Our vision to make Sri Lanka technologically advanced by 2020:

Economic development through research

Making Sri Lanka a scientifically and technologically advanced country in the region by year 2020 is the vision, Technology and Research Minister Prof Tissa Vitarana said at an interview with Daily News.

Following are excerpts:

Dinesh DE ALWIS

Q: What is the present status in your Ministry?

A: The Ministry has been renamed to some extent. Earlier it was the Science and Technology Ministry, now it is called Technology and Research. It is now added with extra weightage on enhancing Research and Development which is essential for the economic development of the country.

We are soon planning to improve the quality of products and services through Research and Development, so we can advance as an economic force. At the same time government policy is to promote Information Communications Technology. This will facilitate acquiring new knowledge and also transmitting knowledge. But we have to create our own knowledge. To create it, ICT will facilitate the process and we have to do Research and Development which will create potential to a meaningful economic development.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that “We have won the war against terrorism and now we have to win the war to achieve economic development”.

I am happy that several institutes earlier not attached to our Ministry has been brought in. The Atomic Energy Authority has been transferred to the Power and Energy Ministry. Some research institutes which are under President Mahinda Rajapaksa were transferred to this Ministry. They are National Research Council, Institute of Fundamental Studies and Sri Lanka Investors’ Commission.

I think this could enable better coordination with others and lead our research in a new direction.

Q: Developing countries are spending more money for Research and Development, why have we failed to do that?

A: My hope is that war is over and money for funding the war is not needed anymore. More funds will be directed to Research and Development. Unfortunately we are only allocating 0.14 percent from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Research and Development related to Science and Technology. We need to increase this to at least one percent. The government will pay attention to this and we can create a technology which will develop our economy.

Q: You mentioned about an Economic war. How does your Ministry plan to win the Economic war?

A: We have already focused on using advanced technology. The importance of advance technology is that in terms of the efficiency and quality it is 10 to 20 times greater than ordinary technology. Countries that have developed in the past decades increased their investment to produce their own Advanced Technology. This is reflected by their exports. For instance, in Sri Lanka only 1.5 percent of our exports are in cooperation with Advanced Technology. In Thailand, 27 percent of exports consist of Advanced Technology and in Singapore and Malaysia the rate exceeds 50 percent.

In 1960, South Korea had a US $ 84 per capita income. At that time Sri Lanka had US $ 320. Last year under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa it continued to double and went up to $ 2,200. But South Korea it is $ 30,000 now.

When the waves of ICT and micro-electronic switch the world 30, 40 years ago, other countries provided facilities to their scientists to do research and to develop these fields. They gave salaries and various benefits to these scientists who served abroad to return to their home countries. They brought the latest world-class knowledge of Science and Technology back to their county. Utilizing that government established world-class laboratories and give them the necessary infrastructure and equipment to continue their research.

As a result there was a tremendous development of technology.

During the war period, the Government gave priority to the wellbeing of soldiers and Police and also gave the necessary support. I am sure our scientists will be given the same facilities. If we give them the necessary support and facilities we can win the Economic war.

To be continued