All our inventors win Gold in Geneva

Monday, 27 April 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

At the airport from left: K.G.D. Divon Layantha, Anura Sooriyaarachchi, Dr. R.M.H.M.A.I. Herath, Dr. K.T.D. Kahaduwa, M.A. Firouze and W.S.R. Thamel All five Sri Lankan inventors who took part in the recently-concluded 43rd International Inventors Exhibition and Competition in Geneva have secured Gold awards for their inventions. Four of them were fully sponsored by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission, having selected them from among the Presidential Award winners and Sahasak Nimavum Award winners, while the other inventor had joined the Sri Lankan contingent on his own. This is the third successive year Sri Lankan inventors have been recognised at Geneva but the first time all the participants have secured Gold awards. On their return to the island they were welcomed by SLIC Director/CEO Dinesh Satrukalsinghe and Assistant Director Deepika Kahatapitiya at the VIP lounge of BIA. The Geneva Inventions Exhibition is the world’s premier exhibition for inventions and innovations. This year there were 752 inventors from 48 countries. There were exhibits under 22 categories (Europe 45%, Asia and Middle East 47%, Other continents 8%). Incidentally, the fields of entries in the Sahasak Nimavum Exhibition are also aligned with the same categorisation. The jury consists of international experts in the relevant fields who considered the novelty and commercial potential when presenting awards. The Sri Lanka Inventors Commission has been nominating award-winning inventors to take part in this exhibition annually since 1996 with the objective of providing opportunities for the local inventors to enhance their exposure and competitiveness as well as with the expectation of them finding possible business partners. Presidential Awards are presented to the inventors who have obtained local patents in a given year and the awards are presented to the winners at the Sahasak Nimavum National Exhibition. In 2012 the commission started the practice of welcoming the award-winning inventors at the VIP Lounge at the Bandaranaike Airport as a further recognition to those inventors who bring fame to the country. Traditionally these Geneva Award winning inventors are given an audience with the President on their return. Among this year’s sponsored participants, one is a Presidential Award winner while others are winners at the Sahasak Nimavum Exhibition, one invention being the Dasis Award winner. [See page 4 for list of the inventions and awards.] The commission encourages Sri Lankan inventors to take part at international exhibitions, considering the exposure and opportunities they get at an international level. The participants were extended special support by the permanent mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva, including welcoming them at the airport on arrival as a special recognition to the talented Sri Lankans.