United International University (UIU), with support from the IEEE UIU Student Branch, hosted the Extended BEAR Summit 2026 at its campus on Friday (July 24) as a precursor to the National Semiconductor Symposium and BEAR Summit 2026, says a media statement.
The event brought together globally renowned researchers, academicians, industry leaders and innovators in biotechnology, electronics, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and semiconductor technologies, providing UIU students with an opportunity to interact with international experts.
The summit served as a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration and innovation, while strengthening links between Bangladesh's academic community and leading global technology experts.
Delivering the inaugural address, Prof Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, professor at Purdue University and Chief Architect of Silicon River and BEAR, highlighted the importance of international collaboration, research-driven innovation, academia-industry partnerships and talent development in building Bangladesh's semiconductor ecosystem.
The event featured plenary sessions by Dr Ahmed Bahai, Chief Technology Officer of Texas Instruments, and Prof Dimitri Peroulis, Senior Vice President of Purdue University Online. They shared insights into semiconductor technologies, artificial intelligence and the future of higher education.
Keynote speakers included Bich-Yen Thi Tran, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Semiconductor Professional Association (VSPA), and Jayavel Pachamuthu, Distinguished Engineer at SanDisk. Their presentations focused on technological leadership, semiconductor innovation and next-generation memory technologies.
The programme also included lightning talks by experts from Applied Materials, CREDO, Arizona State University, NXP Semiconductors and YES. The sessions covered semiconductor manufacturing, advanced electronics, research commercialisation, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
An interactive question-and-answer session encouraged discussions on academia-industry collaboration, international research partnerships, talent development and Bangladesh's growing role in the global semiconductor value chain.
Among those present were UIU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Abul Kashem Mia, Professor Emeritus Dr M Rezwan Khan, Executive Director of IAR and former Vice-Chancellor of UIU, along with faculty members, officials, students, researchers and distinguished guests.
The summit concluded with a networking session and a research poster exhibition by fellows of the Center of Research Excellence in Semiconductor Technology (CREST).