Special program to broaden opportunities for innovation: President

President Maithripala Sirisena says he will implement a special program to broaden opportunities in the market for innovations by empowering innovators.

He was speaking at the Presidential Awards for Innovations – 2016 ceremony, held on 5 February at the Presidential Secretariat.

The President, stating that there was an issue over whether opportunities had been created in the market for innovations brought about by the awardees, said the Government would act according to its policy to encourage these projects.

He said a program would be initiated to provide loan facilities to them through state banks. He directed the minister to present a Cabinet paper declaring a day for innovators in order to create public awareness over the importance of innovation.

President Sirisena pointed out the importance of giving prime consideration to the quality, standard and attraction of the innovations.

“To go forward as a country and a nation, we should give higher priority to our products,” President Sirisena said. “We should end the era when our products were repressed while embracing most things brought about by the influence of the foreign countries which are not suitable for us,” he added.

The awards ceremony was organised by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Research and Technology to encourage local inventors. At this event the President presented awards recognising the best inventions of 2013 and 2014 under different categories.

A.P.S. Lakshman Wijesinghe won the Presidential Award for the best inventor of 2013 for his invention of the coir fibre processing machine.

Nilan Chathuranga Lokuhettige won the Presidential award for the best inventor of 2014 for his creation of the artificial limb.

The President also launched the new website of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission. The Minister of Technology and Research Susil Premajayantha, the Secretary to the Ministry of Technology and Research, R. Wijayalechchumi, the Commissioner of Sri Lankan Inventors Commission, Dr. Mahesh Edirisinghe, the Director, Dinesh Sathrukalsinghe, Professor Carlo Fonseka and others participated in this event.

Pix by Presidential Media Unit