Research & Professional Development Center (RPDC) of BRAC Business School (BBS) is a center for relevant knowledge creation and premier professional development center that discovers market insights and create knowledge to be relevant and impactful to the society. RPDC has organized its functions to share knowledge and make impact on human development. It focuses on developing accurate information and programs while maintaining high quality through its structure. RPDC is overlooked by Advisory Board consisting of senior management and faculty members of BBS.
The vision of BBS Research and Professional Development Center (RPDC) is to:
“Become a sustainable and flagship information knowledge center in Bangladesh through promoting collaborative and inter-disciplinary research and democratizing the impactful research outputs, state-of-the-art educational resources, and innovative services to the stakeholders.”
BRAC Business School Research and Professional Development Center (RPDC) will:
1. Support faculty and student research by generating and providing primary data and information, encouraging high-quality interdisciplinary research, preparing grant proposals for external funding, and developing corporate relationships for business consulting and advisory service opportunities;
2. Identify opportunities, frame relevant business research initiatives and develop capacities of faculty members and students – facilitating their outreach to the community through research and strategy consulting;
3. Develop business case studies in the local and regional contexts, across departments and schools;
4. Provide training on state-of-the-art knowledge and best business practices to current and aspiring professionals;
5. Cultivate sustainable development of the local market, ethical use of resource and environment, business and human rights, and corporate social responsibility in Bangladesh;
6. Develop strong relationships and establish collaborations with universities, businesses, government, and non-government sponsors.
While the scope of activities of BBS Research and Professional Development Center (RPDC) will evolve over time, it should include, but not be limited, to the following activities:
1. Encouraging and supporting faculty members to their basic and applied research, and providing guidance, assistance, and comprehensive administrative support in submission of research proposals to various local and international funds and institutes;
2. Generating primary data through applied research that will make a significant impact on the value chain.
3. Hosting research seminars/workshops/masterclasses/lecture series for the students and faculty members from various academic disciplines. It will also distribute and initiate calls for papers, grant funds for research proposal development, seed money for initial research, and publication expenses of books and papers as per rules and regulations by the BRAC University research grant policy;
4. Developing impactful business cases, particularly in the local and regional contexts, that will create valuable practical and contemporary knowledge for student learning;
5. Organizing annual international business conferences as a forum in which preliminary and well-developed research work is presented by scholars of BRAC University and other institutions, encouraging the exchange of ideas and collaboration among researchers from various disciplines;
6. Hosting inter-university business research/case competition for the faculty members and students;
7. Designing and delivering professional development and training programs for individuals as well as custom solutions for organizations which will also serve as a source of revenue generation to keep the center self-sustainable;
8. Awarding best research faculty and student awards at BBS based on predetermined criteria that will promote and enhance the university-wide research environment and culture.
9. Publication of Quarterly BRAC Business School newsletter;
10. Providing research support to attract and retain top-tier faculty and students.