Hon. (Dr.) Chrishantha Abeysena - Minister of Science and Technology

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, twelve key institutions function under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The National Science and Technology Commission (NASTEC) handles policy and planning. For research and development, we have the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD), SLINTEC for nanotechnology, and the Biotechnology Institute. The National Research Council (NRC) funds research, while the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports science promotion and research grants. The Sri Lanka Inventors Commission (SLIC) promotes inventors. Additionally, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) has been established to drive the National Innovation System.

¶ 02 Over Rs. 5,000 million is allocated to the Ministry and its institutions, with a further Rs. 1,000 million for an Innovation Fund to commercialize research and innovation. Beyond our Ministry, other relevant institutions under different Ministries bring the total allocation to Rs. 20.98 billion for science, technology, and innovation in this Budget.

¶ 03 We are grateful to H.E. the President, who has had a futuristic vision on elevating the national economy and the role of R&D, and who gave leadership to formulate a Research and Development Policy to guide the sector. As a result, budgetary provisions have been made for several identified priority fields. The “Science & Technology: Policy Framework on Research and Development for Public Consultation” was presented around September 2023, with its essence reflected in our election manifesto.

¶ 04 We engaged Sri Lankan scientists abroad to draw on their research experience—among them, notably, Prof. Gomika Udugamasuriya—to foster collaborative research and channel foreign human and physical resources to Sri Lanka. Our policy recognizes that Sri Lanka can add value to its resources rather than exporting them raw, thereby earning foreign exchange.

¶ 05 We will update and adopt the R&D Policy as a national policy through NASTEC. NASTEC will identify research priority areas to deliver solutions to current national issues with high impact at low cost, creating a national research agenda and a Treasury-linked funding mechanism for R&D institutions from 2026.

¶ 06 Through the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialization, we aim to rapidly commercialize high-return research outcomes and deliver results to people. Rs. 1,000 million is allocated for innovation and enterprise development. Recognizing the need for a central institutional mechanism to shepherd promising, commercialization-ready research streams, we are strengthening coordination and expect significant outcomes as ongoing and planned work aligns.

¶ 07 For five years, Science, Research and Innovation had no dedicated Ministry and functioned as a section within a large Ministry, lacking resources and facilities. With inadequate oversight, many issues accumulated. We are studying these and planning to achieve higher returns in the coming years.

¶ 08 We have held multiple discussions in the past three to four months with research institutions, universities, public entities and the private sector to commercialize completed research, identify barriers, and coordinate with relevant agencies to resolve them. This year, we expect to commercialize several solutions to national problems. For instance, NIFS researchers’ supercapacitor work is being facilitated towards product development with a suitable investor; we aim to build a rechargeable electric vehicle within this year.

¶ 09 Together with NRC and private partners, we are evaluating commercialization of locally developed antivenom. A committee of experts has been appointed to assess establishing domestic production with the approval of the Ministry of Health and NMRA by year-end. We also convened agricultural experts to assess research aimed at reducing chemical fertilizer use, identifying projects ready for commercialization and those needing further work, with continuous follow-up planned.

¶ 10 On fertilizers: Sri Lanka spends significant foreign exchange to import triple superphosphate and rock phosphate, yet experts hold differing views and substantial local research exists on bio-phosphate, biofertilizers, nano fertilizers, and single superphosphate (already produced domestically). We will coordinate with the Ministry and Department of Agriculture to develop an evidence-based national fertilizer policy and work with industry to expand local phosphate fertilizer production.

¶ 11 There are 41 State institutions conducting field testing under various Ministries. We will coordinate these to reduce duplicative equipment purchases and research duplication, leverage each institution’s specialization, and accelerate delivery with higher returns. Through our institutions, we are expanding science popularization for schoolchildren via Inventors’ Clubs, Science Clubs and Inventors’ Labs. Increasing the proportion of students in science education is vital for development. We will coordinate closely with the Ministry of Education’s new reforms and use 334 Vidatha Resource Centres at divisional level to take programmes island-wide, with NSF, NIA, SLIC, Arthur C. Clarke Institute and the Planetarium implementing a strategic plan with performance targets.

¶ 12 We will work with the Ministry of Education to offer advanced science education not only to popular Colombo schools but also rural schools, using Vidatha centres to take science and technology to villages and to support SMEs in raising product standards. We will link regional NERDC and technology incubation centres, Vidatha centres, universities and testing institutions to support SMEs. We will systematize coordination between proposed business incubation centres and existing technology incubators so services are not limited to universities but benefit the public as well.

¶ 13 University Business Linkage (UBL) cells function to promote commercialization. We learned that modern labs at technology faculties are underutilized; Deans will be convened soon to address this and extend the model to other research faculties.

¶ 14 We have many multilateral and bilateral MoUs; many have not delivered optimal benefits due to poor implementation. We are re-engaging, including actively implementing the India–Sri Lanka cooperation framework. Under the Indo–Sri Lanka Research Programme, we have received 430 research proposals and 208 workshops, to be completed within two years, focusing on projects beneficial to our economy.

¶ 15 We are engaging UN agencies, including UNIDO, to develop Sri Lanka’s STI ecosystem. We have initiated coordination with the Ministries of Power and Health and their agencies to optimally utilize underused government laboratory infrastructure to meet national needs and save foreign exchange. For example, ITI’s petroleum testing facility is being aligned with current requirements in collaboration with the CEB and the Public Utilities Commission. Tests on coal quality, previously sent to India, can now be conducted locally.

¶ 16 With the Ministry of Health and the NMRA, the ITI Pharmaceutical Testing Laboratory has been accepted as an NMRA-recognized facility; MoUs are being finalized to test drug quality amid concerns about substandard medicines. On food safety, our institutions can support sampling under the Clean Sri Lanka programme, and we intend to amend the Food Act accordingly. Thank you.