Sri Lankan Minister of Science and Technology visits

On 20 May, AIT received H.E.
Professor Tissa Witharana, Minister of Science and Technology,
Government of Sri Lanka; H.E.
Professor J.B. Disanayaka, Ambassador Sri Lanka to Thailand and
also AIT trustee; and Professor
Sirimali Fernando, Chairperson, National Science Foundation Sri
Lanka.

Minister Witharana said the visit to AIT was to explore possible
collaboration between AIT and the Ministry of Science and
Technology, Sri Lanka. The Minister expressed interest in
partnering with AIT for extensive collaboration in research and
development projects that are of importance to Sri Lanka,
such as, in the areas of mechatronics, nano-technology, bio-technology
and others. The Minister reiterated that Sri Lanka needed
to develop its competency in advance technologies, where private and
public sector can face the challenges posed by the ever changing
environment. His Ministry is keen to build and develop the capacity of
human resources in advance technologies for which AIT would be an
appropriate partner, both in the short-term and in the long
term.

AIT informed the Minister that AIT could partner with Sri Lanka
in a model similar to the AIT-Pakistan partnership such as the
AIT-Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan
partnership in particular for the development of required human
resources. Similar to the Local Currency Funds of India, Nepal
and Pakistan, AIT officials suggested to the Minister the
establishment of a Sri Lankan Local Currency Fund to support AIT
students / faculty / staff carrying out research in Sri
Lanka. 

In view of the urgent need of the Ministry and the Foundation for
trained manpower, AIT proposed sending a mobile admissions team
to Sri Lanka to identify suitable candidates in the
Ministry, Science Foundation and associated organizations. The AIT team
could also do a quick survey of the developmental needs of the Ministry
and the Foundation, and identify areas of cooperation, including
regular postgraduate studies, professional master’s studies, and
applied research. Integrated bachelor-master’s and integrated
master’s-doctoral programs can be run with Sri Lankan universities. We
also informed the Sri Lankan delegation about the AIT Centers in the
region and the standing invitation by the Sri Lankan Government to
establish one in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Science and
Technology could be AIT’s local partner in the proposed AIT
Center in Sri Lanka.

AIT will be sending a list of possible collaborative ideas along with
relevant concept papers to the Ministry and the Science
Foundation.