Friendship Cultural Preservation and the Department of Architecture at North South University sign an agreement that will steward them towards enhancing cultural heritage preservation practices.
By Friendship News Desk,
3 September, 2025
On 1 September 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between North South University’s (NSU) Department of Architecture and Friendship Cultural Preservation was formally signed to mark the beginning of a dynamic collaboration that is set to advance cultural preservation, academic exchange, and community engagement. The MoU was signed in the North South University campus.
Col. (retd.) Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud, Chief Operating Officer of Friendship, Nazra Mahjabeen Sabet, Senior Director and CEO of Nodi Limited, and Tanjina Sharmin, Director and Head of Communications at Friendship, were present on the occasion from Friendship’s side. They shared their remarks on the exciting collaboration, highlighting organisational vision, the significance of the partnership, and its outreach possibilities. Dr. Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Vice Chancellor of North South University and esteemed faculty members of its Department of Architecture shared their interests as well. The Vice Chancellor emphasised the importance of cultural preservation. He praised Friendship’s work on heritage, especially those centred around the traditional boats of Bengal. He also praised technological innovations and cross-sectoral work such as Friendship’s mHealth app. The university leadership hopes to explore more avenues of work, expressing interest in developing a small museum to showcase Friendship’s replica boats.
Collaborative Opportunities
The MoU will support the Department of Architecture students and faculty members to explore key heritage sites and working areas of Friendship Cultural Preservation to offer immersive learning experiences. Several awareness programmes and interdisciplinary activities will be designed to ensure integration of cultural preservation into academic curricula and public programming. The University’s Photography Club will play a key role in documenting and creative storytelling regarding cultural preservation. Heritage, crafts, and design-related joint seminars, workshops, and exhibitions will be organised, including further opportunities for fundraising and joint research initiatives. These activities will lay the groundwork for future publications and proposals.
The MoU will pave the way for storytelling on cultural preservation that caters to younger audiences. Student visits, hands-on workshops, and awareness programmes captured through engaging visual content can help promote cross-channel engagement in student networks and clubs. Publications or other research outputs will showcase collaboration and quantifiable impact. Students and interested individuals can see exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses of work such as boat restoration and heritage preservation.
The MoU positions Friendship as a vital bridge between academia and grassroots cultural preservation. It enhances organisational presence in educational and heritage sectors and opens clear pathways for high-quality content socially impactful projects.
