TUD alumnus finances eight Deutschlandsti­pendien

Dr. Mohammad Kamruzzaman sees particularly high need for support through Corona

Dr. Mohammad Kamruzzaman earned his doctorate at the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Textile Materials (ITM) at TU Dresden and is also very active as an international regional ambassador of TU Dresden in Dhaka (Bangladesh). For several years, he has supported TUD students with German scholarships. The UJ spoke with him about his motives for expanding this commitment again this year.

UJ: How did you become aware of TU Dresden back then, what made you decide to pursue a doctorate at TUD?
Dr. Kamruzzaman: While I was pursuing my bachelor study in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1993, Prof. Volker Rossbach from TU Dresden taught us Textile Wet processing as he was there in Dhaka as an expert under a development project of UNIDO. I got to learn about TU Dresden from Prof. Rossbach (retired from TU Dresden already) and decided to pursue my higher study (M.Sc and PhD.) in TU Dresden.
 
 Did you yourself receive a scholarship at that time?
Yes, I was awarded a DAAD scholarship for my masters study (M.Sc. in Textile & Clothing Engineering)  in TU Dresden, without that support I would never have been able to pursue my higher study. I am deeply indebted and grateful to DAAD for granting me the scholarship.
 
Since when have you been involved with the Deutschlandstipendium and how did you become aware of it?
Being an ambassador of TU Dresden in Bangladesh I receive information about the Deutschlandstipendium and the special activities of TU Dresden regularly. Since 2017, I am involved with Deutschlandstipendium as a sponsor.
 
What criteria do you use for funding – what is your main focus?
Actually I love to support at least one student from ITM (institute of textile machinery and high performance material technology, TU Dresden) every year as I studied there and want to promote Textile education. Rest of the scholarships are distributed depending on special cases.
 
As a sponsor, you can also seek contact with scholarship recipients - do you yourself have direct connections to the students you sponsor?
Yes, I have direct contact with the scholarship holders. The committee of the Deutschlandstipendium shares the contact details of the students. Most of the time I receive gratitude emails from the students.
 
 And what do you particularly like about the role as a sponsor?
 I am very happy to support the young aspirants and help them to chase their dream and realize it with my small contribution.
 
This year you are supporting no less than 8 scholarship recipients – how did this extraordinary commitment come about?
We have been going through an unprecedented disaster where Covid 19 has devastated a lot of families and left them in a deep financial crisis. I feel this is the right time to support more students to pursue their higher studies.
 
As an international alumnus of TU Dresden, you also award some of your scholarships specifically to international students of TUD. What are your reasons for this?
 
International students who come to study in TU Dresden without any scholarship need to arrange their own finances through a part time student job. Unfortunately the scope of student jobs in Dresden is limited.  The support with Deutschlandstipendium for those international students definitely plays a vital role as the students get more time to concentrate on research and study.
 
Do you think it makes sense or is necessary to provide additional support to international students through scholarship programmes, and if so, why?
Considering the financial constraints, I think additional support to international students particularly students from the least developed countries could be considered.
 
Your life is based in Bangladesh – how close are your professional ties to TU Dresden today?
I am closely connected with TU Dresden not only as a sponsor of Deutschlandstipendium but also as an Ambassador of TU Dresden in Bangladesh.  I travel quite often to TU Dresden to participate in international conferences organized by ITM and of course to meet my teachers and friends living in Dresden.