The National Science Foundation (NSF) of Sri Lanka celebrates an unrivaled landmark of 50 years of service to the nation as Sri Lanka’s foremost enabler of science, technology and innovation, under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena.
The country’s apex body powering the execution of scientific research and popularization of science is looking to keep the momentum of empowering Sri Lankan talent and genius through continued government endorsements and investment.
“We are proud to be part of an institution that has for half a century contributed towards the steady intellectual and technological evolution of our country,” said Director General of the NSF, Prof. Ananda Jayawardane.
As the premier driving force in promoting scientific research and innovation for social prosperity in Sri Lanka, the NSF offers an array of grants under basic and applied research, technology and other areas to supplement the financial, physical and manpower resources available in science & technology institutions.
This resulted in the Foundation initiating a National Thematic Research Program (NTRP) that delivers solid and noticeable outputs for socio-economic development in the country, covering key areas that require immediate attention. Technology grants are provided for technology development and startup businesses leveraging innovation to meet future demands. This leads to Intellectual property (IP) creation and technology transfer with further support extended in various forms to protect and manage IP.
Communicating a message of continued learning, the NSF has nurtured a solid intellectual foundation across Sri Lanka by facilitating the establishment of Science Associations in over 900 schools across the island. These associations and practices have since been followed up in universities and research institutions in the country. This drive is further strengthened by the circulation of monthly editorials on science and technology published by the NSF – ‘Vidurawa’, and monographs supporting in the establishment of a knowledge-based society in Sri Lanka. The quarterly issued peer-reviewed publication, the ‘Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka’ and the ‘Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences’ add further value to the scientific knowledge base in the country. The NSF is also behind one of the most advanced, and highly comprehensive knowledge gathering projects in the region – the National Digitization Project, a five-year old project established in 2013 that has seen the digitization of a staggering 3 million science and technology related volumes, manuscripts and books to create an encyclopedic online database for academics and stakeholders to benefit from the distribution of unparalleled knowledge.
Mobitel the leading mobile service provider in Sri Lanka and Commercial Bank – one of Sri Lanka’s foremost private banking institutions, have joined in the celebrations as Principal Sponsors of the event. Other sponsors of the jubilee celebration includes Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC), National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), Sri Lanka Insurance, Bank of Ceylon (BOC), BOC Travels, People’s Travel and Expo graphics.
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