The South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Earth Club of North South University jointly organized the Final Round of the Policy Innovation Challenge (PIC) 2024 on Thursday, 05 December, at Audi 801, North South University (NSU). The event commenced at 05:00 PM and was a vibrant showcase of innovative policy solutions and intellectual engagement.
The program was attended by a distinguished audience comprising scholars, faculty members, and policymakers. Honorable Vice-Chancellor of North South University, Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, graced the event as the Chief Guest.
The esteemed panel of judges included Dr. Mohammad Sujauddin, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Science and Management (DESM), North South University; Dr. Rizwan Khair, Associate Professor and Chair (IC), Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS), North South University; Omar Faruque Fahim, Senior Assistant Secretary, Law and Justice Division, Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs; Professor Dr. Dipak Kumar Mitra, Dean, School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS), North South University.
Five finalist teams—Elite Mavericks, Policy Pioneers, Asteroid Destroyer, Team ReZ, and Boundary Breakers—competed in a thrilling final round, presenting innovative policy solutions and engaging in rigorous Q&A sessions. Moderation was skillfully handled by Dr. Abdul Wohab, Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Center for Peace Studies (CPS), SIPG, North South University.
The evening featured welcome speeches by the Earth Club President followed by an introductory speech by Md. Shiyan Sadik, Lecturer, North South University. The Chief Guest, Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, lauded the participants for their creativity and intellectual contributions, emphasizing the importance of fostering a generation of critical thinkers and policy innovators. He said the students’ participation in a policy competition is an innovative approach to give them a platform to learn. He thanked the SIPG and Earth Club for organizing this policy competion and hopes to see more competions like this in the future.
The event concluded with a prize-giving ceremony, where the winning teams were recognized for their outstanding performance. The winning team, The Asteroid Destroyer, won the prestigious first place by winning 50,000 taka prize while the runners-up team were Policy Pioneers who won 30,000 taka. In his closing remarks, Dr. Rizwan Khair, Associate Professor and Chair (IC) of PSS, expressed gratitude to all participants and highlighted the significance of such competitions in shaping future policymakers. He suggested the young policymakers to make their policy briefs backed by logic as this is what is required in the real world.
The Policy Innovation Challenge 2024 stood as a testament to the collaborative efforts of SIPG and the Earth Club of NSU in cultivating intellectual engagement and innovative thinking among the youth. This initiative reinforced NSU’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
