Ongoing Projects

Funding Source: European Union (ERASMUS+)

Lead Institution: University of Zaragoza, Spain

Partners: European Policy Development and Research Institute (Slovenia), University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Daffodil International University, Bangladesh, Varna University of Management (Bulgaria),  Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania), The University of Danang (Vietnam), Vellore Institute of Technology (India), Narsee Morjee Institute of Management Studies (India) and University of Hyderabad (India).

Project lead: Dr. Rafael de Miguel Gonzalez (University of Zaragoza/Spain)

ULAB lead: Dr. Sumon Rahman

Project Timeline: 2021 - 2024 (3 years)

Partner Universities:

• University of Zaragoza, Spain
• European Policy Development and Research Institute, Slovenia
• Varna University of Management, Bulgaria
• Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania
• Daffodil International University, Bangladesh
• University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Bangladesh
• The University of Danang, Vietnam
• Quang Binh University, Vietnam
• Vellore Institute of Technology, India
• Narsee Morjee Institute of Management Studies, India
• University of Hyderabad, India

Description: Due to the rapid growth of the knowledge economy, the transfer of knowledge and the internationalization of education (IoHE), research, and services have become an inevitable issue that every higher education institution must focus on. Internationalization of educational markets posed pressure for higher education institutions to actively engage in internationalization initiatives, and ICT “digitalization” often serves as an effective tool for supporting and coordinating their international activities. Besides speed, cost-saving, transcendence of time and distance, and opportunities for cross-cultural learning; effective ICT implementation enables the extension of international relationships, helps adoption of international quality standards, and strengthens ties with institutions abroad.

Moreover, the relationship between the European Union and Asia is of global significance and the ties are likely to increase in the coming years. Asia, with roughly 60% of the world's population, accounts for 35% of the EU's exports (€618bn) and 45% of the EU's imports (€774bn). For both Europe and Asia, growing global interdependence is an opportunity for increased cooperation, peaceful political cooperation, fair and stronger economic relations, comprehensive societal dialogue, and collaboration on international and regional security. Europe and Asia, together, can be the engines of a more cooperative approach to world politics, global stability, and regional economic prosperity. To take a further step in that cooperation, and to unlock opportunities within the global economy, the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and ERASMUS have jointly ensured efficient and sustainable connectivity which is designed to contribute to economic growth and jobs, global competitiveness and trade, and allow people, goods and services to move across and between Europe and Asia. In addition, this will bring enormous opportunities, particularly for the graduate students of ULAB, Bangladesh. This project (HARMONY) puts great importance on extra-curricular learning (through FRIENDS Tea houses and validation of prior experiential learning). The notion that students learn outside the classroom at least as much as in formal settings is considered another novel concept of HARMONY applied in 3 PCs (Thematic content, Pedagogical Methods, and Technology).

For more information please visit:

The ULAB-CQS Harmony Project Website - https://cqs-harmony.ulab.edu.bd/

The Official HARMONY Project Website - https://harmonyerasmusplus.eu

National Conference in India - https://cqs.ulab.edu.bd/2022/03/30/ulab-delegates-participated-conference-mumbai

Study Trip to Bulgaria - https://cqs.ulab.edu.bd/2022/07/28/understanding-internationalization-study-visit-varna-university-management-bulgaria

Study Trip to Lithuania and Spain - https://cqs.ulab.edu.bd/2022/09/27/study-visits-lithuania-and-spain-innovating-international-collaborations

National Conference in Vietnam - https://cqs.ulab.edu.bd/2022/11/10/bridging-connections-ulab-participates-national-conference-hosted-vietnam

Funding Source: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

Lead Institution: University of Liverpool, UK

Lead Investigator: Prof. Atif Rahman

Co-Investigator: Prof. Omar Rahman

Senior Research Fellow: Prof. Din M Sumon Rahman, PhD

PhD Research Fellow: Mahmudun Nabi, Senior Lecturer, MSJ

Area of Focus: Urban slums of Dhaka city

Project Timeline: 2020 - 2024 (4 years)

Description: University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), along with three fellow institutes from Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka has forged a partnership with the University of Liverpool, UK to conduct a four-year collaborative research project titled ENHANCE, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK. The project, led by Prof Atif Rahman and Prof Omar Rahman, sponsors a study on perinatal depression in slums, a major unaddressed public health concern. The prevalence of perinatal depression is quite high in slums, which are home to around 40 percent of the urban population in Bangladesh. However, there is currently no psychological intervention available for these depressed mothers. This study will explore the facilitators, barriers, and requirements, and thus pave the way for delivering through mobile phones, a community-based psychological intervention system for maternal mental health in urban slums, in the context of an acute shortage of mental health professionals in the country as well as widespread social stigma towards mental illness and its treatment. Under this project, a ULAB faculty, Mahmudun Nabi, will be conferred a Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, while Prof Sumon Rahman works as a Senior Research Fellow - such academic collaboration has added a new dimension to tertiary education and research in Bangladesh.