United International University (UIU) is a front-runner in innovation and leadership among the private universities in Bangladesh. The Research & Innovation (R&I) week started with an exclusive seminar held at the UIU Campus in United City, Madani Avenue.

Prof. Dr Md Abul Kashem Mia, Vice Chancellor of UIU, presided over the ceremony. Prof. M Zahid Hasan – Eugene Higgins Prof. of Physics at Princeton University and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences – was present as the Special Guest at the programme. Prof. Emeritus Dr M Rezwan Khan, Executive Director of IAR, UIU and Chairman of Power Grid, Bangladesh; Prof. Dr Hamidul Haq, Dean, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, UIU; Prof. Dr Hasan Sarwar, Dean, School of Science & Engineering, UIU; and Dr Md Zulfiqur Rahman, Registrar, UIU, were also present at the programme. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. Dr Khandaker Abdullah Al Mamun, Director of the Institute of Research, Innovation, Incubation and Commercialization (IRIIC), UIU.

In the programme, Prof. M Zahid Hasan conducted an exclusive seminar titled "Fourth Industrial Revolution and Future Society: The Transformative Impact of Changing Technologies". He discussed the implications of AI, quantum science, and other scientific advancements in the seminar.

Prof. M Zahid has written over 280 peer-reviewed journal articles. He worked at Stanford's SLAC National Accelerator as well as the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is the recipient of the 2020 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award. He has received the American Competitiveness & Innovation Fellowship for leadership in the field of physics from the US National Science Foundation and is listed in the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds" list.