Sri Lanka’s undisputed pioneer in Engineering & Technological education, Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC), opened its fully-fledged research lab complex at the Padukka Campus premises recently. The event was participated by Chief Guest Minister of Education Professor GL Peiris & Minister of Trade Dr Bandula Gunawardena, Guest of Honour. Minister of Youth & Sports, Namal Rajapaksa & Principal Advisor to His Excellency the President Lalith Weerathunga were unable to participate due to conflicting schedules but conveyed nonetheless conveyed their good wishes.

Dignitaries & delegates in attendance included Chancellor of Moratuwa University & Council Member of SLTC - Professor K K Y W Perera, Secretary to the Ministry of Youth & Sports - Mr Anuradha Wijekoon, Secretary to the State Ministry of Rural Roads and other Infrastructure - Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake, Director General Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka - Mr Oshada Senanayake, Chairman Sri Lanka Telecom PLC - Mr Rohan Fernando & Chairman Atomic Energy Authority & Council Member of SLTC - Prof. SR D Rosa. The event coincided with the unveiling of the University crest and the 2025 infrastructure development blueprint of SLTC incorporating all enhancements in progress as well as projected to materialise in the foreseeable future.

10 students were felicitated for outstanding performance in research & innovations, best final year projects & international competition wins while 12 staff awards including Outstanding Research Award, Emerging Young Researcher & STLC President’s Research Award were distributed among members of faculty. Upon declaring the new facility open, Chief Guest Professor Peiris remarked: “SLTC’s emphasis on research is noteworthy; Universities have two main components – teaching & research. Both are equally important though in the more traditional approach imparting theoretical knowledge is prioritised over hands-on experience.

Eng Rubasinghe’s vision to restore this equilibrium by striking a perceptive balance between theory and practical education is commendable & exemplary. SLTC is a trailblazer in that regard.” Meanwhile Guest of Honour Dr Gunawardena noted: “Today is a red-letter for SLTC as well as the country. Embracing research-based education is bound to yield positive results & we congratulate SLTC for paving the way for it. Hopefully all public & private universities in Sri Lanka will follow suit.” The first & only of its kind in Sri Lanka, the dedicated research facility aligns with SLTC’s vision and focus to emerge as the number one research university in the region; it serves to facilitate & foster research as a natural part of university education.

Spread across an extent of 45,000 sqft, SLTC serves to facilitate extensive collaboration about different research groups to produce and disseminate new knowledge across various disciplines. The complex is designed to be one with nature & ample inspiring, interactive spaces to promote free-thinking, cooperation & entrepreneurship among undergraduates. The complex features dedicated laboratories & co-working spaces for fields of Telecommunication, Electrical & Electronics, Power System, Environmental Engineering & Technology, Chemical Science, Food Processing & Engineering, Instrumental, Microbiology & Biotechnology, IOT, Civil Engineering & hydraulics.

Speaking at the opening, Founder President/CEO of SLTC Eng. Ranjith Rubasinghe: “We are excited to expose the next generation of graduates in Sri Lanka to world-class infrastructure in research & development thereby offering them not merely theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience across various technological disciplines. We believe this facility will serve to elevate SLTC as the foremost knowledge hub & research university in the whole of South Asia.” In a short span of time, SLTC has made significant strides in research including publishing the Highest-Impact Factor paper in Engineering & Physics 2019, received Presidential award for the highest impact factor publication in Engineering, Architecture, Computer Science and IT in 2019 and is ranked 19th in Sri Lanka in the Webometrics ranking among other accomplishments.

Furthermore, five final year students of SLTC won the International Research Paper Competition at World Innovation Expo in Indonesia last year. SLTC boasts an erudite panel of lecturers including 40 PhD holders, 2 IEEE Senior members and an IET fellow. It also holds the distinct honour of being the first non-state university to embark on a Post-doctoral programme. The University’s research teams are currently engaged in research in areas of Telecommunication, Embedded Systems & Robotics, BioSystems, Cognitive Computing, Power Systems Engineering, Applied Mathematics & Sustainable Building. SLTC has hosted 4 international workshops in collaboration with international partner universities over the past years to promote research & knowledge sharing. The Campus offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes to choose from catering to diverse interests of Engineering, Technology, Business, Computing & IT, Music, Textile Technology & Fashion Merchandising, Tourism & Hospitality.