The Department of Civil Engineering secures a prestigious research grant under the India–Sri Lanka Joint Research Programme 2024
The collaborative research proposal, titled “Waste to wealth approach by production of
polyhydroxyalkanoate from the treatment of lipid waste and exploring its use in various
applications,” was selected for funding through a rigorous joint evaluation process conducted by
the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, and its Sri Lankan counterpart.
Out of 442 R&D proposals submitted, this project is one of only 16 selected.
The Sri Lankan research team is led by Principal Researcher Eng. (Dr.) A.M.L.N. Gunathilaka,
alongside Co-Researchers Eng. (Dr.) G.N. Paranavithana and Eng. (Prof.) P.A.K. Karunananda
from the Department of Civil Engineering. They are partnering with an Indian team led by Dr.
Amit Bafana at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) in
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Marking the official launch of the project, the commencement and tri-partite agreement signing
ceremony for the Indo–Sri Lanka Joint Research Programme was held on July 1st, 2026. The
event was attended by government representatives from both nations, Vice-Chancellors,
university academics, and distinguished researchers.