The Science and Techno Ministry has identified key sectors for research and development funding and discussions in this regard have commenced to support those sectors.
Science and Techno Minister Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena said the Ministry of Health has been selected for research funding following discussions held with the Health Ministry officials last week.
He said research and development funding will be primarily for economic or services related sectors supporting the development of the economy and added that research unlike in the past will be commercialised.
He said the research findings have to be taken to the market and transferred to the sectors needed for which local investors will be sought.
The Ministry has taken steps to link seven ministries which included education, industry, plantations, transportation, fisheries, health and environment which will make use of the research work to address issues affecting the ministry.
For example, the Minister said the research and technology will be useful for the transport ministry to solve the growing number of elephant accidents in the country.
“The role of the Ministry of Science and Technology is to check the feasibility, validity and make recommendations to the sectors or ministries using the findings,” the Minister said.
He said the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) and the Ministry of National Resources (MNR) signed an agreement to improve drug quality. This partnership aims to build a stronger regulatory environment for medicines, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system to ensure the availability of safe and effective drugs.
The agreement will also focus on preventing corruption and promoting good governance practices in the procurement of pharmaceuticals, the minister said.
“We hope to reactivate and strengthen Vidatha Resource Centres across the country to integrate them to the national innovation and incubation network which comprises formulating a strategic plan for supervision and performance evaluation of Vidatha officers, enhancing technology transfer through hands on training and fostering stronger links between SMEs and the market,” the Minister said.
The program will be carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Industrial Development Board, EDB, NEDA to support start ups and SME entrepreneurs at divisional secretariat level to enable them to expand their enterprises and move to the export segment.
“We hope to start two to three incubation centres in the country where SME and other entrepreneurs can make use of the centre resources for six months and move on to their own operations. For this we will link universities and launch a national module,” he said.
Scientific research in Sri Lanka is carried out by several research institutions. However, historically, Sri Lanka has been behind its regional peers in research funding, being ranked 89th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.
