The National Innovation Agency - Sri Lanka (NIA) and the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka (SDCSL) entered into a partnership to promote innovations for accelerating the achievement of SDGs.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires innovation for sustainability. Process innovation to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation is of great importance to achieve sustainable development. However, according to the Global Innovation Index Ranking in 2020, Sri Lanka ranked 85 out of 132 countries, showing that Sri Lanka has a long way to go to truly benefit from innovation-driven development.

Recognizing the importance of innovation to progress on all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National Innovation Agency - Sri Lanka (NIA) and the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka (SDCSL) entered into a partnership to promote innovations for accelerating the achievement of SDGs.

The objectives of the MoU are to collaborate on promoting industry innovations to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, raising awareness about the importance of innovation in sustainable development, and coordinate to enhance the national innovation ecosystem in alignment with the Sri Lanka Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Chief Innovation Officer of NIA, Prof. Ajith de Alwis, and the Director General of the SDCSL, Ms. Chamindry Saparamadu this morning. Senior officials from both institutions also participated in the event.