The National Research Council (NRC) of Sri Lanka celebrated Science Day 2025 on 21 November at the BMICH with a national stakeholder consultative meeting focused on strengthening partnerships between research and industry. This initiative was aligned with the Ministry of Science and Technology’s mission to build a dynamic Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem that supports economic growth and sustainable development.

Established in 1999, the NRC has long recognized the importance of connecting scientific research with industrial needs to translate inventions into impactful products and services. Over the past two decades, the Council invested approximately Rs. 2.7 billion in key programmes such as the Investigator-Driven Grants, Target-Oriented Grants, and Public–Private Partnership (PPP) schemes, supporting research in health, agriculture, engineering, environmental sciences, and other sectors critical to national progress.

The Science Day programme sought to deepen research–industry engagement to address emerging national priorities. Discussions explored how NRC-funded research could better contribute to industry innovation, how policy instruments could support science–industry knowledge exchange, and how Sri Lanka’s industrial strategy aligned with global value chains. The consultative meeting involved 30 selected research and industry partners and included small-group thematic discussions to co-develop a five-year action plan.

Expected outcomes included a draft roadmap for research–industry collaboration, clarity on existing policy mechanisms, identification of research priorities, and an overview of NRC’s contributions to industry-focused innovation.

A Research and Industry Partnership Exhibition also took place, showcasing research outputs, prototypes, publications, and models developed through NRC-funded collaborations.

For further information, please contact the National Research Council of Sri Lanka.