Giving value addition to assignments by uni students

• An event titled ‘Recognizing Successful Commercialisation of University Research was held recently at the BMICH 
• When it comes to arts and humanities, people are narrow minded about this and the majority doubts whether they are getting proper encouragement

AHEAD PROJECT PARTICIPANTS WITH THE COUNTRY MANAGER OF WORLD BANK FOR SRI LANKA AND MALDIVES

Do the University students really get a value addition for their assignments? 
Assignments are completed after putting in much dedication, effort and sleepless nights, but do the students really get a mandatory value for their efforts?
An event was held recently at the BMICH titled ‘Recognizing Successful Commercialisation of University Research’. It was organised by Accelerating Higher Education Expansion Operation, Ministry of Education and was funded by the World Bank.

Funds have been allocated since 2018 under the AHEAD Operation to develop the University Business Linkage Cells. These UBLs transfer university inventions into commercial products with the help of the private sector. Likewise, the University Business Linkage has been established with the intention of facilitating research commercialisation.

Participating at the event the Country Manager of the World Bank for Sri Lanka and Maldives Chiyo Kanda said “It is a great pleasure for me to be here, to attend this event recognizing successful commercialisation of university research. Research and innovation and commercialisation play a cubical role in the developing countries. In new income countries, innovation is assuming increasing importance. As the largest symbol of finance here in education globally World Bank aids to support countries to build human capital and generate miscellaneous and inclusive economic blocks. In this context, we have a long history of supporting the Sri Lankan Education system including higher education. We want to encourage the government to explore innovative approaches to finance in research and innovation activities in future.” 

When it comes to arts and humanities, people are narrow minded about this and the majority doubts whether they are getting proper encouragement. By opposing this view, the State

Minister of Education Dr Suren Raghavan added, “Sri Lanka has not given up on Arts and Humanities. And that would not happen during my responsibility, I give assurance of it. Having said that we have to face realities. We need to ask what’s happening in the higher education sector in the bigger countries. If you take America, UK, Australia, India, Japan, those top 10 countries in the higher education sector, there is a paradigmshift that is taking place. We have two options.We can say we don’t care about those changes. As some members of the community in this country keep saying, we have the best universities in the World, don’t worry, we have survived 2000 years, we survived tsunami, we survived Covid, we survived aragalaya, so our universities can go on like that. I detest that. If we need to safeguard the state higher education sector, there is a fundamental demand that comes to us, internally and externally: internally some of our new generation of graduates, externally some the world forces of higher education. So we are at a crossroads. And as Buddhists, we don’t have to be afraid of change. Because Buddha very profoundly said change is the only permanent thing. But I am glad, UGC and CBCD, all of the main bodies in the higher education sector are willing to sit down and talk. Because we all realise this is the corporate responsibility of our generation as policy makers. So the above condition had challenged the traditional model of universities.”

AHEAD and ICTA jointly organised a university student start up competition to celebrate the global entrepreneurship week, in November 2022.  First three place winners were presented with cash awards by Commercial Bank.
Following that first, second and third places were rewarded; they were University of Colombo,Wayamba University and University of Sri Jayewardenepura respectively.
During an era where Covid is again raising its head, University of Peradeniya has invented a Respirone Nano AV 99 face mask and the commercial partner for this is Sarasavi Industries (Pvt.) Ltd.

With the dengue cases increasing considerably, the students of University of Ruhuna have invented a mosquito repellent cream and the commercial partner for this is Green Enterprises.
At a time where people have a busy schedule most of the time people skip their breakfast. This might lead to so many health problems and instant food is not a viable solution for this. For centuries we know that kollu is a traditional food which was mostly used by our ancestors. Students of Wayamba University have manufactured kollu crunch and commercial partner for the product is the Panwila Care (Pvt) Ltd and Senovenya Natural Foods (Pvt) Ltd.