The project was officially launched on the 2nd August 2008 at a meeting attended by more than 300 people in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Special guests at the meeting were:
• Dr. C. S. Karim, Honorable Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources
• Md. Nur-E-Elahi, Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
• Mr. M. Harun-ur-rashid, Chairman Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council and Director General Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute
• Mr. Roland Hodson, Team Leader, Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP)
• Mr. Abdul Majid Biswas , Director General , Department of Agriculture Extension
• Dewan Intajul Islam Director, Food Crops, Department of Agriculture Extension
• Mr. Abdul Momin, Senior Contracts Manager, CLP
• Mr. Zobairul Haque, Manager Infrastructure, CLP
• Dr. Zobaida Hannan, Executive Director, Jati Andha Kallyan Samiti
• Ms. Nayna Begum, UNICEF

Guests in attendance were from more than 30 different institutions, including:
• Ministry of Agriculture
• NGO Affairs Bureau
• Chars Livelihoods Programme funded by DFID
• Department of Agriculture Extension
• Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute
• Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
• International Rice Research Institute
• Dhaka University
• Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University
• Agricultural Research Council
• UNICEF
• NGOs: CARITAS, Protoy, Holodia, Sheba, ARBAN, SHUSHILAN, MUKTI, PromPT, MAWTS, LDRO, Nari Depita, DIP, DMSKF,TARANGA, RCDS, PUSHPO, SSS, DESH, Faith & Hope, CCDA, PUP, SCA,
• Approximately 40 farmers from communities involved in previous rodent research projects funded by DFID
• Approximately 20 journalists from TV and print media

Further photos of the launch event can be found here.

A modified version of a presentation about rats given at the ceremony by Dr Steven Belmain from the Natural Resources Institute can be found here.

Television stations that telecast the project launch event
• Bangladesh Television (Government Owned)
• Channel I
• Boishaki Television
• ATN Bangla
• Ekusha Television

Video excerpts from the event can be found here.

Print Media who published news about the launch ceremony and the project in response to a press conference held the day before the launch ceremony.
• Daily Ittafaq (Bangla), published August 1st
• The New Age (English), published August 2nd
• Daily Prothom Alo (Bangla), published August 3rd
• Daily Ruposhi Bangla (Bangla), published May 15th
• The Comillar Kagog (Bangla), published May 15th
• Daily Janakhonta (Bangla), published August 3rd
• The Independent (English), published August 2nd
• Weekly Comilla (Bangla), published August 10th
• Daily Shakti (Bangla), published August 2nd

Print media that published a rodent article about the project
• The New Nation (English), published August 4th
• The Independent (English), published August 13th
• The Financial Express (English), published August 1st
• The News Today (English), published July 31st