ULAB Strengthens Academic Networks in Pakistan

In May 2026, Prof. Dr. Shamsad Mortuza, Vice Chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), joined a high-level delegation of Bangladeshi university leaders to Pakistan led by Prof. Dr. Mamun Ahmed, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh. The week-long visit brought together leaders of prominent public and private universities from Bangladesh and created a valuable platform for academic networking, institutional learning, and exploring new avenues for cross-border collaboration.

For ULAB, the visit was particularly significant as it opened conversations with universities whose academic priorities intersect with ULAB's distinctive strengths in liberal arts, media and communication, creative industries, social sciences, sustainability, and interdisciplinary education.

Exploring Pakistan's Higher Education Landscape

The delegation visited a diverse range of Pakistani institutions, including LUMS, University of the Punjab, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), FAST-NUCES, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), National University of Technology (NUTECH), and Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (PAF-IAST).

These visits offered the delegation an opportunity to examine different approaches to university governance, quality assurance, research, innovation, entrepreneurship, industry engagement, internationalization, and student and faculty mobility.

At PAF-IAST, the delegation explored laboratories, innovation facilities, and entrepreneurship initiatives, with particular attention to applied research and industry-oriented education. At FAST-NUCES and NUST, discussions highlighted computing, emerging technologies, research, innovation, and university–industry partnerships. The visit to NUTECH provided further insights into skills development and an industry-driven model of higher education.

The engagement with Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) was especially relevant to the delegation's interest in higher-education governance and policy. Discussions covered quality assurance, accreditation, digital transformation, institutional development, research, and mechanisms for strengthening international academic cooperation.

Building Connections with Leading Pakistani Universities

The Lahore segment of the visit created particularly strong opportunities for ULAB to develop relationships with institutions committed to interdisciplinary and internationally engaged education.

At Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), discussions with university leadership and faculty focused on collaborative research, student and faculty exchange, executive education, and other forms of institutional cooperation. LUMS has already developed academic connections with several Bangladeshi universities, providing a strong foundation for expanding regional academic networks.

The delegation also visited the University of the Punjab, where academic leaders discussed opportunities for institutional engagement. The visit provided an opportunity to understand the scale and diversity of one of Pakistan's leading public universities while strengthening connections between academic leaders from the two countries.

For ULAB, these engagements reinforced the importance of developing partnerships that move beyond ceremonial agreements toward sustained faculty interaction, collaborative research, student mobility, and shared academic programming.

Exploring Potential Collaboration with Beaconhouse National University

One of the promising areas for future engagement is collaboration with Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore.

BNU's academic orientation offers considerable potential for partnership with ULAB, particularly in areas where both institutions emphasize creativity, critical inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and engagement with contemporary social and cultural issues.

A future ULAB–BNU Memorandum of Understanding could provide a framework for these activities while allowing individual departments and faculty members to develop specific projects according to their academic interests.

Such an agreement would be particularly valuable because it could connect two institutions that approach higher education through creativity, critical thinking, liberal learning, and engagement with society.