Rebuilding Trust in Science in Sri Lanka – An Initiative for Economic Revival and Public Confidence

Inaugurating the Parliament in November 2024, HE the President stated that Science and Technology is a thrust area of the Government to rebuild the economy and improve the well-being of the people. The National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (NASSL) and the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Sciences (SLAAS), premier professional bodies that advice the Government on scientific matters and promote advancement and dissemination of scientific knowledge, believe that for this objective to succeed, we must first “rebuild trust in science and technology” among the public, politicians and decision makers.

To rebuild trust in science and technology, the NASSL proposed a three-year, LKR 100 million initiative, on the theme “How Science & Technology can generate Wealth for the People”. Four eminent blue-chip corporates, Access Engineering PLC, Brandix Lanka Ltd., Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC and Dialog Axiata PLC joined the initiative as strategic partners, formalized their commitment by signing agreements with the NASSL on 1st July 2025.

The strategic partners, in addition to supporting the common activities of the initiative through their CSR contributions, will be the exclusive partners for the four thrust areas given below to rebuild trust in science:

• How entrepreneurial scientists generate wealth for the people – Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC
• How research and development scientists generate wealth for the people – Access Engineering PLC
• How sustainability/consulting scientists generate wealth for the people – Brandix Lanka Ltd.
• How science and digitalization generate wealth for the people – Dialog Axiata PLC.

The SLASS will be the partner and co-promoter of the initiative to Rebuild Trust in Science in Sri Lanka and TV Derana will be the media partner.
The three-year initiative is expected to launch a major awareness campaign consisting of advertising and promotional activities on communicating sciences, simply, clearly, honestly and understandably, among all stakeholders, school children, their parents, undergraduates, policy makers, politicians and the public, that will rebuild trust in science & technology and have an impact on Society.

Duration of the Initiative: 3 years – 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2028.

• 1st Year: Promotion of science awareness among the public through the advertising campaign, and promotional activities carried out by the SLAAS through its Science Popularization Program among schoolchildren and undergraduates by encouraging them to conduct studies on how science & technology can be used to generate wealth for the people and the nation.

• 2nd Year: In addition to the promotion of science awareness among the public through the advertising
campaign, and promotional activities of the SLAAS, NASSL/SLAAS members, scientists and industry leaders will participate in forty (40) episodes each lasting 30 minutes, on Television (TV Derana) and social media, on the four thrust areas, ten (10) episodes each, that was identified previously for each strategic partner.

• 3rd Year: In addition to the promotion of science awareness among the public through the advertising campaign, SLAAS/NASSL will organize a minimum four (04) provincial conferences to showcase and present findings by school children and undergraduates on their findings from studies on how science & technology can be used to generate wealth for the people and the nation, which they began during the 1st and 2nd years of this initiative.

The Senior Advisor on Science and Technology to HE the President has strongly endorsed this initiative as an essential part of HE the President’s programme to rebuild the economy and improve the well-being of the people by using science and technology.

By fostering greater scientific literacy, showcasing tangible societal impacts, and creating meaningful public dialogue, the NASSL-SLAAS initiative seeks to bridge the gap between science and society—rebuilding trust and reaffirming the value of science as a driver of national prosperity.

Signatories and dignitaries at the agreement signing ceremony on the NASSL project “Rebuilding Trust in Science in Sri Lanka” held on July 1, 2025

From left to right: Mr. Ashroff Omar, Group Chief Executive Officer of Brandix Lanka Ltd., Mr. Christopher Joshua, Executive Vice Chairman, Access Engineering PLC, Mr. Supun Weerasinghe, Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC, Prof. Ajit Abeysekera, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (NASSL), Prof. Gomika Udugamasooriya, Senior Advisor on Science and Technology to HE the President, Prof. Malik Ranasinghe, Vice President of the NASSL, and Mr. Hasrath Munasinghe, Trustee and Deputy General Manager, Corporate Banking, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.