Nano Centre now ready
Ramani Kangaraarachchi
A fully-fledged Nano Centre worth Rs 700 million at the Sri Lanka
Institute of Nano technology (SLINTEC) is now ready to give Sri Lanka a
new competitive advantage as an emerging innovative industrial power by
using research and development to infuse nanotechnology based solutions
into local industries.
|
Ravi Fernando |
SLINTEC CEO, Ravi Fernando said that the Sri Lanka nano technology
initiative was launched in 2007 with the setting up of a nanotechnology
company NANCO with BOI status and NANCO will become a holding company in
the proposed science park in Homagama on a 60 acre land where new
nanotechnology inventions will be commercialized by interested private
sector companies by 2012
He said that the modern laboratory equipment with state-of-the-art
technology was installed recently at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nano
Technology (SLINTEC) and this was possible because the Government has
identified Nanotechnology as a priority research area. He said that
scientists can make a huge difference in national development by helping
to exploit good technology.
Hence it should be implemented with care and synergy with the
environment and a careful life cycle analysis of products.
SLINTEC is a private company set up jointly with 50 percent
contribution by the Government and five joint venture partners namely
Hayleys, MAS Holdings, Brandix, Loadstar and Dialog equally investing
the rest.
The Ministry of Science and Technology is the focal point of the
Government investment which will oversee the responsibilities through
the National Science Foundation and SLINTEC will provide an industrial
platform based on nanotechnology solutions within three years.
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of nano structured materials and
these nano materials possess very different physical, chemical,
electronic or optical properties compared to their bulk state.
Thus Nanotechnology provides the tools to do cutting edge research
where it becomes an enabling technology encompassing chemistry, physics
and biology, he said. |
