A team of young students from The Tech Academy (TTA) in Dhaka has been chosen to represent Bangladesh at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge (FGC), an international robotics competition. The competition will take place in Panama later this month, bringing together student teams from over 190 countries to tackle engineering challenges using science, technology, and teamwork.
Shams Jaber, the Founder and CEO of The Tech Academy, mentioned that Team Bangladesh finished building their primary robot two months ahead of schedule, allowing them additional time for testing and driver training. They also constructed a second robot one month before the competition by acquiring the necessary components, which will be taken to the event.
The team, consisting of 6 members all below the age of 15, engaged in 100 practice matches and created their own software to monitor performance and simulate real-world scenarios, as reported by The Tech Academy. In previous editions of the FIRST Global Challenge, the Bangladeshi team achieved seventh place globally in 2019 and secured the online world championship in 2020.
The 2025 challenge emphasizes “coopetition,” which involves collaboration within a competitive framework. Teams will create international alliances for each round, with Team Bangladesh conducting alliance practice sessions and collaborating with 15 other countries to exchange performance data and enhance strategies.
During the competition, Team Bangladesh will participate in 10 tasks spread across three days, with a total gameplay time of 25 minutes. The FIRST Global Challenge, established by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), aims to foster innovation, STEM education, and cross-cultural collaboration among high school students.