Research institutes should open doors to technologists - ICC President

by Gamini Warushamana

All major research institutes in Sri Lanka have failed to cater to the needs of the industrial sector of the country and they are less supportive to the economic development of the country, said the President of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (ICC) Mevan Pieris.

All industries depend on their in-house research or partnerships with foreign collaboration and we rarely hear of any industrial sector collaboration with our research institutes or universities, he said.

For instance, the rubber industry is a successful export oriented industry. The industry depends on in-house research of the main companies. The Rubber Research Institute (RRI) does not contribute to the industry growth. However, the institute's research relating to the agricultural part of the rubber industry is very high. This is the situation of all research institutes in the country and all of them are limited to a narrow area.

Pieris said that to change the situation, these institutes should open the doors for technologists and chemical engineers for leading positions. We have pure scientists and not technologists. Pure scientists cannot build the link between the industrial sector and research because they have not recognised the market.

We have a serious shortage of expertise. The leadership of the research institutions is a major issue, because all of them are pure scientists. They should have a technological vision and not science vision, Pieris said.

However, Sri Lanka has a large number of experienced and successful professionals in many fields. But there is a big communication gap between our research institutes, their heads and these Sri Lankan experts abroad.

They are ready to support the country and with today's technology, we can easily collaborate with them to bridge the gap between research institutions and the industrial sector, Pieris said.

The ICC organised Chemtech 2007 international confab in Sri Lanka with this objective and to boost the scientific research in the country. The event was highly successful and now there are opportunities to build close relations with Sri Lankan experts abroad as well as top regional research institutes and professionals.

Pieris said that we are backward in industrial research. Therefore, our scientists should be ready to play second fiddle. They should realise the gap. We should re-organise all research institutions in the country and give them a national agenda. We have limited financial and human resources and unless we use them properly we waste the resources, he said.

Chemtech 2007 was acknowledged as a highly successful international event in the field of science and technology by all professionals present.

Prof. Gihan Amaratunge of the University of Cambridge, said that the conference was a turning point in Sri Lanka engaging with the international scientific community, We should follow up events of Chemtech and develop our research capacity to help in the economic development of the country, he said.

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