Science and Technology Promotion, Advice and Application for the Achievement of the Millennium Devel

1
Science and Technology Promotion, Advice and
Application for the Achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals in Sri Lanka

• Vijaya Kumar
• vkumar_at_pdn.ac.lk

UNCSTD Inter-sessional Panel Meeting
Vienna, October 2004
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Science and Technology in Sri Lanka

• Formal recognition in 1994 - Cabinet Ministry
• Increased funding since 1994 for S T
• Still only 0.13 of GDP
• Draft Science Policy in 1996 NARESA
• New S T Development Act in 1998
• National S T Commission (NASTEC) Policy
• Rather ineffective in S T areas outside MOST
• 2001-2003 Regaining Sri Lanka World Bank
• Public private partnerships in state R D
  institutes
  

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Science Advice

• 1994 Science Advisor to Minister
• Virologist
• Present Minister of S T
• 1995 Science Advisor to President
• Biotechnologist
• Presently Chairman of NASTEC
• Reward scheme for SCI journal publications
• Fast track equipment purchase

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Research in Sri Lanka

• Almost all research in state sector
• Universities four larger Universities
• Ministry of S T institutions
• Industrial Training Institute (ITI), NERD, ACCIMT
  
  
• Other Ministries
• Crop research Institutes Coconut, Rubber, Tea
• Tea Research Institute Cess from tea exports
• Multinationals Unilever, BAT, Shell
• No local S T research

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Sri Lanka and MDGs

• Socio-economic data good even in 1990
• Free Education up to Universityinsufficient
  places
  
• Free Health System, cheap drugs freely available
  
  
• Under five child mortality lowest in South Asia
• Presently 13 per thousand 44 decrease since
  1990
  
• Maternal mortality rate 50/100,000 Top 15
• Presently 50 per 100,000 in top 15 of DCs
• Poverty at US 1 per day 6-7 of population
• HIV/AIDS, TB low prevalence
• Malaria 9 in 100,000 mortality rate

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Sri Lanka and MDGs - ICT

• Telecommunications
• Privatised 1997 NTT 40 full management
• Land lines 0.7/100 in 1990 increased to 5.0 this
  year
  
• Mobiles grew by 54 per year average last ten
  years
  
• Total Connectivity 12/100 persons
• World bank funded ICT Agency in 2003
• e-Sri Lanka Road map
• Personal computer in country low - 1 per 100
  people
  
• Internet 500 increase in subscribers in 7
  years
  
• Still low at 5 persons in every 1000 Mainly
  urban
  
• Software developmentVirtusa, Millennium
  technologies
  
• in South Asia
• Presently 13 per thousand 44 decrease since
  1990
  
• Maternal mortality rate 50/100,000 Top 15
• Presently 50 per 100,000 in top 15 of DCs
• Poverty at US 1 per day 6-7 of population
• HIV/AIDS, TB low prevalence
• Malaria 9 in 100,000 mortality rate

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Sri Lanka and MDGs New technologies

• Biotechnologies
• New Institute of Biotechnology
• New clones of crop plants Crop Research
  Institute
  
• Diagnostic kits University of Colombo
• Private sector GeneTech legal work
• No vaccine research or manufacture
• New Materials
• Research on photovoltaic cells
• Very little utilization of Solar energy
• Dendro energy 1 MB experimental plant installed