The National Research Council of Sri Lanka (NRC) was founded by H. E. the President Kumaratunga on 20 April 1999 and Prof. Aries Kovoor was appointed as the founder Chairman.

In July 2007, His Excellency the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, issued a warrant formalizing the establishment of the National Research Council as a Special Agency, exercising the powers vested in him by Article33 of the Constitution, and Prof. Eric Karunanayake was appointed Chairman.

The NRC is a public body which plan and co-ordinates research in the country. It will facilitate research in the public sector Scientific Research and Development Organizations and its researchers through the many programmes it conducts, so as to build, strengthen and derive the maximum benefit for the country’s economic development, and the social welfare of its people.

To achieve these objectives NRC has started many programmes; the NRC Research Grant Programme, the Presidential Awards for Research, the PhD Training Programme, Development of Research Laboratories and the National Development Programme. The new directive will encourage the private sector-public sector partnership in many scientific fields in the country.