Premium International and Moratuwa University extend R&D laboratory partnership

13 October 2015 06:30 pm Views - 1350

Handing Over of agreement by Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, Professor Ananda Jayawardane & Managing Director / CEO of Premium International, Prasantha Kularatna


The landmark Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between Premium International Pvt Ltd and the University of Moratuwa was extended for a further 3 years based on the remarkable progress made by Sri Lanka’s only Research & Development Laboratory for bio medical technology. 

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, Professor Ananda Jayawardane and Managing Director / CEO of Premium International, Mr Prasantha Kularatna addressed this momentous occasion.

The initial agreement was signed in 2010 for a period of 2 years with an investment value of Rs 50 million. This pioneering partnership is typical of a Silicon Valley operation where a PPP was formed between Sri Lanka’s most prestigious engineering university and Sri Lanka’s only turnkey healthcare solutions provider, Premium International Pvt Ltd. 

The objective of this collaboration between Premium international and University of Moratuwa is to harness local research and development expertise, engineering skills with the intent to develop medical equipment prototypes for subsequent commercialization. Whilst being recognized by both the public and private sector health institutions and professionals, Premium International continuously searches for new prospects and this collaboration is yet another such initiative with Sri Lanka’s top tier tertiary Engineering Institution, the University of Moratuwa.

A state of the art laboratory was designed and built at the University and the required equipment was procured from the world leaders in the manufacture, distribution and service of electronic test tools, biomedical equipment and networking solutions from USA, Europe and Japan. The laboratory is managed by the highest calibre professionals and technical assistants at the University of Moratuwa and includes 3 holders of PhD’s, 2 MSc graduates and 2 First Class engineering graduates.

This ground breaking venture was recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2015 by way of making available a substantial grant to procure high tech testing instruments and simulators.

This pioneering project can be considered complementary to other government initiatives in the post war development era of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, it’s a perfect fit with the advent of new hospital technology and the growing needs for diagnostics in Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector.  At present both the state and private sector spends over Rs 10 billion annually to import and procure medical and laboratory equipment.

The success of the project will ensure the development of a new industry which will result in saving of foreign exchange with also high potential for the export of medical equipment and components. At present these types of medical instruments are not freely available though out the country. Once commercial production of the equipment commences all citizens of our nation will benefit from the ready availability of essential medical equipment. 

Furthermore, the University of Moratuwa has been able to offer a special degree for engineering in the specialized field of bio medical technology subsequent to the successful commissioning of this research and development laboratory. The presence of the laboratory now gives opportunities for aspiring under graduate and graduate students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical application.