About Bangladesh Open Source Network
BdOSN | Bangladesh Open Source Network
Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) is a non-profit, voluntary organization. It was launched on 24th October 2005 in Dhaka. The network (BdOSN) is registered with Regitrar of Joint Stock Companies of Bangladesh under Societies Act as "Bangladesh Open Source Network Foundation".
With a vision of promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and ICT skills among the children and youth, especially among the girls, BdOSN has been actively working for nearly two decades to create a collaborative platform to bring volunteers, educators, researchers, technologists, and professionals together to exchange ideas, knowledge, and capacity. BdOSN also holds affiliations and memberships with several prestigious national and international Olympiads. The key mission of BdOSN is to bridge the gap between academia and industry according to the global market need and equip Bangladeshi youth with digital knowledge and skills by creating opportunities.
Our Mission
To harness the potential of Open Source and Open Content philosophy
- for the social and economic development of the country, and
- to prepare the nation to avoid possible significantly negative consequences of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)-related trade repercussions arising from the widespread use of pirated software and content.
Key Objectives
To establish a non-profit, voluntary organization that will offer processes for enhancing the abilities and capacity of individuals, groups, institutions, organizations, societies, and government in Bangladesh by using Open Source and Open Content solutions for their sustained economic and social development.
To promote Open Source and Open Content philosophy in all applicable fields for the social and economic development.
To popularize Open Source and Open Content philosophy in general and Open Source Software (OSS) in particular.
To conduct policy advocacy on Open Source and Open Content to relevant stakeholders including the government, businesses, civil society and general citizens.
To bridge the digital divide among different parts of the nation by facilitating and catalyzing the adoption, development and localization of OSS amongst individuals, groups, institutions, organizations, societies, and government of Bangladesh.
To facilitate translation, localization and development of Open Source and Open Content materials according to national needs.
To organize and assist in organizing various capacity building sessions for translation, localization, development and adoption of Open Source and Open Content materials.
To establish a network of individuals from the academia, private sector, civil society, government, general citizenry and non-resident Bangladeshis (NRB) who will work collaboratively to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
To engage national and international bodies to provide necessary support, collaboration and funding to promote Open Source and Open Content in Bangladesh.
To establish a technical and professional services resource center to facilitate greater adoption of Open Source and Open Content in the academia, government, civil society organizations, and other institutions, including placing students working on Open Source/Open Content projects on internships within the industry.
To establish a "Open Source Software Support Center (OSSSC)" that will house information, resources, CD-ROMs and other syndicated open source materials from local and global sources.
To disseminate Open Source and Open Content materials to large segments of the society through various means.
To develop and maintain a national and international database of key experts and subject matter specialists on Open Source and Open Content.
To develop local capacity and create job opportunities for women and youth in Bangladesh by developing an Open Source and Open Content market.
International Membership and Accreditation of BdOSN
BdOSN holds international membership and affiliation in several prestigious Olympiads:
1. International Robot Olympiad (IRO)—On 20th January 2018, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC), BdOSN officially started its journey as IROC national partner and got authorization to form teams that represent Bangladesh in the platform of the International Robot Olympiad. Since then, BdOSN has been organizing the Bangladesh Robot Olympiad nationwide, and until 2025, BdOSN has proudly led Bangladeshi teams to the international stage eight times, bringing remarkable recognition and pride to the country.
BdRO website –https://bdro.org/
IROC website - https://iroc.org/
2. World robot Olympiad (WRO)—Since 2020, BdOSN has officially started its journey as the national organizer of WRO, organized by WRO association. In 2021, BdOSN organized WROBd national competitions in Bangladesh for the first time. Since than we are organizing the national event as well as sending team to WRO international.
WROBd Website: https://wrobd.org/
WRO Website: https://wro-association.org/
3. International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI)—Bangladesh became an founding country for the International Olympiad in AI which started in 2024. BdOSN is the national accredited organization to organize Bangladesh chapter and select and send the team to IOAI. We sent team to Bulgaria and now preparing to send team to China.
BdAIO Website: https://bdaio.org/
IOAI Website: https://ioai-official.org/
4. International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (IAIO)— In 2024, BdOSN got the membership of IAIO and participated in the International Platform for the very first time. Our students participated in very first IAIO and got 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. The national Olympiad is as IOAI, ie, Bangladesh AI Olympiad (BdAIO)
IAIO Website: https://www.iaio-official.org/
5. World Puzzle Foundation—In 2024, BdOSN got affiliated as the country partner of the World Puzzle Foundation (WPF). From 2025, BdOSN is preparing for the national competition of the World Junior Sudoku Championship and initiating several events focusing on this international competition.