Prof. Susumu Sugiyama (Director of the Research Institute for Nanomachine System Technology and Professor at the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization of the Ritsumeikan University in Shiga, Japan) visited SLINTEC on 8th September 2009. He aids SLINTEC as a special consultant in the development of the Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (NEMS) and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Design Centre. During his visit, the NEMS/MEMS Design Centre was established at SLINTEC. He delivered an enlightening presentation to the Honorable Minister of Science & Technology, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, some representatives from the Ministry of Science & Technology and World Bank officials. Prof. Sugiyama also conducted a special presentation to the Team SLINTEC to broaden their knowledge on NEMS & MEMS.

In line with Prof. Sugiyama’s visit, SLINTEC organized its 7th Knowledge Seminar at the ITI Auditorium on 18th September 2009 on the subject of NEMS and MEMS – “Progress of Integration in MEMS and New Industry Creation”.

SLINTEC’s unwavering, explicit commitment to Sustainable Nanotechnology, have started to pay off. Research institutions in the world have now begun to bridge their R&D initiatives with SLINTEC.

On 28th October 2009, SLINTEC signed an agreement for collaborative research with the Research Organization for Science and Engineering of the Ritsumeikan University, Japan.

Ritsumeikan University is one of the oldest and most prestigious private universities in Kyoto, Japan. It holds a lot of collaborations with world leading companies in the automobile, robotics, electronics and health care industries.

Under the signed agreement, joint research activities in the Micro and Nano System Technology will be carried out. Further, the agreement will enable technology transfers between the two institutions by means of exchanging researchers and postgraduate students.

Prof. Susumu Sugiyama, the Director of Research Institute for Nanomachine System Technology of the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Organization exchanged the agreement on behalf of Prof. Masaaki Makikawa, Executive Director of the Research Organization of the Science and Engineering of the Ritsumeikan University with Mr. Ravi Fernando, Chief Executive Officer of the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology.

Prof. Susumu Sugiyama is currently in Sri Lanka on a mission to establish a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) / Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (NEMS) Design Centre in SLINTEC, under the Expert Dispatch program of Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA).

Sri Lanka Institute of Nano Technology (SLINTEC) was featured in a report by the World Bank titled “Leveraging High Technology to Drive Innovation & Competitiveness in Key Export Industries & Building the Sri Lankan Knowledge Economy”.

Among other things, the report mentions that the World Bank inspection team headed by the renowned scientist Dr. R.A Mashelkar was impressed with the personnel at SLINTEC in terms of their “high level competency as well as commitment to make the initiative successful”.

The report also praises the SLINTEC model of the private-public partnership. This was initiated by the National Science foundation and five of the leading corporate entities: Brandix, Dialog, Hayles, Loadstar and MAS.

The Honorable Minister of Science & Technology, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, visited the SLINTEC complex at the Biyagama Export Promotion Zone on 14th September 2009. Prof. Vitharana was accompanied by some officials of the Science & Technology Ministry and representatives of the National Science Foundation and the World Bank on his visit. They toured the facility accompanied by Ravi Fernando, CEO of SLINTEC.

In line with Prof. Vitharana’s visit, a special presentation was conducted by Prof. Sugiyama, Director of the Research Institute for Nanomachine System Technology (one of SLINTEC’s partner institutes

A pioneer in the creation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), Prof. Vitharana is also one of SLINTEC’s strongest supporters. He is unhesitant in sharing his view on the Nanotechnology initiative. Prof. Vitharana has expressed time and again that “Sri Lanka has many resources including a large pool of skilled human capital, which must be harnessed to develop this promising technology to eliminate poverty in rural areas”.

The Government of Sri Lanka together with the ministry of Science and Technology launched the Sri Lanka Nanotechnology Initiative in 2007. The brainchild of this initiative, the Nanotechnology Company (NANCO), was set-up with BOI status. A 60 acre property in Homagama has already been ear marked for this project with the Government pledging to allocate over Rs. 5 billion over the next five years. NANCO will become a holding company in the “Science Park” to be created in Homagama where new Nanotechnology inventions will be commercialized by interested private companies.

Coupled to this venture, Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), whose goals are more immediate, was set up in 2008 as a private company. SLINTEC is a Rs. 420 million venture with the Government investing 50% and five joint venture partners. They are namely Brandix, Dialog, Hayleys, Loadstar and MAS Holdings equally investing the rest. The Ministry of Science and Technology is the focal point of the Government’s investment which will oversee its responsibilities through the National Science Foundation. Under its mandate, SLINTEC will provide a Nanotechnology research-based industrial platform, to the existing product line up of these companies, thus enhancing their global competitiveness.
Investment into Nanotechnology “Technopreneurship” through NANCO and SLINTEC, the Government has recognized that scientists can make a big difference in national development by helping to exploit good technologies. However, Nanotechnology should be implemented with care and synergy with the environment and a careful life cycle analysis of products. It is important to note that SLINTEC is committed to sustainable Nanotechnology where a sustainability screen would be applied to all the research they undertake

The chairperson of NSF, Prof. Sirimali Fernando visited SLINTEC on 12th August 2009. The SLINTEC Science Team presented the inaugural SLINTEC initiated projects of its industry partners at this occasion. Distribution of Lab coats to Team SLINTEC was also done by Prof. Fernando and Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, the Chairman of SLINTEC /MAS during this event.

The second edition of the SLINTEC focuses primarily on the start of science projects at SLINTEC, its market-driven approach to innovation and the favorable citation of SLINTEC by the World Bank.

The second edition of the newsletter can be downloaded here.

The Newsletter can be downloaded from here.

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