Background

Sri Lankan is at a crucial juncture at this very moment, with the war that tore her apart for many a decade over, it is time for songs of peace and thoughts of development. The order of the day is for a locally integrated development strategy with focus on locally groomed talent and technology. But with little technology available within the country and patented innovations being a rare sight, Sri Lanka has no choice but to import the goods at a hefty price. A maintenance and service driven manufacturing and business industries are not much of a help in the road towards innovation and creativity. With an aim of sustaining an innovative and creative culture within the local youth, and lending a hand to today’s inventor to be tomorrow’s business mogul, we have taken the first step towards a sustainable development Sri Lanka.

An inventor’s fair, organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Moratuwa will be staged at Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC) premises on the 21st & 22nd of November 2009. InnoMech 2009 targets the creative Sri Lankans with talents yet to be unveiled and potential yet to be unmasked, providing a lending hand with technical skills and financial opportunities.

The project would heavily benefit the inventors of today, struggling hard to develop, attract proper investment and branding for their inventions also the local industries. Especially the SMEs (small and medium scale enterprises), considered to be the workhorse of the economy, would be exposed to newer techniques and processes that would greatly simplify their tasks. The investors and venture capitalists who’ll be watching intently for the newest business seed will have the greatest opportunity for a better harvest. Furthermore it would provide a grand opportunity for the business firms, seeking the mass congregation of the public, other business enterprises and investors, for promotional activities earning them a potential customer base. In addition, the media, venturing to publicize this event, would benefit largely by creating a greater positive image as a responsible media organization and expand its audience in today’s fiercely competitive world.

An elite group of intellectuals with a sound academic and technical background comprising of the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering and also the former Commissioner of the SLIC (Sri Lanka Inventor’s Commission) as the Board of Advisors, and a persistent group of undergraduates from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will sphere head this project with the association of relevant government and non-governmental organisations.

The project which demands a financial investment of LKR 3.5 million will span the entire nation searching for the talented Sri Lankans trapped by oceans of difficulties. The preliminaries will go to every single province of the country in search of possible geniuses, attracting enthusiasts by its thousands, making ample opportunity for the corporations of today easy access to a probable clientele.

Objectives

1. To take the paper based inventions/patents to the hands of the consumer through “Product development” and “Marketing strategies”.
2. To help, educate and teach the creative and progressive youth of Sri Lanka.
1. Help master their respective fields of interest within the technological boundaries,
2. Help with the “Product Development” aspect of their inventions,
3. Help with financial aids for further development of their designs,
4. Help with the marketing knowledge vital for proper promotion of their inventions,
5. Help to obtain patents for their respective designs and innovations.
3. To move the current social setup to an innovative age, stoned through creativity and outbound thinking.
4. To promote young inventors
5. To educate today’s Sri Lankan on the benefits of innovation including the financial and academic gain of it.
6. To provide and develop Mother Lanka through creative thinking and innovative design.

Scope of the project

InnoMech 2009 is a nationwide competition/exhibition targeting the youth of Sri Lanka to promote creativity, outbound thinking to result in innovations. The project runs at a national and a provincial level seeking the young inventors with creative ideas put in to practise. The project mainly focuses on the development aspects of the inventor, through “Product Development seminars” and strategic “Marketing sessions”. It also tries to establish links for the deserving inventors for financial aid through banks and other financial institutes. Selected inventors will be provided with technical necessities to develop their invention/innovation to a marketable product. This will be done by means of knowledge dissemination forums, workshops, seminars and technological assistance for product development. It is not intended to reward the winners with cash but instead they will be given technical knowledge and assistance for sustainable development.

Project Management

Board of Advisors

1. Dean, Faculty of Engineering
2. Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering
3. Four senior lecturers from the Department


1. Prof. R.A Attalage,
2.  Dr. A.G.T Sugathapala,
3.  Dr. M.A.R.V Fernando,
4.  Dr. U.P Kahangamage
   
   
4. Prof. K.K.C.K. Perera, Former Commissioner, Sri Lanka Inventors Commission
5. Industrial experts