Bilateral Discussion Between Science and Technology Ministers of Sri Lanka and Vietnam

Events

One-Day Capacity-Building Workshop on How to Write Competitive Research Proposals

Announcement of the India–Sri Lanka Joint Calls 2024

RIA Policy Brief

National Science Week 2025

Vacancy - Director General, NATIONAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CENTRE OF SRI LANKA

An official meeting between the Minister of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka, Professor Chrishantha Abeysena, and the Minister of Science and Technology of the Government of Vietnam, Mr. Vu Hai Quan, was held on 8th May 2026 at the Hilton Hotel, Colombo.

This bilateral meeting took place in conjunction with the state visit of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr. To Lam, to Sri Lanka, which marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Key Highlights of the Discussion:

Strengthening Cooperation: Both ministries have been tasked with reinforcing long-term cooperation by enhancing knowledge, research, and technical capabilities in the fields of science, technology, and innovation to achieve national development goals.
Historic MOU: For the first time, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Implementation Roadmap: The primary objective of this meeting was to build a mutual understanding regarding the roadmap for the practical implementation of the signed MoU. Extensive discussions were held regarding these future steps.

Areas of Mutual Interest:

Both parties agreed to collaborate and exchange knowledge in several key sectors to benefit both nations:

High-quality Human Resource Training.
Cooperation in the Digital Technology Industry.
Standards and Quality Infrastructure.
Sharing expertise in Satellite Technology.
Agriculture and Agricultural Modernization.
Marine Science and Capacity Development.

Attendees:

Sri Lankan Delegation: Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Mohammed Navavi, and other ministry officials. Heads of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute, the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), and the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) were also present.
Vietnamese Delegation: Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Mr. Nguyen Thien Nghia, International Cooperation Officer Ms. Dinh Phuong Thao, and other high-ranking officials.