A Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) was signed on 12 August 2026 between the International Training Network Centre of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (ITN-BUET) and Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School (MAWTS), a Trust of Caritas Bangladesh, at the MAWTS campus Dhaka. The partnership aims to strengthen collaboration in sanitation and waste management technology, research, innovation, and capacity building.
Prof. Dr. Rowshan Mamtaz, Director of ITN-BUET, and James Gomes, Director of MAWTS, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Martin Ronald Pramanik, Senior Manager of MAWTS, and Alauddin Ahmed, Project Manager of ITN-BUET. Kazi Amin, Knowledge Management Specialist and Md. Azizur Rahman, Research Officer of ITN-BUET, and four senior members of the MAWTS management were also present at the ceremony.
The SPA establishes a framework for collaboration in a range of areas, including joint research, technology development, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and practical application of appropriate technologies in sanitation and waste management. Also, it will focus on areas including sanitation technology, fecal sludge management, onsite sanitation, solid waste management, resource recovery and circular economy, environmental technology, and climate-resilient solutions.
Under the agreement, ITN-BUET and MAWTS will explore opportunities for joint development, testing, modification, adaptation and demonstration of sanitation and waste management technologies suited to local environmental, technical, economic, and institutional conditions. The partnership will also facilitate prototype development, field testing, technology assessment, demonstration, and scaling of successful solutions. The partnership will also support joint applied research, technical training, workshops, seminars, practical learning, technology demonstrations, and the development of technical and knowledge resources.
The collaboration brings together the complementary strengths of the two institutions. ITN-BUET will contribute its expertise in WASH research, knowledge management, technical capacity development, and professional training, while MAWTS will contribute its experience and facilities in technical and vocational training, engineering, fabrication, and practical technology development.
Following the signing ceremony, the ITN-BUET team visited various facilities and ongoing activities at the MAWTS campus. The visit provided an opportunity to gain firsthand insights into MAWTS’s technical training, engineering, fabrication, and technology development activities, while also identifying potential areas for future collaboration.
The partnership marks an important step toward strengthening the link between research, technical skills, and practical technology development in the sanitation and waste management sector. Through this collaboration, ITN-BUET and MAWTS aim to promote innovation, strengthen professional and technical capacity, and contribute to the development and scaling of sustainable, locally appropriate sanitation and waste management solutions in Bangladesh and beyond.
