The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences today signed a collaboration agreement with the University of Jaffna on capacity building and establishing of a research consortium in nanomaterials for clean energy in the presence of the Norwegian Ambassador, His Excellency Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther. This collaboration which is 6.2 million Norwegian Kroners (112 mn LKR) over a period of three years, is funded by the Norwegian Embassy as part of its development cooperation programme. Ambassador Gaustadsæther expressed that “I hope this partnership on clean energy technology brings new ideas and advances in sustainable energy solutions for Sri Lanka”.
Part of the funding will be utilized to upgrade the laboratory facilities and for technical assistance and capacity building at the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Technology at the Kilinochchi campus and at the Faculty of Science at the Jaffna campus of the University of Jaffna.
One of the main aspects of this collaboration is the establishment of a consortium on clean energy technologies, which includes the partners and private enterprises in both Sri Lanka and in Norway. Clean energy technology is one of the priority sectors for Norway. Therefore, promotion of these technologies as well as building linkages between research and business is encouraged as this could lead to further investments in innovation.
Enterprises in Norway and in Sri Lanka will contribute to this project by means of technical assistance, offering work placements for the students, involvement in research projects, offering mentors and external supervisors for the research projects, offering opportunities for visits and exchange of knowledge through discussions. The Embassy is pleased to assist in bringing research institutes and business together for the advancement of innovation and new technology.
The Norwegian Embassy through this collaboration is further strengthening the support of 4,7 million Norwegian Kroners (85 mn LKR) received from NORPART (Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation) for the period starting from 2017 to 2021. In March of this year, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the University of Jaffna signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on educational and research cooperation at Masters and PhD level. Under the NORPART program, the two institutions collaborate on higher education and research in nanomaterials for clean energy technologies (HRCNET). Other institutions, such as the University of Bergen and the University of Agder from Norway, the University of Peradeniya from Sri Lanka, and Coimbatore Institute of Technology from India are also included as partners in this project.
