Samsung R&D centre in city recruits 600 software engineers :: Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh
Samsung R&D centre in city recruits 600 software engineers
To recruit 400 more by 2014
Published : Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Jasim Khan
Korean conglomerate Samsung established a research and development (R&D) centre in Dhaka, from where the company supports most of its factories in Asia and Middle East.
Samsung R&D Institute Bangladesh (SRBD), situated in Gulshan, is the 12th and the newest R&D centre of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. It is the first IT-based R&D centre in Bangladesh, and first R&D hub of a multinational company in the country.
The SRBD has already recruited about 600 software engineers, and going to recruit 400 more engineers within 2014, its managing director N K Lee told The Financial Express (FE).
"The centre develops software for mobile devices marketed in Asia, Africa and Australia. It also focuses on advanced technologies and conducts other IT researches. In Bangladesh, our target is to become the best R&D centre in the world," Lee said.
He said operation of the company started in June 2010, and was officially inaugurated in February 2011. The company changed its name from Samsung Bangladesh R&D Centre Ltd to SRBD on 1st January 2013.
The SRBD is going to use the potentials of Bangladeshi IT industry and software engineers. The centre will have a synergy effect, as the company will train the engineers and market its products in the region, Lee said.
Korean Ambassador Lee Yun-young told the FE that the centre, the Seoul-based company's second one in South Asia, will expedite the government's journey towards implementing the 'Digital Bangladesh' vision.
"Bangladesh and its IT industry have immense potentials. Unfortunately, limited opportunities have been opened for local skilled graduates, who are quite considerable in number, to work for big IT companies."
The ambassador said Samsung aims to utilise strengths of the skilled workforce of Bangladesh by actively responding to the rising calls of those, aspiring to put to test their software-related capabilities.
Local talents are leaving Bangladesh to get world-class jobs, and consequently the country is losing its skilled human resources. The R&D centre will open a world of opportunities for them and the industry, he added.
The ambassador hoped that this pool of software engineers will be very important for the country's economic development in the future.
He said the project would have great implications in local ICT sector and bilateral relations between the two countries.
"The Bangladesh government should come up with full-fledged support to make it a win-win venture."
Kiho Kim, global head of digital media and communications for R&D centre of Samsung, said the 'Digital Bangladesh' vision of the government has brought a great opportunity for its people and IT industry.
"This centre will help attract other global companies to set their R&D centres in Bangladesh."
He said Samsung has taken a right decision by choosing Bangladesh as the destination for its second R&D centre in South Asia.
