Sri Lanka is mulling to establish closer ties with Korea to promote technology transfers and sharing of technical know how, including internship opportunities as measures to foster cooperation on innovation between the two countries.
This was stated by Technology and Innovation State Minister Thilanga Sumathipala when he addressed the completion ceremony of a Korean Intellectual Property (IP) Sharing Project as Chief Guest.
He noted that while the interim Government was currently not in a position to conclude a MoU at the moment, but it was keen to sign an MOU between the countries in the near future.
The two segments of the project included a water treatment system for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) areas and a coconut oil expeller.
The project was launched by the Korean State institute Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and maintained by the Government subsidiary Korea Invention Promotion Association (KIPA) in 2017 .
Local partners of the project were the State Ministry of Technology and Innovation and Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI).
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Sri Lanka Heon Lee, who delivered a congratulatory speech, said that official diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1977.
“The two countries have maintained cordial bilateral partnership based on mutual respect,” Lee said, adding that Korea had been promoting various projects in education, transportation, water resources, sanitation, and regional development in Sri Lanka.
Of the three machines to be installed under the water treatment system, one has been completed and the remaining two are currently under construction and will be completed in January. The two coconut oil expellers have been completed.
(LI)