Four engineering students from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) have received the Honda Young Engineer and Scientist’s (Y-E-S) Award 2025 for their academic excellence and potential contribution to science and technology.

Honda Foundation, in collaboration with Bangladesh Honda Private Limited (BHL), presented the awards at a ceremony at a city hotel on Monday.

The awardees are Sakif Naieb Raiyan, Quazi Tajgir Tahmin Raevan and Md Adnan Rahman from BUET, and Lilatul Barat Siddika from KUET.

Each recipient received US$ 3,000, a medal and a certificate.

The awardees will also be eligible to receive up to $ 10,000 under the Honda Y-E-S Award Plus programme if they pursue further study or training within four years of receiving the award.

The support covers master’s or doctoral programmes and study-abroad opportunities at Japanese universities, as well as approved internships at Japanese research organisations or private companies.

Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh Naoki Takahashi attended the ceremony as a special guest.

SA Abul Hayat, actor, director and writer; Susumu Morisawa, managing director and CEO of BHL; Gaku Azumai, secretary general of Honda Foundation; Shah Muhammad Ashequr Rahman, chief marketing officer of BHL; Yukiyoshi Matsuda, country director of JICE in Bangladesh, and representatives of participating universities were also present.

The Honda Y-E-S Award was first introduced in Vietnam in 2006, followed by India in 2007, Laos and Cambodia in 2008, Myanmar in 2014 and Bangladesh in 2019.

In Bangladesh, the award is open to eligible undergraduate students of four public engineering universities — BUET, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), KUET and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET).

Up to four students are selected each year in Bangladesh.

The programme seeks to promote the dissemination of eco-technology among young people while strengthening interaction and knowledge exchange between Japanese youth and young people expected to lead science, technology and industry in their respective countries.

The Honda Foundation, established in 1977 by Honda founder Soichiro Honda and his younger brother Benjiro, works to promote a humane civilisation through science and technology. Its activities include the Honda Prize, international symposia and the Honda Y-E-S Award programme.

Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) serves as the liaison for the Honda Foundation’s Y-E-S Award programme in Bangladesh.