Over 300 local inventors honoured at National Inventors Day Celebrations 2018

In recognising inventors across the country, the National Inventors Day Celebrations 2018 and Presidential Awards Ceremony was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on 26 October.

The event, organised by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission (SLIC), was attended by over 1,500 inventors, with President Maithripala Sirisena gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. Science, Technology, Research, Skill Development, Vocational Training and Kandy Heritage Affairs Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, State Minister Lakshman Senevirathne, Deputy Minister Karunarathna Paranavithana, SLIC Commissioner Dr. Mahesh Edirisinghe and other distinguished guests also participated at the event.

Kottagodage Lakshman was named as the presidential award-winning inventor for the year 2016 at this gala event.

Meanwhile, the three best innovations under school, open and commercialised categories were given the Dasis award, the highest award being presented to inventors in Sri Lanka. W. M. Jayawardhana won the Dasis award under the commercialised category. A group invention done by R. M. Dharmadasa and C. H. Manoratnam won the Dasis award under the open category, while S. R. G. Udara Dewmika from MR/ Akurugoda K. V. won the junior Dasis award under the school category.

More than 300 inventors were recognised with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals under the aforementioned categories, as well as the ones who guided the inventors. Further, three selected innovations were given financial aid to begin commercial operation.

In 2016, President Maithripala Sirisena declared 26 October as the National Day of Inventors, in remembrance of the birth of the father of Sri Lanka’s engineering industry, SLIC founding commissioner and well known civil engineer Deshabandu Dr. A.N.S. Kulasinghe.

Commemorating this special day, the elder son of late Dr. Kulasinghe, Upul Kulasinghe, along with the President Sirisena, Science, Technology, Research, Skill Development, Vocational Training and Kandy Heritage Affairs Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, State Minister Lakshman Senevirathne, Deputy Minister Karunarathna Paranavithana, and SLIC Commissioner Dr. Mahesh Edirisinghe cut a commemorative cake.

Those who received accolades were determined by an esteemed panel of judges appointed by the President, covering 14 fields.