The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) invited on Saturday applications from IT (information technology) companies and professionals for the 'BASIS National ICT Awards 2018'.
The award will be given to Bangladeshi individuals, students, entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and IT companies developing innovative IT products and services.
Winners of the ICT Awards will also be nominated for the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Award (APICTA) 2018 to be held at Guangzhou in China.
The announcement came at a press conference arranged by the BASIS at its headquarters at Karwan Bazar in the city.
BASIS president Syed Almas Kabir, vice-president (Finance) Mushfiqur Rahman and BASIS director and ICT awards convener Didarul Alam Sunny were present at the press conference.
Speaking at the programme, Mr Kabir said the BASIS National ICT Awards 2018, second of its kind, would be given on IT start-ups, software solutions, big data analytics projects, research and development (R&D), artificial intelligence and other IT products.
He said a total of 105 awards in 35 categories were planned for the winners apart from certificates.
The objective of the ICT Awards was aimed at recognising the outstanding achievements of the country's IT professionals and companies contributing to the development of Digital Bangladesh, he said.
"It is a national event; so, we aren't thinking about only Dhaka but want to take the initiative across the country to develop an innovation ecosystem," he added.
The BASIS president said apart from IT professionals, students of schools, colleges and universities could also apply for the award.
Because, BASIS wanted to encourage research and development in the educational institutions, he added.
Talking about the application procedure, Mr Sunny said the application process would remain open until July 20.
Applications can be submitted visiting the website http://bnia.basis.org.bd/apply/.
The detailed information about the award initiative is available at the website bnia.basis.org.bd.
He also said final results of the award would be announced by August.
Winners of the initiative will bear the flag of Bangladesh at the APICTA Awards 2018 scheduled to be held at Guangzhou in China from October 9 to 13.
A group of experts designated by the BASIS will help be available as mentors for those who developed the winning ICT products and services before proceeding towards APICTA.
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