SLINTEC ACADEMY

Capacity building in Science & Technology in SL holds its first convocation

by Prof. Veranja Karunaratne,

Vice Chancellor, SLINTEC Academy

SLINTEC Academy is having its first ever General Convocation on March 24, 2022 at 11.00 am where six MPhil students in Nano and Advanced Technology and six PhDs in Nano-Science and Technology will graduate.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa who is the State Minister of Digital Technology and Entrepreneur Development in addition to being the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs will be the chief guest. Mr. Ishara Nanayakkara, Chancellor of SLINTEC Academy and Chairman of SLINTEC will preside.

Nanotechnology Research in Sri Lanka

Nano and other Advanced Technologies are fast growing areas of Science and Technology which cover the entire spectrum of sciences (physical, chemical, biological, medical, engineering and agricultural). Specific areas include new materials, coatings, medicine, agriculture, textiles, nutraceuticals, water, food, biotechnology and synthetic biology. Many countries in the world, and particularly countries in the region, and Sri Lanka, have invested in these areas with a view to enhancing national development and training of scientists.

Sri Lanka’s investment into nano/advanced technology started with the inception of Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) in 2008. SLINTEC today is a recognized pioneer in Nanotechnology and Advanced technology research in Sri Lanka. Being the first public-private research institute in Sri Lanka, it has made significant progress over the past 13 years. It holds several ground breaking patents in the area of nano-fertilizer where technology transfer to Nagarjuna Fertilizer Ltd., India, in 2012 was a pioneering event. In addition, research in the apparel sector has led to the filing of several more patents where one in the mineral sector has been transferred to Lankem Lanka Pvt Ltd.

It is therefore, evident that there is a growing demand for a high quality pool of talent to take this effort forward contributing to the economic development of the country. Although, Sri Lanka is well known for its high quality of undergraduate degrees in all sciences, we fall short of producing high end post graduate degrees in sciences. Neighboring India on the other hand, is weaker in the undergraduate programmes while their Masters degrees are world class. SLINTEC ACADEMY aims to bridge this gap.

Project Objective

SLINTEC ACADEMY aims to be a Research Capacity Building Arm of SLINTEC through the offer of post graduate degree programmers in Nano and/or Advanced Technologies.

With the establishment of the SLINTEC ACADEMY in 2018, Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), has taken the initiative of introducing Master of Science (MSc), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree Programmes in Nano and Advanced Technology with the aim to provide high quality post graduate education to graduates of all branches of Science, Engineering, Agriculture & Medicine interested in Sri Lanka and students of other countries in the region.

Recent innovations in technology and scientific approaches to Nano and Advanced Technologies make this an exciting time period to learn and do research in this area. In the MPhil/PhD degree programmes conducted at SLINTEC Academy, the research-led teaching methods allow students to gain cutting-edge knowledge from leading academics. Students also have the opportunity to conduct their own research, from design right through to experimentation. They gather data using state of the art instruments ranging from Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope among a plethora of high end equipment, resulting in data analysis towards publishing research papers in high impact journals.

In addition, students will perform research relevant to industry, working closely with research counterparts from the industry. The carrying of research with industry will maximize the chances of the research output moving into development and eventually to commercialization. Thus, the MPhil/PhD degree programme will train research talent in Sri Lanka while serving the research needs of the industry at the same time. It is envisaged that the recipients of the MPhil degrees will either work within the Sri Lankan industry or seek to advance to a PhD in the best Universities in the world.

Those who complete their PhD may either do research in the industry or join the academia or opt for post-doctoral training in Universities abroad. SLINTEC has proved that it has the full capacity to offer the proposed MPhil./PhD degree programmes which encompasses a high quality course content, effective delivery modes, industry related research and evaluation methods employing a highly competent and motivated team of professionals.

Relationship of SLINTEC

ACADEMY to national priorities

In 1977, Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to open its economy. But we did not succeed in attracting high technology industries. High technology exports form only 1.5% of Sri Lanka’s manufactured exports as against Thailand (27%), Malaysia (55%) and Singapore (57%). Sri Lanka needs a quantum leap in the investments in higher education, research and technology. Human resource development should emphasize demand-driven human capital that is mobile, encourage innovation in education and education in innovation.

R&D personnel in Sri Lanka are rather low. As against the world average of researchers per million inhabitants (894), Sri Lanka’s (237.3) is even below the average for developing countries (374.3). Sri Lanka needs approximately 18,000 research personnel, which is four times the present number, thus calling for a rapid expansion.

National Science and Technology Commission (NASTEC) has come out with a national science and technology policy with a broad vision directed at making Sri Lanka into a prosperous nation of scientifically literate and innovative people with a strong and stable economy based on highly developed scientific and technology capabilities. Although these policies appear pragmatic and progressive, the key challenge, however, is the implementation, which will recognize on one hand, the political will to resource these initiatives arising from the policies, and the institutional structure and strength to implement the policies on higher education training in Science and Technology.

Thus, it is envisaged that the SLINTEC ACADEMY will bridge the existing gap in Science & Technology education and training and provide trained personally to contribute to the high tech exports out of Sri Lanka. The General Convocation of SLINTEC Academy, 2022 is evidence of the success of this R & D capacity building initiative. It bodes well for future technology advances of Sri Lanka.