SLIC sets up over 6,000 inventors' circles

The Sri Lanka Inventors' Commission (SLIC) held its business meeting and exhibition titled 'Opportunities 2006' to introduce inventions and innovations incubated to finish product level at the BMICH from December 28 to 29.

The SLIC has been organising exhibitions since 2005 at district level to encourage and help innovative and dynamic youth in the country to identify commercially viable products and processes.

The SLIC has set up over 6,000 inventors' circles in schools empowering them with technical know-how, attitudes, skills and seminars. The inventors' circles commencing at school level have increased from 2,000 to nearly 7,000 and has progressed up to university level.

The University of Moratuwa was the first to introduce an inventors' circle and has made tremendous progress with commercially viable innovative products in the fields of food and nutrition, agriculture, construction material and architecture, electrical and electronic technology, textile and garments, energy and disaster early warning systems.

Senior Lecturer University of Moratuwa Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara said the SLIC has identified over 60 inventions and allocated nearly Rs. 30 million to incubate them to the finish product level.

The objectives of the SLIC are to create an innovative tradition, assist inventors to market their products locally and abroad and protect the intellectual property rights of inventors, Dr. Nanayakkara said.

The SLIC has not only organised exhibitions in the country but also abroad. The Geneva Techniques and Products, International Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2006 Malaysia and International Young Inventors Exhibition IYIE) are some of the events that SLIC took part in last year.

Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Rohitha Bogollagama said that the Mahinda Chintana promotes inventions and innovations from primary education.

He said the focus of the SLIC for the new year is to get research institutes such as universities and agricultural centres to transfer their technical know-how to the inventors' circles in schools and youth clubs by launching projects.