SLT and Uni. of Peradeniya sign MoU to carry out collaborative research, set up ICT R&D centre

Sri Lanka Telecom, the national telecommunication service provider entered into a landmark agreement with the University of Peradeniya, one of the top-ranked universities in Sri Lanka which is also well known for its cutting-edge research, to carry out collaborative ICT research projects as well as to establish a new state-of-the-art R&D centre at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Peradeniya. The MoU was signed recently at the University by University of Peradeniya Vice Chancellor Prof. Upul B. Dissanayake, and SLT Chief Business Innovation Officer Tilak De Silva. This futuristic step was undertaken with the main vision of providing a suitable platform for researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to come together to engage in research and development activities.

Prof. Dissanayake, sharing his views on the partnership said: “University-Industry collaboration has been of great importance today more than ever before, due to the fast-evolving nature of industry as well as industrial practices. This requires intensive use of knowledge as well as research. As a result, high-quality human resources become a vital need. This partnership and this research facility will enhance the availability of highly qualified human resources in the areas of R&D within the country. It will also build a strong relationship between the university network and the industry, thus creating synergies for the benefit of many multi-disciplines and many segments of people in our country.”

Speaking on the partnership and the long-term objectives of the initiative, De Silva said, “There is a growing need for innovation and development in ICT to match rising world expectations. Further, the rapid development of technology and industry can exert pressure on our graduates to meet the growing demands of the corporate sector, which they could find difficult to meet, due to their lack of exposure. This partnership and this new envisioned R&D centre will provide the ideal platform for this: to provide the required exposure to graduates, as well as to establish a multi-disciplinary research centre for ICT R&D. From SLT’s point of view, this MoU will help us to further our views for creating a network to enhance ICT research and development in Sri Lanka, thereby opening up a number of avenues for global socio-economic development.”

This landmark agreement will help develop a mutually beneficial framework so that SLT can provide support in the form of material, finance, human resources and testing facilities to the University to conduct research activities. SLT is confident that this partnership will help undertake collaborative research which will not only contribute towards improving the quality of telecommunications in Sri Lanka to provide better services to the public, but will also play a key role towards contributing to R&D research within a global context. 

Amongst those who participated at the MoU signing from the University of Peradeniya included: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Head Prof. Manjula Fernando, Prof. Kithsiri M. Liyanage, Prof. Disala Uduwawala, Faculty of Engineering Acting Dean Dr. G. B. B. Herath and several other senior lecturers. From SLT’s side, participants included: Deputy Chief Business Innovation Officer P. W. Sarath, GM (Quality Management & Information Security) Indika Gunawardana, DGM (Sales CP & NCP) Mangala Bandaranayake, Senior Engineer Anuradha Udunuwara and several other engineers attached to the project.