SLES: Connecting untapped resources

The Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES), is scheduled to be held on July 9, 10 and 11 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The fourth session titled 'Connecting untapped resources,' would bring together the universities and the private sector for a comprehensive discussion on bridging the perceived gap between the private sector needs and what local universities have to offer.

Following from session three to increase competitiveness and productivity, the capacities in universities to do research, could be made more productive by encouraging the private sector to source the inputs of universities in their product/market research and direct the university staff and students to do research that is relevant to solving real life issues. Speakers from academia and private sector would present success stories of partnerships between the academia and business, spelling out "dos" and "don't" for other corporates to follow suit.

The keynote speaker for this session, Dr. Gehan Amaratunga, had obtained his BSc from the Cardiff University and Ph.D from Cambridge, both in electrical/electronic engineering. He has held the 1966 Professorship in Engineering at the University of Cambridge since 1998. He currently heads the Electronics, Power and Energy Conversion Group, one of four major research groups within the Electrical Engineering Division of the Cambridge Engineering Faculty. He is a founder of five technology start-up companies.

The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Prof. Ajith De Alwis of the University of Moratuwa.

The Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2013 is the ultimate platform to gain a comprehensive understanding of the country's economy, the investment climate and the diverse opportunities available for investors and businessmen.