National Inventors Exhibition in October

By Cheranka Mendis

Giving inventors around the country an opportunity to come forward with their ideas and find viable commercial plans to take their inventions to the next level, the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission is organising a national exhibition and competition in September this year.

Technology and Research Ministry Secretary Dahara Wijethileke (right) along with Inventors Commission Commissioner Deepal Sooriyaarachchi at the media briefing – Pic by Pradeep Dilrukshana

To be held at the BMICH from 30 September to 2 October, the exhibition will be organised under seven nationally important broad themes and 22 sub categories structured in line with international parameters. Inventors Commission Commissioner Deepal Sooriyaarachchi announcing the event on Wednesday stated that inventors across all borders, whether grass roots, medium or high level, are invited to partake in both the exhibition and competition.

Titled ‘Sahasak Nipawum,’ over 1000 inventions are to be featured at the event, he said.

Participants of the exhibition will be categorised on four levels – school leavers, inventors from Technical Colleges, Universities and Tertiary Education Institutions, open category for individual inventors and institutions and Sri Lanka business organisations with commercialised inventions.

The seven main categories for products eligible for the ‘Dasis’ Award, which will be given to the winning inventions, are to make the disable independent, help food security, protect the environment, save energy, assure human safety, technical aids and substitute imports.

The 22 sub categories include mechanics, clocks and watches, computer science, building, sanitation, security, ironware, furnishing, domestic science, commercial and industrial office equipment, agriculture, clothing and textiles, medicine and surgery, optics, photography and cinematography, teaching methods and materials, transport, foodstuffs, sports, practical novelties, publicity, games and environment and energy protection.

Winners will receive cash prizes as well as a certificate. Sooriyaarachchi said: “There are three objectives in planning this exhibition and competition. One is the obvious one – to create a platform for inventors to show their talent, the second is to give them a chance to look at business models to publicise their work. And for this purpose the first day of the exhibition is totally dedicated to the corporate inventors. The third is to encourage more to invent goods that could help society.”

He expressed that inventions are key to the development of the country. Currently only 7% of GCE A/L students take science as a subject which is one of the key factors contributing to the negative growth of inventors of the country. “We need to create an enabling environment for more people to invent and come forward with them. This exhibition and competition will I believe pave the way.”

Technology and Research Ministry Secretary Dahara Wijethileke also at the event stated that inventors play a significant role for national development. “The exhibition is first of its kind and I believe, will be a success. The country needs inventions to address national concerns. When inventions take form to support the national goals, it would support the country’s growth initiatives,” she said.