'Innovations and research vital for development'

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

Innovation and research will steer the country to development since innovations and findings assist the development of any country, Higher Education Minister SB Dissanayake said.

The minister was participating in a programme to commercialize innovations of universities. At the event, new innovations and research findings of universities were introduced to society under the theme 'research commercialization of projects and innovations of universities'.

Several research findings of university students introduced at research symposiums were presented at the research commercialization programme. Besides, several lab-scale innovations were exhibited at the symposium such as food prossessing equipment including a hopper making machine, electricity saving equipment, innovations in engineering and fishing sectors, newly invented agricultural equipments and many more.

Sri Lanka is far behind the development race as we have missed some of multi billion dollar projects in various fields such as technological, agricultural, motor mechanical, medicinal, knowledge-base and so on. Therefore, these research findings and innovations can be considered as development oriented findings, which will definitely add value to the development of the country, the minister said.

"Certain innovations of students are about to venture into the real business environment. These innovations have already received accolades from the private sector.