APAN Member Highlights

APAN-BD

1. Who are you and which organization are you with?
I am Mohammad Tawrit and associated with Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) as CEO.
2. How long have you managed APAN-BD?
As BdREN, we have been managing APAN-BD since 2014.
3. What are the significant/outstanding achievements/research/projects under APAN?

• We are regular participants in APAN meeting since 2012, I believe. However, our active participation surged since APAN45 as from then after a large number of NREN officials, faculty members and students started visiting APAN conferences on a regular basis. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the tempo was lost. However, we have significant participation even in the Virtual Conferences of APAN from Bangladesh. Our participation is in the form of general audience and also as resource persons.

• Students and Faculty members used to be regular visitors in APAN in-person conferences on fellowship programs where they participated as “Trainers” in different workshops/training programs especially the same arranged by “Medical Workgroups” and also as “Trainees” under various workshops and training programs, in lightening talks and also in presenting papers.

• We executed many projects under Asi@Connect financing. A few of the standout ones follow:

o BdREN deployed eduroam in three (3) universities under XeAP2 project. However, it has been extended country-wide on BdREN’s own financing later on. Through Asi@Connect iFIRE project initiated by AAF, BdREN successfully joined the world of Identity Federation as “TIGERfed”. The journey culminated in the form of joining eduGAIN in the year 2020.

o During the pandemic, when all onsite academic activities came to a standstill across the globe, BdREN could allocate and manage 15,000 of its “on-prem” Zoom accounts under the project "facilitating Distance Learning using Digital Conferencing facility (fDLuDCf)" financed by Asi@Connect and supported by NORDUnet.

o As a continuation of the fDLuDCf project, BdREN initiated another project named "Building eLearning Infrastructure in South Asian Countries (BeLISAC)" which aims to continue the extended facility under the former project to faculty members and at the same time will create scope for female engineers and interns respectively with short-term employment and capacity development facility.

o Recently BdREN along with LEARN has completed an analysis regarding Need Assessment of different NRENs which was funded by Asi@Connect. Based on this report, a Maturity Model Calculator has been developed which is publicly available to calculate the level of maturity of any NREN.

o BdREN drafted the Asi@Connect compendium for 2018 and 2020 and is now in the process of developing the electronic version of the compendium which will be available anytime soon provided the nodding is received from TEIN*CC.

o Very recently BdREN successfully completed hosting the APAN53 events.

4.What are your plans for APAN-BD?
BdREN would like to serve APAN within its capability and capacity. The technical expertise that has been gathered through arranging APAN53 conference in “Hybrid” format can be shared with any other future APAN hosts.

5. How do you think APAN should improve, develop and add to what it does?

• First of all, we reckon that all NRENs across Asia-Pacific should be APAN members. That should be APAN’s primary target.

• Considering APAN as a permanent entity, all initiatives taken for the betterment and nourishment of the NRENs across Asia-Pacific should be conducted under APAN. In that respect APAN should be in charge of projects like Asi@Connect.

• APAN should start thinking about the future of Asi@Connect project. Now TEIN*CC is taking the initiative which I believe should have been the responsibility of APAN.

• The activities under APAN working groups should be accelerated. It is our observation that the activities of the working group only revolve around a few presentations in the six-monthly APAN summit. Those activities could be further strengthened through active participation from the members with more frequent meetings in-between the summits.

• APAN may focus on addressing the needs as evolved from the NNA study with particular focus on “widespread” needs which encompass most of the NRENs. This might also create a revenue generation scope for APAN and the NRENs will find the necessary encouragement to join APAN. It’s a better policy that NREN should be a member of APAN to get any facility provided under any project like Asi@Connect. Exclusive payment for Asi@Connect and APAN membership should be avoided.