National Innovation Agency - Sri Lanka

ඔබ සැමට සාමය, සතුට පිරි පින්බර වෙසක් මංගල්‍යයක් වේවා!
𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥...!

As we celebrate the sacred Vesak festival, the National Innovation Agency of Sri Lanka extends its warmest wishes to all Sri Lankans and Buddhists around the world.

Vesak commemorates the Birth, Enlightenment, and Passing Away of the Buddha, whose teachings continue to inspire humanity through the pursuit of wisdom, compassion, and mindful action.

The essence of Buddhism encourages us to question, learn, reflect, and seek solutions that benefit society. These same principles underpin innovation, transforming knowledge into value, challenges into opportunities, and ideas into positive impact.

On this Vesak, may we be inspired by the Buddha’s wisdom to foster creativity, embrace lifelong learning, and work together to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future for Sri Lanka.

𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍..... !

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤......

An important discussion was held between the National Innovation Agency (NIA) team, led by Chief Innovation Officer Dr Muditha Senarath-Yapa and the Colombo District Secretary, Mr G. P. Janaka Kumara, to initiate a nationwide innovation networking effort across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka.

This meeting marked the first step of a broader national initiative aimed at strengthening coordination, collaboration, and connectivity among district-level stakeholders to build a vibrant and inclusive innovation ecosystem for the country.

During the session, NIA services and national innovation support mechanisms were introduced to all 13 Divisional Secretaries representing the Colombo District.

A special focus was given to SLINDEX – Sri Lanka Innovation Index, particularly its Provincial Innovation Index component, where districts play a crucial role in ecosystem development, regional innovation mapping, and data contribution towards evidence-based innovation policymaking.

We look forward to working closely with district administrations across Sri Lanka to empower grassroots innovation and strengthen the nation’s innovation capacity together.

Sachie Panawala Navodi Wickramasinghe Thidasi Sepala Dahanayaka Vindya Jayawickrama Wijesinghe Nusaike Mufthie Layanthini Somasundaram Dulith Sandeepa Madhuri Ranaweera

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚.....

On 12th May 2026, the team of the National Innovation Agency Sri Lanka met with the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board to discuss strategic collaborations focused on strengthening institutional innovation and commercialization mechanisms.

The discussion focused on:

🔹 Establishing an Institutional Business Linkage Cell (IBLC)

🔹 Drafting Institutional IP and Commercialization Policies

🔹 Enhancing proper technology commercialization pathways

🔹 Exploring collaboration opportunities under the NIA Innovation Voucher Programme, with the Atomic Energy Board contributing as a service provider

The meeting was chaired by the Chairman and Director General of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, together with senior officials of the institution.
This engagement marks another important step towards building stronger institutional frameworks that connect research, innovation, industry, and commercialization for national development.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.” ❤️

Innovation begins long before laboratories, startups, or research centres. It begins in the hands of a mother. ❤️

Behind every dreamer, creator, scientist, entrepreneur, and change-maker is often a mother who encouraged questions, supported ideas, and believed in possibilities even before the world did.

Mothers are the first teachers of innovation, turning challenges into opportunities, managing with creativity, and building stronger families and communities every single day.

This Mother’s Day, the National Innovation Agency of Sri Lanka celebrates the women who nurture curiosity, inspire creativity, teach resilience, and shape the innovators of tomorrow.

As Sri Lanka moves towards a future driven by innovation and knowledge, we recognise the invaluable role mothers play in creating a generation capable of imagining, inventing, and transforming the world....

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎.....

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලෝකයේ නව්‍යකරණ කේන්ද්‍රස්ථානයක් කරා යන ගමනෙහි ජාතික නව්‍යකරණ නියෝජිතායතනයේ කාර්යභාරය...

හත්වෙනි පැය | Hathweni Peya – (2026-05-06) | ITN News හත්වෙනි පැය | Hathweni Peya – (2026-05-06) | ITN News #හත්වෙනිපැය ITN News | The Official News Portal ...

“𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: 𝐀 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧”

On 30th April 2026, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) held a highly productive meeting with Prof. Indika Karunathilake, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, to explore strategic collaboration in Intellectual Property (IP) management, Technology Transfer, startup generation, and commercialisation.

The discussion placed strong emphasis on supporting the University’s newly established “𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓”, a timely initiative that aims to transform undergraduate and postgraduate research into impact-driven ventures. During this discussion, Dr Asanka P. Sayakkara, the founding Director of Innovation and Startup Incubator, explained the role they are planning to implement within the university. This is exactly the kind of bridge our ecosystem needs: one that connects knowledge creation with real-world value.

The NIA team, led by Dr Muditha Senarath-Yapa, outlined the range of support we can offer, from IP strategy and protection to technology transfer facilitation, commercialisation pathways, and capacity building for innovation-driven entrepreneurship.

What stood out clearly is this: universities are not just knowledge hubs, they are engines of innovation.

When NIA and academia come together with a shared vision, the impact can be transformative.

This collaboration has the potential to be a turning point, unlocking research potential, empowering young innovators, and accelerating Sri Lanka’s journey towards a knowledge-based, innovation-led economy.

Looking forward to building something impactful together.

Thidasi Sepala Dahanayaka Vindya Jayawickrama Wijesinghe Navodi Wickramasinghe

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

It was a pleasure to engage in a productive discussion with Ms Shilpi Jha, Senior Intellectual Property Policy Advisor for South Asia at the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), during her visit to Sri Lanka.
The meeting, held on 28th April 2026 at ITC Ratnadipa, brought together the NIA team, led by our Chief Innovation Officer, Dr Muditha Senarath Yapa, along with Ms Vindya Jayawickrama Wijesinghe, Ms Thidasi Sepala Dahanayaka, and Ms Navodi Wickramasinghe.

Our discussions focused on exploring strategic collaboration opportunities to further strengthen Sri Lanka’s innovation ecosystem, including:
🔹 Enhancing the technology transfer network
🔹 Capacity building and training programmes for IBLs & UBLs
🔹 Supporting the development of the Sri Lanka Innovation Index (SLINDEX)
🔹 Enabling cottage industries to reach global markets through branding and IP strategies

This engagement marks an important step towards building international partnerships that can empower local innovation, strengthen commercialisation pathways, and position Sri Lankan products and ideas on the global stage.

Looking forward to translating these discussions into impactful collaborations.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲–𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 🤝

On 27th April 2026, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) welcomed Dr Asha Wijegunawardana, Director – University Business Linkages (UBL), along with a team of academics from Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, for a productive discussion on potential collaboration and capacity building in Technology Transfer and Commercialisation.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Muditha Senarath-Yapa, Chief Innovation Officer of NIA, who reaffirmed that strengthening technology transfer and commercialisation pathways is a core mandate of NIA. He emphasised NIA’s commitment to supporting institutions and individuals seeking to translate research into impactful, market-driven solutions.

A key highlight of the discussion was the critical role of University Business Linkages (UBLs) within the national technology transfer network. Strengthening these linkages is essential to bridge academia and industry, accelerate innovation uptake, and build a more connected and resilient innovation ecosystem in Sri Lanka.

This engagement marks another step forward in fostering collaborative partnerships between universities and national innovation support systems, ensuring that research outcomes move beyond academia to create real economic and societal value.

𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬

On 23rd April 2026, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) had the pleasure of hosting a study tour for 3rd year students from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University – Faculty of Technology.

During the visit, students were introduced to key pillars shaping Sri Lanka’s innovation journey, including:

🔹 The national innovation ecosystem

🔹 Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and IP management

🔹 Technology transfer pathways

🔹 Commercialisation strategies, with a special focus on Biotechnology

The session provided valuable exposure to how ideas evolve from research into real-world applications — highlighting the systems, support structures, and strategies that drive innovation forward.

Engaging with undergraduates at this stage is crucial. These students are not just learners — they are the future researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who will carry forward and strengthen the innovation ecosystem we are building today.

Study tours like this play a vital role in bridging academic knowledge with practical insight, inspiring students to think beyond theory and envision their role in shaping a more innovative, competitive, and sustainable Sri Lanka.

At NIA, we are committed to nurturing young minds and creating opportunities that empower them to innovate with purpose and impact.

Dulith Sandeepa Nusaike Mufthie Layanthini Somasundaram Sachie Panawala Navodi Wickramasinghe Thidasi Sepala Dahanayaka Madhuri Ranaweera