical experts delivered the heart of the day: a structured series of training modules.

BdREN Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Tawrit opened the technical sessions with a module on the scope of the HEAT Project through BdREN, outlining how the national network supports universities across Bangladesh. Khandakar Rashedul Arefin, General Manager (Systems & Services), then led a two-part module covering BdREN's services and the practical use of Generative AI in academic work.

After the lunch break, Professor Dr. Mohammed Shafiul Alam Khan conducted an in-depth session on cybersecurity, addressing the threats facing academic institutions and the safeguards available to them. Ahmed Al Hossain of BdREN followed with a module on e-journals and plagiarism, spotlighting access to scholarly databases and the importance of academic honesty. The day closed with a session on AI applications delivered by Abu Naser Md. Nafew, followed by an interactive question-and-answer segment and closing remarks.

The workshop reaffirmed BdREN's enduring commitment to advancing digital knowledge and research excellence across Bangladesh's higher education sector. Participants expressed appreciation for the practical orientation of the sessions and the rare opportunity to engage directly with BdREN's experts — a partnership that, under the HEAT Project, continues to bring measurable benefit to universities nationwide.