Saturday Aug 16, 2025
Saturday Aug 16, 2025
Saturday, 16 August 2025 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Government intends to double down on efforts to strengthen Sri Lanka’s position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) after slipping to 89th place among 133 countries in 2024, down from 85th in 2022.
Under the guidance of the National Innovation Agency (NIA), which operates under the Science and Technology Ministry, an advisory meeting on GII data requirements was held on 14 August at the BMICH. The meeting brought together senior public and private sector officials from science, technology, education, and industry, with the aim of engaging all stakeholders in elevating Sri Lanka’s position in the index.
The GII is compiled annually by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, a United Nations agency, and measures innovation performance using 80 indicators under seven key pillars.
In the 2024 edition, Sri Lanka’s highest rankings are in infrastructure (66th), knowledge and technology outputs (79th), creative outputs (84th), and business sophistication (87th). It ranks lowest in human capital and research (110th), market sophistication (109th), and institutions (101st).
Discussions focused on enhancing the country’s global competitiveness, attracting investment, and positioning Sri Lanka as a hub for knowledge, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Officials stressed the importance of fostering a culture of research and development, strengthening public-private partnerships, and building a robust innovation ecosystem aligned with national priorities to move towards a research, technology, creativity, and innovation-driven economy.
Participants included representatives from major ministries, national institutions, universities, and leading private sector entities that serve as primary custodians of the data needed for the index. The program highlighted the need to close data gaps, improve coordination, and define clear roles for all stakeholders to support the country’s innovation performance.
Following the inaugural session, an interactive segment was held to develop a sustainable national mechanism for data collection and reporting, with the goal of ensuring Sri Lanka’s innovation capacity is accurately reflected in the GII.
Among those present were Science and Technology Minister Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena, NIA Governing Board Chairman and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Science and Technology Secretary Y.L. Mohamed Navavi, and other senior representatives from key national institutions.
