Orange-CINEC Collaborative Research Centre opens

CINEC Campus at Malabe celebrated the official opening of the Orange-CINEC Collaborative Research Centre graced by President of CINEC Capt Ajith Peiris, and Managing Director of OREL Corporation Kushan Kodituwakku, on 29 March. 

Senior staff members of both institutions, from CINEC Vice President  Prof (Capt) Nalaka Jayakody, Senior Consultant,  Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Director Research & International Cooperation Prof N. Rajkumar, General Manager Finance & Project Planning Tharanga Gamage, Dean Faculty of Engineering & Technology Dr Janaka Liyanagama, and from Orel Corporation, General Manager  Innovation Indika Kulatunga, Director Finance & SCM Sudath Kumara, and Marketing Manager Leslie Uduwavidane were present on the occasion.

 The Collaborative Research Centre was established by the Innovation Centre of Orel Corporation Ltd with CINEC, for the purpose of carrying out research in areas in IoT (Internet of Things), Home Automation System, Remote monitoring and related topics. The Centre will function under the direction of  CINEC Director Research and International Cooperation Prof. N. Rajkumar,, who was responsible for the establishment of the centre at the request of Orel Corporation General Manager Innovation Indika Kulatunga.  Having graduated from CINEC with a BEng (Hons) degree in Mechatronics of the University of Wolverhampton, UK,  Kulatunga had a passion to start something that could benefit the staff and students of CINEC, in gratitude for the high quality education he received at CINEC. The Research Centre at CINEC is the result of two great minds coming together, ably supported by the visionary leadership of both institutions.

The Research Centre will be equipped with essential state-of –the-art equipment to be used to carry out diversified research by the staff and students of the Faculty of Engineering & Technology of CINEC. Students will be involved in research in the above areas and will be guided by the Orange R&D engineers providing them knowledge and industrial experience towards the subject. The collaborative research will be used for the development of devices and systems from Orange. The completed projects will be commercialised with the possibility of obtaining patents.

IoT enabled devices are expected to be widely used in all aspects of life in the near future and the research centre is a step up from Orange to tap into the ever-growing demand for the betterment of life. 

Students who work in this facility will be exposed to the cutting edge technology of home automation and would get a chance to develop a fully-fledged home automation system with highly advanced features for variety of home automation requirements.

Orange has been manufacturing Panel Boards which are being used in different parts of the country in the domestic market. As such there is a need for these panel boards to be remotely monitored for trouble shooting so that remedial measures could be carried out expeditiously. 

Orange is now in the process of developing a device for remotely monitoring the functions of the panel boards. This project will also be one of the main tasks of the research centre.Leaders of both institutions pledged their commitment for a productive and sustainable long term partnership.