Sri Lankan government to hold “Shilpa Sena” to promote science and technology and attract foreign investors
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Research has reportedly organized an exhibition, “Shilpa Sena,” in a bid to promote science and technology among the public and help innovators find investors to fund the manufacture and marketing of their products.
“The main objective is to create a platform to pass the knowledge to the general public and to connect innovators with the private sector and entrepreneurs for more business opportunities,” Sri Lanka’s Minister of Science Technology and Research Sujeewa Senasinghe has told the media announcing the launch of the exhibition next week.
“Shilpa Sena” will have its first exhibition on Thursday (19) at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo. Over 500 innovations selected by Sri Lanka’s Innovator’s Commission under the programme “Sahasak Nimawum” are to be presented to the public and investors through this exhibition.
According to the Ministry, the exhibition is be based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education (STEM) under four major clusters called tech zone, innovations, job fair and edutainment.
The Ministry further hopes that the covering of 12 main technology themes will be a better and simple way for the public to learn about technology.
“By making this exposition available for the private sector and for the entrepreneurs we hope to make most of these innovations a sellable product,” Minister Senasinghe has said at a news conference.
“If anyone is interested in starting a business using these ideas we have planned to help them with their production process as well,” he has added.
Ambassadors and other foreign government representatives will be invited to attract foreign investors and expand the market for products showcased at the exhibition.
OSL take:
The government of Sri Lanka has given much prominence to the field of research and development. It is an area that is yet to be tapped of its full potential. “Shilpa Sena” would therefore provide the ideal platform for foreign businesses/investors to meet new inventors and manufacturers, who would provide an ideal business/investment opportunity. Sri Lanka has recorded the highest literacy rate in South Asia and has an impressive track record in the field of higher education as well. Sri Lanka’s easy access to the world and its geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean has made it an ideal business destination. Hence, foreign businesses/investors could explore the untapped sector of science and technology in Sri Lanka.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/17072019/Z_3 |