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Cracking the Code: Why women’s innovations are lagging behind in Sri Lanka

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3 years ago

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By Dilani Hirimuthugodage

“I do not intend to get a patent right for my invention as I do not want to disclose my research findings and methodologies to the public domain”, stated a female researcher who has discovered a solution for dengue fever.

Like her, many female innovators are unwilling to obtain Intellectual Property (IP) protection and commercialise their innovations for various reasons. One of the significant issues is the insufficient understanding of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and their application. Given that this year’s World IP Day, observed on April 26, focuses on “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity”, it is timely to explore the state of women’s innovations in Sri Lanka and consider possible strategies to promote better IP protection for women’s creativity and innovations.

Women in Innovations

The number of patent applications issued to women is a crucial and commonly used indicator to determine their involvement in innovation. However, Sri Lanka does not have gender-specific patent application data. Based on approximate calculations, the number of individual female patent applications fluctuated between 2010 and 2022, averaging nearly 25 patent applications per year in the last five years (Infographic 1). This represents only 8% of the total patent applications during that period.

Globally, women’s patent applications are less than men’s; in 2020, nearly 16.5% of international patent applications were filed by women. Sri Lankan women appear to do poorly, especially compared to their Asian counterparts, where women’s applications represent 17.7% of total applications, with China and India leading the way.

Infographic 1:

Gender Disparity in Sri Lanka’s Patent Applications (2010-2022)

Why are Women’s Innovations Low in Sri Lanka?

Women’s involvement in research and development (R&D) activities, one of the key components of innovations, is at a satisfactory level in Sri Lanka. According to the National R&D survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2020, nearly 50% of researchers in the country are females. This figure is the highest percentage when compared with other South Asian countries. However, in total, the output indicators of R&D, such as the number of patents, journal publications, commercialisation, etc., are low in Sri Lanka. Further, the low number of female patents reveals that most women are involved in less patent-intensive fields, such as natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. Moreover, female researchers are uninterested in commercialising their inventions or using them for commercial purposes. There could be several reasons for this, such as a lack of awareness of IPRs and their importance, lack of incentives and institutional support for research commercialisation, and lack of targeted programmes to promote women’s innovations.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are the core fields of innovation. Female STEM education in Sri Lanka is relatively good. According to the University Grant Commission (UGC) statistics, in 2017, women comprised 49% of undergraduate enrolments in STEM subjects in local universities. Yet very few women work or lead in STEM-related fields. This could be attributed to negative stereotypes surrounding girls’ competencies in subjects like mathematics, engineering, and information technology, as well as social, cultural, and gender norms.

Moreover, women’s participation in Sri Lanka’s creative industry sector is nearly 36%, with significant contributions in the product, graphic and fashion design and craft sectors. Nonetheless, the Creative and Cultural Industries in Sri Lanka report reveals that women’s awareness of IPRs, even within the creative industry sector, is very minimal.

What Needs to be Done?

IPRs play a major role in encouraging innovation and creativity as they help to turn an idea/solution into a commercial opportunity. In Sri Lanka, there is clearly a need to encourage more female participation in patent-intensive R&D fields (such as medical sciences, engineering and technologies) and commercialisation. ‘Technology Transfer and Commercialization Units’ in universities and research institutes should collaborate effectively with key stakeholder organisations such as the National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO), World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), and the National Innovation Agency (NIA) to create awareness amongst women innovators and to support them in managing IP related commercial activities. Furthermore, Sri Lanka can promote gender-inclusive innovation policies by introducing special programmes encouraging women’s participation in R&D activities and commercialisation, including national awards and incentive schemes in universities and research institutes.

Women’s participation in STEM fields and careers should be promoted by providing scholarships and introducing mentoring and development-oriented programmes. Furthermore, the importance of IPRs should be taught in secondary school and university curricula. This fact was highlighted by a young female inventor with more than 60 patent rights in Sri Lanka. She noted that “an inquisitive mind and a thirst for knowledge from school age have encouraged me to innovate. Creativity should be encouraged at the school level”.

It is of utmost importance to raise awareness and strengthen knowledge on access to IPRs amongst women innovators in Sri Lanka. This could be done by establishing women-focused support networking systems, collaborations, learnings through selected role models, mentorship and funding programmes. Countries such as India (Women Scientists Scheme (WOS) by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)), Singapore (Women in Science (SgWIS) organisation), China, and South Korea have programmes and organisations tailored explicitly for women innovators.

Lastly, it is crucial to maintain an accurate and current database of women’s patent applications at individual and group levels at the national database system of NIPO. Simple modifications to patent applications could facilitate this process. In addition, having such a database would be valuable in developing policies specific to women’s innovations.

Link to the full Talking Economics blog: https://www.ips.lk/talkingeconomics/2023/04/26/cracking-the-code-why-womens-innovations-are-lagging-behind-in-sri-lanka/

Dilani Hirimuthugodage is a Research Economist at IPS with research interests in Agriculture and Agribusiness Development, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, and Intellectual Property. She holds a BA in Economics with a Second Class (Upper) and Masters in Economics (Distinction Pass) from the University of Colombo. In addition, she is a part-qualified candidate of CIMA-UK. (Talk with Dilani: dilani@ips.lk).


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Sri Lanka’s lifestyle coffee culture boom and the two faces of its economy

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7 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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Cutting the cake for outlet number 100 - a symbol of urban commercial revival set against a backdrop of wider household economic recovery.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

On Baseline Road in Colombo, Barista Coffee recently opened its 100th outlet. For a modern café culture spreading across shopping centers, office districts, and provincial towns, this milestone is a major commercial success. It shows a thriving urban service sector and a growing class of lifestyle consumers who use coffee shops as places to work, socialise, and meet.

This is a curious new picture emerging from Sri Lanka’s post-crisis economic recovery: the coffee cup is getting bigger, even as the household tea cup tells a very different story.

Yet, looking past the espresso machines, a different reality unfolds in the country’s kitchens.

International financial institutions note that while Sri Lanka’s macro-economy is recovering, household welfare and employment remain below pre-crisis levels. Poverty rates sit at roughly double what they were in 2019, and food prices doubled over a three-year span, forcing families to cut back on essentials.

This creates a striking local paradox, especially given Sri Lanka’s proud heritage as a global tea producer. While the world pays top dollar for Ceylon Tea, local market studies and industry reports have long pointed out an unfortunate disparity: many ordinary families find high-quality tea too expensive, often settling for lower-grade alternatives at home.

The growth of a 100-outlet coffee network does not mean prosperity has spread evenly across the island. Instead, it proves that there is a specific, well-resourced segment of consumers with the purchasing power to sustain a premium lifestyle economy, even as many other households carefully calculate the cost of everyday groceries.

Barista’s 100th store is not a bad-news story; it is a testament to acute entrepreneurial grit, shifting consumer behavior, and the vital revival of the nation’s urban service sectors. But it serves as an uncompromising reminder that macroeconomic stabilisation is not synonymous with household recovery.

As Colombo’s coffee culture looks toward its next hundred outlets, the true pulse of the nation’s economic health will not be measured by the espresso machines humming in sleek urban hubs, but by the quiet arithmetic happening in millions of kitchens beyond its doors – where the fundamental question remains whether a family can comfortably afford a better cup of Ceylon Tea.

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Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings Rs. 5 billion debenture issue oversubscribed on opening day

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7 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC announced that its maiden listed, rated, unsecured, senior

redeemable debenture issue was oversubscribed on its opening day, 15th September 2026.

The Company sought to raise Rs. 3 billion through an initial issuance of 30 million debentures at Rs.

100 each, with an option to issue a further 20 million debentures in the event of oversubscription of the initial issue, increasing the total issue size to Rs. 5 billion.

The Company said it had received applications for more than 50 million debentures, the full amount on offer, prompting the issue to close at 4:30 p.m. on the opening day (15).

The basis of allotment will be announced to the Colombo Stock Exchange as per regulatory requirements in due course.

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GCF urges Asia to turn climate pledges into bankable projects

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7 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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The climate leaders’ gathering in Colombo.

By Ifham Nizam

The widening gap between climate commitments and actual projects on the ground has come under the spotlight in Colombo, with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) calling for a decisive shift from pledges and plans towards implementation, investment and measurable climate impact across Asia.

Some 150 climate leaders, government representatives and development partners from East and South Asia have gathered in Colombo for the GCF’s Regional Dialogue, as developing economies across the region seek greater access to climate finance to strengthen resilience, accelerate clean investment and protect vulnerable communities from intensifying climate impacts.

The dialogue has also given Sri Lanka an important platform to highlight the financing challenge confronting a climate-vulnerable economy seeking to strengthen resilience while rebuilding economic capacity.

Opening the dialogue, Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi called for moving ‘from pledges to projects, from plans to implementation, and from ambition to impact,’ stressing that transformative climate action would require stronger partnerships, increased climate finance and greater support for adaptation.

His message carries particular significance for Sri Lanka, where climate-related disasters increasingly threaten agriculture, water resources, infrastructure, livelihoods and economic activity.

For a country with limited fiscal space, financing climate resilience entirely through domestic resources remains a major challenge. International climate finance therefore has the potential to become an important source of investment for projects designed not only to reduce emissions but also to protect communities and economic assets from increasingly severe climate shocks.

The Colombo dialogue provides an opportunity for Sri Lanka to strengthen its engagement with the GCF and other development partners while highlighting the need to convert national climate priorities into credible, investment-ready projects.

The GCF said its portfolio across Asia and the Pacific currently comprises 129 projects in 36 countries, supported by USD 5.8 billion in GCF financing. It has also approved USD 163 million in Readiness support to help countries strengthen their institutional capacity and ability to access climate finance.

These figures underline the growing scale of climate investment in the region, but they also highlight the importance of countries developing strong project pipelines capable of converting available finance into implementation.

For Sri Lanka, this is likely to be one of the most important dimensions of the current climate-finance discussion.

Projects aimed at strengthening climate-resilient agriculture, water management, disaster-risk reduction, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure and ecosystem protection require significant upfront investment.

Access to concessional and climate-focused international finance could help reduce the burden on public finances while enabling projects with long-term economic and environmental returns.

The need for adaptation finance was reinforced by the opening of the Colombo dialogue, which began with a moment of remembrance for those affected by last month’s glacial flood disaster in Nepal.

For Sri Lanka, a more country-responsive climate-finance system could be particularly valuable at a time when investment needs are high but public resources remain constrained.

As the GCF begins its third replenishment, the real measure of the next phase will therefore be whether climate finance can move faster from international commitments to national projects—and ultimately from project documents to tangible results on the ground.

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